HistoricFoodie
Senior Cook
Everything I've read says that makes for tough burgers.
The culinary world is full of rules of thumb and conventional wisdom that everybody believes, but nobody reality tests. I believe this is one of them.
I've made burgers both ways, and never noticed any toughness when salt was added to the meat.
In general---whether we're talking burgers or steaks---salting should be done to the outside just before the meat is cooked. Otherwise, the salt will draw moisture out of the meat---and that can result in dryness and toughness.
The culinary world is full of rules of thumb and conventional wisdom that everybody believes, but nobody reality tests. I believe this is one of them.
I've made burgers both ways, and never noticed any toughness when salt was added to the meat.
In general---whether we're talking burgers or steaks---salting should be done to the outside just before the meat is cooked. Otherwise, the salt will draw moisture out of the meat---and that can result in dryness and toughness.