Chef's Tips for Better Burgers
Burgers might just be my favorite food.
Now, there's not a thing wrong with the good old-fashioned American Cheeseburger, in fact, it's awesome, but if you feel like expanding your horizons just a bit, here are my three favorites "gourmet" burger styles, as well as some tips for cooking a better burger.
All the patties for these recipes are prepped and grilled the same way, so it's easy to make a big batch of one recipe, or set up a burger-bar and let your guests choose which style they want to try.
Pan-searing your burgers in a hot skillet is a great method as well!
Four “Better Burger” Tips:
- · 80/20 ground beef
- · Chill patties 15 minutes, after forming
- · Season AFTER grilling (except salt)
- · Toast buns for flavor and burger stability
- · I like to sear my burgers REALLY close to the fire, so I flip my top grill over so that the grates are resting directly on the coals. You can also “re-purpose” an old flat grate from another type of grill. Works great!
1. The Burger Patty:
Form beef into four (6 oz) patties, slightly larger in diameter than the buns, and season generously with salt just before placing burgers on the grill.
Grill burgers for 4 minutes, flip, sprinkle generously with black pepper and grill for 3 more minutes.
Remove burgers from the grill and rest 10 minutes, tented loosely with foil.
2. Bacon & Blue
- · 1-1/3 pounds lean ground beef (80/20% lean)
- · 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- · 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
- · 8 slices of thick bacon, cooked crisp.
- · 1/2 teaspoon salt
- · 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- · 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- · 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted on the grill.
- · 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- · 4 romaine or iceberg lettuce leaves
- · 1 medium tomato, sliced
Combine the cream cheese, blue cheese and half of the bacon (chopped). Set aside at room temp.
Spread each bottom bun with mayo, and top with lettuce, then tomato.
Grill the patties, and sprinkle each with a little garlic powder, as it comes off the grill, then place on the bottom buns, on top of the tomatoes. Spoon the bacon-cheese spread the top of grilled burger patties.
Top with remaining bacon and buns. Serve.
3. Fried Onion Bacon Burger
- · 1-1/3 pounds lean ground beef (80/20% lean)
- · 8 slices of thick bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
- · Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- · 1 LG SWEET onion, thinly sliced
- · 8 slices American cheese
- · 4 soft hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted on the grill.
- · 2 Tbs Yellow Mustard
- · 16 Dill Pickle chips
Lightly toast burger buns.
Fry bacon, and drain on paper towels.
Heat a lightly oiled cast-iron skillet, over medium-high heat. Add onions and season generously with salt.
Fry until the onions are well browned, about 2 minutes, add the cooked, chopped bacon for the last 30 seconds, or so.
Immediately spoon the mixture onto the bottom burger buns, and cover with top buns (this allows the onion flavor to steam into the bread.
Grill burgers.
Add burger to the bottom bun, then spread the inside of the top bun lightly with yellow mustard.
Serve immediately.
Make 4 singles or 2 doubles!
Note: For even more of that charred, smoky flavor, cook your onions over indirect heat, on a well-oiled grill.
4. The Elvis
Nope, it’s not just a gimmick at your favorite burger joint, the savory "umami" combination of bacon, and beef, dill pickle, and crunchy peanut butter are out of this world!
- · 1-1/3 pounds lean ground beef (80/20% lean)
- · 8 slices thick Bacon
- · 1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter
- · 1/4 cup Honey
- · 1/2 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper Powder
- · Sea Salt, to taste
- · Black Pepper, coarsely ground, to taste
- · 4 soft hamburger buns, split & lightly toasted.
- · 1 Sweet Onion, sliced
- · 16 Dill Pickle chips
- · 8 Tomato slices, thin
Prep your grill for 2-Zone Grilling.
Whisk together peanut butter, honey, and chipotle powder.
Dredge your bacon in brown sugar, and grill over indirect heat until just starting to crisp (about 10 minutes per side). Set aside and keep warm.
Spread peanut butter mixture on each top bun.
Assemble burger with bacon, onion, pickles, and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy!
"Looking hard for a drive in, searching for a corner cafe, where the hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and day!" ~ Chuck Berry
Rock on!
~Chef Perry
