Best Juicy Burgers for a Crowd
Want to make the best juicy burger on the block? Look no further than this delicious recipe for a crowd! The secret ingredient is tomato juice, which adds moisture and flavor at the same time. This is the perfect party recipe for summer gatherings, 4th of July, and tailgating.
Why You’ll Love It
Whether it’s a 4th of July party, a tailgating party, or fathers day celebration, here’s why you need this recipe.
- This tried and true hamburger recipe makes enough for a crowd so it’s perfect for backyard bbq’s and other summer parties.
- The preparation is ideal for make-ahead meal planning, and makes them incredibly flavorful and juicy. They’re perfect for piling on your favorite toppings on a soft bun.
- It’s perfect for grilling season and it comes out moist and delicious every single time! It’s been my go-to recipe for grilling parties for years!
Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients that make these burgers so good.
- V8 juice. This is rather unconventional I know, but the juice adds tang, salt, and moisture to the meat.
- Sliced white bread. Instead of breadcrumbs, we’re using simple sandwich bread torn into pieces. You can certainly use wheat bread if you like. It’s going to get soaked in the juice.
- Lean ground beef. You’ll use 3 pounds so you can definitely serve a crowd. Make sure you get lean meat; around 85% lean is fine. Otherwise your burgers can shrink too much as the fat cooks off. You can make 12 regular quarter-pound burgers, or make smaller sliders for game day parties.
- Egg. An egg is going to help bind everything together and retains moisture.
How to Make It
- First, heat the V8 juice if it’s cold or use room temperature juice and add the bread pieces to it to soak for a few minutes.
- Combine with ground meat and remaining ingredients and shape into patties.
- Grill or cook patties in a skillet for about 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through. The center temperature should be at 160º F in order to be safe to eat.
Expert Tips
- There’s so much moisture added in this recipe that you can use lean ground beef. That will insure that your patties don’t shrink during cooking.
- In general, the best overall ratio for grilling burgers is 85% Lean and 15% Fat.
- Make sure the meat you buy is fresh. Look for brown coloring and avoid that. And never use meat that smells questionable.
- Don’t overmix the burger and ingredients. Overworking the ground beef can lead to tough burgers in the end.
- Make the patties uniform in size so they cook at the same rate. Also, add an indention to the center of each patty so they cook evenly.
- When cooking, resist the urge to press down on the burger. That releases it’s juices, which you don’t want to do!
What to Serve with Burgers
Serve hamburgers and cheeseburgers with the best summer side dishes to round out the menu. Here are a few to get you started.
- Add my classic potato salad.
- Another favorite recipe is my creamy pasta salad.
- If you’re grilling you may as well add grilled corn on the cob with parmesan butter.
- End your summer meal with an ice cream dessert bar and you have a delicious summer meal!
More Burger Recipes
This is a terrific recipe to feed a crowd for a 4th of July menu, but for more options check out these delicious variations.
- Asian style burgers
- Greek style burgers with tzatziki sauce
- Sun dried tomato burgers
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Best Juicy Burgers Recipe
The best juicy burgers for a cookout party or backyard bbq are easy to create with these simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces V8 juice
- 3 slices white bread, torn into pieces
- 3 pounds Lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Microwave V8 juice in a glass bowl for 1 minute; add bread pieces and let cool. Combine with hands.
- Combine bread/juice mixture, beef, and remaining ingredients and shape into patties.
- Grill patties over direct medium heat 8-10 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
- Serve on buns with condiments and enjoy!
By far one of my FAVORITE burger recipes. There are a few burger recipes I use based on what I’m going for, but for just your plain old burger, these are by far the best!!! They really are the juiciest I’ve ever made or had. I church it up a bit, add some Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and fresh cracked pepper (I used the medley peppercorn).
Oh and it doesn’t say. But I made quarter pound patties and it makes 12 patties
Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce if you want to knock it all the way outta the park.
What kind of pepper do we use? black pepper? thanks 🙂
Yes, that’s right. Black pepper. It’s so delicious.
yay!!!! my husband’s gonna have a yummylicious dinner! thx a lot 🙂
Chris, You are making my SO hungry with your post! MMM, thank you!
Jen, I like to use 85% lean. It's just enough fat to add flavor, but not so much it shrinks too much when cooked.
Good idea adding the bread! What type of beef do you use (how fatty)?