Building A Better Burger

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Are you looking to change up your burger routine this summer? With the unofficial start of summer underway many of us are firing up the grill today for the first official round of warm weather burgers.

The building blocks to a really great burger start with the freshest ingredients. Whether you prefer ground beef, turkey or veggies as your burger choice, before you reach into the freezer section for a box of those frozen patties, consider making your burgers yourself. While the pre-made burgers are the quickest and easiest (especially when feeding a crowd) route, they won't let you achieve burger transcendence the same way hand formed patties will.

If you are really serious you can grind the meat yourself, or have a local butcher do it for you. For all beef burgers, it depends on your preference for fattiness versus leanness. On the higher fat ground beef (such as 80/20), keep in mind some of the fat will cook out, shrinking the burger in size.

If you are grinding the meat, for leaner burgers, choose leaner cuts of beef such as round or sirloin. Ground chuck (which is what you will find most often in packages or if the butcher offers fresh ground beef) is a fattier cut, potentially offering more juiciness. Some burger enthusiasts swear by a mix of the fattier cuts for juiciness and the leaner cuts such as sirloin for flavor.

Others may go for adding in other cuts of meat such as pork or lamb, or good old-fashioned meatloaf mix, swearing that it gives extra flavor. Then there are the delicious choices in more upscale burgers such as Buffalo or Kobe beef. And there is also the whole contingent of people who swear by the turkey burger, and declare it offers all of the flavor of the beef hamburger with less fat and cholesterol. Still others, mostly those who avoid eating meat, love their veggie burgers.

But for now we will focus on grilling the classic grilled hamburger, made with freshly ground beef. Once you have the beef, form loose, thin patties with an amount between a quarter and a half pound of meat, staying consistent with all your burgers so they will cook evenly. Salt the burgers just before cooking; if they are salted too far in advance, some of the moisture will be drawn out, resulting in drier burgers. I prefer to wait until they are done to add freshly ground pepper, but sometimes like to add steak seasoning, just before cooking.

Cook your burgers over a moderate, but steady heat to the desired level of doneness. Flip them just once or twice, about three minutes into cooking so they get good grill marks. Like any cut of meat cooked on the grill, the less you mess with them, the better. You can check for doneness by making a small slit in the thickest part of one of the burgers, but never press down on the burgers as they cook, or you'll lose precious juices.

The buns are just a vehicle, but it doesn't hurt to buy bakery fresh sesame seed rolls for the ultimate burger. Add your favorite choice of toppings and cheese.

It's not too late to customize your burger for Memorial Day, with a few simple changes. And if you have already gone the preformed patty route, you can liven them up with a choice of toppings - pineapple and teriyaki sauce for Hawaiian burgers, avocado, lettuce, and sliced tomato for a California turkey burger, or the classic cheddar, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.

So don't get stuck in a burger rut this summer; make a commitment to build a better burger. After all homemade burgers are the ultimate in summer cooking, perfect for cooking for one or for a crowd!

Serves/Makes: 4

• 1 1/4 pound freshly ground beef chuck (85% lean)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 slices (thick) cheddar cheese
• 4 sesame seed buns, split
• 8 slices bacon, cooked
• sliced tomato
• romaine lettuce leaves

***Condiments***

• sliced pickles
• ketchup
• mayonnaise
• mustard