Gordon Ramsay Revealed That You’ve Been Barbecuing Burgers Wrong Your Whole Life

There are few easier ways to cook meat than grilling. However, although it’s a difficult thing to get wrong, there’s one person guaranteed to say when you’ve messed up. Indeed, notoriously opinionated TV chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay made a YouTube video revealing exactly how you should be making your burgers.

Gordon Ramsay is famous for his fiery temperament on shows such as Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. In fact, his put downs and insults have been turned into numerous memes across the internet, and they’re as hilarious as they are scathing. Moreover, the famous restaurateur is never short of an opinion on other chefs’ cooking techniques.

What’s more, with cooking being his obvious passion, Ramsay rarely holds back when critiquing food combinations he deems to be unusual. For instance, late-night viewers of the British chat show The Nightly Show may recall when the contentious issue of pineapple as a pizza topping came up. Ramsay was standing in as a guest host in 2017 when he called up for delivery.

When Ramsay looked at the audience for their input on toppings, someone suggested pineapples. Interrupting the call, the chef turned to the audience member and said, “You don’t put f**king pineapple on a pizza.” When the order was complete, he turned to the offender and added, “What the f**k are you doing?” But his opinion of junk food doesn’t stop there.

Indeed, McDonald’s have felt the rough edge of Ramsay’s tongue, too. As he told U.K. newspaper The Independent in April 2007, “Strip a Big Mac back of everything it’s filled up with and you’ve got two bland basics: fat and fodder. When you think of how exciting it is to make a hamburger from a chef’s point of view… then why do you have to buy that crap?”

Certainly, Ramsay seems like more of an In-N-Out man, having obsessed over the southwestern states’ fast food chain in 2009. However, since 2012 the outspoken chef has operated his own burger joint in Las Vegas. And in 2017, he made a video for Good Morning America demonstrating how barbecue enthusiasts should be making their own at home.

However, home cooks shouldn’t be too disheartened by criticism from the celebrity chef. In fact, Gordon Ramsay often has choice words for his peers. He once claimed that many hosts of cooking shows “get away with a lot of s**t.” Moreover, he said, they wouldn’t be able to cope in a professional environment.

Indeed, as a guest on boxing promoter Frank Warren’s Heavyweight Podcast in May 2020, Ramsay served some knockout blows to other TV chefs. The Hell’s Kitchen star reckoned that many cookery hosts were made to look good in the editing room. What’s more, the public had no way of knowing whether their cooking was actually any good.

Ramsay told Warren, “If I didn’t have any TV and wasn’t producing those shows, behind all that I’m a real chef so that’s the difference. I’m 53 years of age, I got my first Michelin star at 33 so I’m a real chef, not a TV chef.” What’s more, Ramsay was mentored by some of the best chefs in Europe.

“There are TV chefs out there who wouldn’t last an hour in a professional kitchen,” Ramsay claimed. “Because you’ve got the power of the edit, you’ve got the power of the producer. And, to be totally frank, you’re not going to taste any food we cook on TV [because] you can’t f**king smell it.”

Indeed, in August 2009, Ramsay claimed that chefs lack proper skills. He told Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald, “The problem in kitchens today is the lack of discipline. Suddenly cooking is one of the very few jobs anywhere in the world that you don’t need qualifications to become a chef.”

Ramsay continued, “You… could walk down Sunset Strip tomorrow morning and get a job as a commis chef washing salads in the bistro, brasserie without even producing a form of certificate… [to say] that you are a trained chef. That’s the bad news… I mean, it’s a very sad scenario.” The TV star’s criticisms, however, aren’t reserved for those within the profession.

Ramsay can even be critical of Tana, his wife’s food whenever she dons the chef’s apron at home. He admitted, “When Tana’s roast potatoes are stuck to the tray or the Yorkshire puddings haven’t risen, I get a little bit impatient… Of course, I want to jump in there and do it myself because I’m starving, and I want to move things on a little bit quicker.”

