Achieve burger perfection every time with our time-tested recipe and grilling tips
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There’s an art to crafting the classic burger patty. A few essential rules to keep in mind: Don’t overwhelm it with too many spices, keep it simple, and make sure you’re using quality meat.
To start, you’ll need ground beef, chopped onion and garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. For juicy burgers, choose beef with 15-20% fat. Mix together and place formed patties on a preheated grill, only turning the patties once. Let patties sit for six minutes before finishing off with some salt and pepper, then toast hamburger buns and assemble burgers with all the classic fixings.
Now that you’ve nailed a classic burger, check out these recipes for some over the top burger inspiration.
Specialty Burger Recipes
1 of 5Annabelle Breakey
New Mexico Green Chile and Frito Burgers
Chiles spice up these burgers three ways: grilled and placed atop the patty, in the pepper jack cheese, and in the chipotle mayo. If you have access to fresh Hatch chiles from New Mexico, which are meaty and full-flavored, by all means use them, but feel free to substitute readily available Anaheims or use canned chiles.
2 of 5Annabelle Breakey
Northwest Crabcake Burgers
Seafood bounty meets the Northwest’s growing artisanal pickle trend and a fresh herb salad in these burgers. You can find ready-made crabcakes at the deli section in most grocery stores and sometimes in the freezer case, or make your own. Salmon cakes also work well here.
3 of 5Annabelle Breakey
Hawaiian Pig-Out Burgers
Grilled sweet and salty Spam and pineapple and Maui onion make these pork burgers a standout. If you can’t find Hawaiian sandwich rolls, cut thick slices of Hawaiian sweet bread from a loaf. Serve with classic macaroni salad and any drink with an umbrella.
4 of 5Annabelle Breakey
Korean Kimchi Burgers
Follow the recipe to make your own kimchi, or take a shortcut and use the condiment ready-made from the store. Pair the burgers with a beer with balanced malt and hops like Saigon Export.
5 of 5Annabelle Breakey
Italian Burgers
These burgers get a distinctive tang from giardiniera, an Italian mix of pickled vegetables. If you can’t find it at the store, chop up olives and pickles instead.
