Exactly How Long to Grill Hamburgers From Medium-Rare to Well-Done (2024)

Grilling hamburgers is an American pastime, with each burger eater avowing their preferred burger style. Whether it’s medium-rare with cheese or cooked well and then some, figuring out how long to grill hamburgers to different temperatures is tricky, though not impossible. To help you master medium-rare through well-done burgers, we looped in a meat expert for insight to make you the hero of the grill.

How Long to Grill Hamburgers for Perfect Doneness

According to ButcherBox's Nathan Burk, cook burgers between 8 and 11 minutes, adding 1 minute to the total cook time (both sides) for each doneness preference. Here are the details based on a 6-ounce, ½-inch burger.

Medium-Rare

Medium-rare is the lowest temperature you want to cook a burger, with an objective of an internal temperature of 125 to 130°F. “A good rule of thumb for a 6-ounce burger is to cook it for about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare,” says Burk, for a total grill time of 8 minutes.

Medium

To achieve a medium burger, which has a slight pink tinge on the inside, flip after 4 minutes on the first side (same as for medium-rare) and remove from the grill after 5 minutes on the other, for a total cook time of 9 minutes. The proper temperature for medium burgers is 140 to 145°F, so check the temperature at the 8-minute mark to ensure you’re on track.

Medium-Well

For a medium-well burger, which has little-to-no pink in it, grill for about 10 minutes, flipping once after 5 minutes.The objective is an internal temperature between 150 and 155°F.

Well-Done

Well-done burgers may be deceivingly simple, but you want to pull them before they reach 160°F and potentially dry out. Well-done 6-ounce burgers need at least 10 minutes on the grill, and should rest for a bit before going on a bun.

Other Considerations for Grilling Perfect Burgers

There's more to grilling a perfect burger than perfect timing. This advice is valid no matter how you like your burger cooked.

Use a Meat Thermometer

“Using an instant-read thermometer is the best gauge of doneness,” says Burk. “If you don't have a good digital instant-read thermometer, go get one now. There is no need to be worried about over-cooking your burger or steak again."

"A thermometer will help you cook with confidence every time," he insists. "I travel with mine. No joke. As a meat professional, I never know when I might be asked to throw down on the grill.”

One Flip is Enough

When it comes to grilling burgers, Burk adheres to a one-flip-is-all-you-need philosophy. “Although you might be tempted to do so, the less you flip them, the more they retain their juiciness and flavor,” he says.

Pre-heat the Grill

The times our expert recommends for grilling burgers presuppose your grill is pre-heated before you add the meat. This ensures your burgers cook at a similar temperature the entire time.

Factor-in Residual Cooking

“Remember that your burger will keep cooking once you pull it off the grill," Burk says, reminding us of the effect of residual cooking, also called "carryover cooking." He recommends pulling a burger when it's about 5 degrees lower than your finish target temperature.

Strive for Uniformity

Cook times for all doneness preferences vary with the thickness, weight, and size of your burger. Before throwing a whole batch on, it's best to practice on a test burger and consider lowering the heat if it turns out too seared on the outside while not cooked enough internally. Creating a uniformly thick burger, about ½ inch, is ideal.