Now, you may think that Ramsay’s kids might be safe from his scathing feedback. Indeed, more than one of them look as though they’re prepping for a career in the kitchen. For instance, the Kitchen Nightmares star posted an image of one-year-old Oscar on Instagram playing with a toy kettle and a kids’ play-stove.

Perhaps there’s a certain amount of parental influence on Oscar at such a young age. But Ramsay’s 18-year-old daughter, Matilda — or Tilly — is an upcoming chef in her own right. Indeed, not only has the teen hosted her own cooking show, Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch, but her dad sought her input into the kid-friendly menus at his restaurants, too.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean Ramsay’s kids are immune to his harsh professional critiques. You see, his 20-year-old daughter, Holly, shared a cookery video on TikTok in August 2020. And when her father saw it, he couldn’t help but post a response to her effort. And, well, his words weren’t exactly encouraging.

You see, Holly attempted to cook potato gnocchi, which is among her father’s signature dishes. But her TikTok showed that the vegetables weren’t thoroughly peeled before adding them to salted water for boiling. In his response, Ramsay said, “What are you doing, young lady? Peel the potatoes, c’mon. Really?” Then it came to mashing the potatoes.

Indeed, Ramsay playfully chastised his daughter for not having fully cooked the potatoes before attempting to mash them. He said, “Young lady, you should know better. Shame on you, Holly!” What’s more, the short TikTok clip was posted with the caption “Holly!! I thought I taught you better.” And it’s the same sort of criticism Ramsay originally served his followers on Twitter.

Certainly, in May 2020 singer Zara Larsson tweeted, “When this quarantine started I said imma be a really good chef and here we have the result. Exquisite.” Then she tagged Ramsay for his critique, and he wasn’t as enthusiastic as the pop star. He responded, “Slightly concerned about what’s growing on top of your chicken, Zara…”

However, TikTok appears to be the new natural home for Ramsay’s cooking appraisals. Users get the chef’s attention with the hashtag #RamsayReacts for his review of their cooking videos and dish inventions. For instance, that time TikTok user maxthemeatguy made a glizzy Wellington. Essentially, that’s Max’s version of a beef Wellington.

Things appear to start off well as Ramsay watches maxthemeatguy grill a large sausage — or “glizzy,” a slang term for hot dog. But things head rapidly south as the TV chef watches the glizzy get wrapped in ham, then pastry and baked. “If that’s a Wellington call me Jamie Oliver,” Ramsay said. “That is a sausage roll, you donut. That’s it: a posh sausage roll. Oh boy…”

“It’s time I taught you how to cook a proper Wellington by the looks of things,” Ramsay offers maxthemeatguy. Indeed, the famous chef has shared his professional wisdom and cooking skills with more than 15 million YouTube subscribers for more than a decade. And some of his most popular videos feature the humble burger.

However, it was in a video Ramsay made for Good Morning America that the chef reveals the perfect way to grill a burger. You see, according to the irascible Scotsman you’ve been doing it wrong all this time. So he shared his the recipe and technique for what he calls his “F Word” burger, available at his gourmet burger joint in Las Vegas.

First, keen grillers need to get their patty recipe right. As Ramsay explains, “The secret to the perfect burger is a blend.” And for this, amateur chefs should invest in quality meat over cheap cuts. The restaurateur uses a mix of chuck — from around the shoulder — then adds “the most amazing ground beef” with a “little bit of brisket.”

According to Ramsay, the next mistake home cooks make is not giving the patty enough time to set. Now, the meat mixture is held together with an egg. However, the chef recommends advance preparation. He says, “Try and get it done the day before and set them in the fridge so they stay nice and firm. That way they don’t fall apart when you get them on the grill.”

After the patties have been left to set overnight, Ramsay recommends taking them out of the fridge to rest before cooking them. He says, “Let the meat relax a little bit. Don’t take them out of the fridge ice cold otherwise they’ll be dry on the outside and raw in the middle.” Bringing them up to room temperature ensures they cook evenly all the way through.

Now, a common problem for grillers is that patties are prone to falling apart. However, as well as refrigerating the burgers overnight, Ramsay has more tips to stop them disintegrating while cooking. He explains, “Once you put the burger on the grill, the secret is to move it as less as possible. The more you move it the more chance you’ve got of breaking the burger.”

