Benefits of Cooking Burgers on your BBQ

Cooking burgers

With UK BBQ season well under way, there’s no doubt that the easiest meat to cook on an outdoor grill is the good old beef burger.  It may be a simple choice, but if you’ve bought fresh burgers from your local butcher or made your own using quality mince, your burger will be packed with flavour.  And don’t forget you can eat these meaty treats in buns, flat breads, pitta or simply plain with a salad, topped with some tasty relish.  Here’s why you should consider cooking burgers on your BBQ.

 

Health Benefits of Cooking Burgers

Unfortunately, burgers often get bad press but the truth is that beef burgers are packed with iron, vitamin B-12 and protein.

This is important because iron carries oxygen to cells, tissues and organs and the red meat found in beef burgers is one of the best sources of heme iron. This type of iron is found only in animal-based foods and easy for your body to utilise. Your body absorbs as much as 35 percent of the heme iron you get from meat, versus only two to 20 percent of nonheme iron from plant-based foods.  And, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements, adult men need eight milligrams of iron each day, while women require 18 milligrams. Pregnant women are recommended to intake up to 27 milligrams, and breastfeeding moms need nine milligrams. Four ounces of 90-percent lean grilled beef burger meat have more than three milligrams of iron.

In addition, Vitamin B-12 is essential for the production of new red blood cells. Without adequate B-12, red blood cells form abnormal shapes, resulting in decreased oxygen delivery throughout your body. Adults of both genders need 2.4 micrograms of B-12 each day. In some cases, women may need more. During pregnancy, you need 2.6 micrograms each day, which increases further to 2.8 micrograms if breastfeeding. A four-ounce grilled beef burger patty provides nearly three micrograms of vitamin B-12, helping you meet your daily recommendation from one meal.

Protein Source from Burgers

Beef burgers can be rich in protein provided you select the leanest varieties, like the ones from Hugh Phillips Gower Butcher which  are made from hand selected cuts taken from the Fore Quarter of our traditionally matured grass fed Welsh Beef.

Protein gives structure to cells, builds lean muscle mass and acts as a backup source of energy when carbohydrates and fat are not available. Your diet should consist of 10 to 35 percent protein. Because protein has four calories per gram, this equates to 50 to 175 grams per day for a 2,000-calorie diet, depending on your activity level. Four ounces of cooked beef burger meat have more than 30 grams of protein.

Cooking Your Burger on the BBQ

Now you know about the benefits of the good old burger, we’re sure you’ll want to know the best way to BBQ this healthy treat.

You should grill your burgers over high heat.  Whether using gas, charcoal an indoor grill pan, you want to make sure to grill your burgers over substantial heat to form that nice crust, full of the flavour and texture that we all love.

Avoid using your spatula to press down on your burgers while cooking because those flavourfull juices are meant to stay inside the burgers–don’t waste the flavuor by pressing out the juices just to make your grill sizzle.

Flip your burgers only one time–about 3 minutes on each side for medium rare plus.  Keep in mind that eating burgers rare or even medium can carry certain health risks if you don’t know where the beef has come from.

If you get a flare up, cover the grill.  Cutting off the oxygen should quell the flames.  Otherwise, always keep a beer in your hand to put out the fire!

Allow your burgers to rest for a few minutes before serving to ensure that the juices redistribute into the meat.

Best Online Butcher

As mentioned, our popular quarter pounder burgers are handmade to our exacting high standards, providing you with a very lean tasty burger. The meat is mixed with just the right amount of seasoning before being formed into our very lean Welsh Beef Burgers. These will taste very different to mass-produced burgers you may find on the market making them the perfect choice for frying, grilling and BBQs and for anyone following a low fat healthy lifestyle.

Our burgers are available to purchase individually or as part of one of our popular BBQ meat boxes from our stall in Swansea or from our online shop:

Cooking burgers

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