Indeed, where you place your burger on the grill can make a difference, too. As Ramsay says, “Find the hottest spot — normally two thirds of the way up.” Then, with the lid down, just leave them to sizzle. He explained, “That incorporates the heat, gets a great sear on the bottom so when we come to turn those burgers they don’t stick.”

In fact, the only reason you should touch the burgers before turning them is to smother them in butter. As Ramsay describes, “Now, at my burger restaurant in Las Vegas, we baste the burgers with Devonshire butter.” This adds another dimension to the flavor. The chef continued, “The flame caramelizes the butter and puts this wonderful color on top. It makes the burgers so tasty.”

Now, there’s not much that’s less appetizing than soggy buns. However, with all the juices and butter of the delicious patty, there’s a high risk of your bread becoming saturated and mushy. This is, in fact, a source of irritation for Ramsay. So, of course, he’s thought of a solution to keep the buns dry and crisp.

As Ramsay suggests, you should grill the buns for a couple of minutes on each side before the burgers are cooked. “Why do we toast the buns?” the TV chef asks rhetorically. “Because there’s nothing worse than a soggy bun. If you toast the bun it gets nice and crisp and protects the burger.”

According to Ramsay, how you dress the burger makes all the difference. It’s not a simple case of a patty wedged in between to halves of a toasted bun. Toppings matter, and one that he advocates is onions. However, raw onions are off limits in his Las Vegas restaurant. So how should they be prepared?

Well, as Ramsay explains, the onions should be barbecued alongside the patties and baps. After they’re peeled, sliced and lightly seasoned with oil, salt and pepper, toss them on the grill next to the burgers, but keep them whole. He said, “Fresh grilled onions on a burger, trust me, delicious.”

What’s more, timing is everything when it comes to assembling your burger. As Ramsay describes, “You don’t cook the burger and then set it up for dressing, you get set up first. So while the burger’s cooking you get everything done first. It’s a really important tip. Why? It stops the burger going cold and also you want to eat it while it’s piping hot.”

Ramsay goes on to suggest the correct way to build the burger. He said, “Think about how you’re going to assemble this. Think about when it’s clutched in your hand.” Then, 30 seconds before the burgers are ready, he throws a slice of rich cheddar cheese on top of each patty while it’s still cooking.

To put the burger together, Ramsay slathers each half of the bun with mustard mayonnaise. Then he layers lettuce, tomato and a touch more mayonnaise before removing the patty from the grill, oozing with melted cheese. When the chef has placed the patty, he asks viewers, “How do we elevate it even more? How do we take that to another level?” Of course — grilled onions.

“Look at these,” Ramsay exclaims. “Come on. Seriously. Freshly grilled onions to absolutely die for.” Now, there’s a reason the chef recommends grilled onions over raw. He explains, that left uncooked, they can be “too harsh, too acidic, and they blow the flavour.” However, grilling them is “easy to do and absolutely phenomenal.”

What’s more, Ramsay is a big fan of seasoning. He seasons the patty before placing it on the grill as well as before layering the cheese. He adds salt and pepper to the onions and the baps before grilling them, plus the tomatoes while assembling the burger. And it’s a step that’s not lost on the video’s viewers.

YouTube user Brennan X Bones suggested, “No wonder [Ramsay’s] always calling other people’s food bland, his food is 90 per cent seasoning.” Meanwhile, Ollie French quipped, “That plane was dropping another supply of salt and pepper,” as an aircraft interrupted the chef’s video. However, Jack P noticed he didn’t season everything, joking, “Did he really just flip those burgers with an unseasoned spatula?”

The Good Morning America video has received more than 57 million views to date. However, to celebrate 10 million YouTube subscribers on his own channel, Ramsay shared another video with more ideas to elevate the humble burger. In July 2019, he suggested adding bacon, rocket and sriracha mayonnaise to the stack, and topping it off with a baked egg in a flat cap mushroom. Which amounts to a mouthful for even the most outspoken of chefs.