Over easy egg atop a nest of bacon on a grass fed beef pattie with gouda and cheddar cheese. Green leaf lettuce, tomato, and red onion.
Hey everybody, grilling season is right around the corner, so I though I would share one of my favorite things to grill, burgers!
Not really a recipe here, but I will explain what I do, and why I think these burgers turn out so delicious!
First and foremost, this is for grilling. So to me it doesn’t matter if it is over a gas grill, or briquettes. Just so you can get that open flame sear action, all is well.
First thing for me is quality meat. I like a 100% grass fed ground beef, 80/20 for the fat content. If it is quality meat, and the fat content is accurate, 20% is perfect. Problem with cheaper meats is the fat content is usually higher than stated, and the general quality or age of beef isn’t worthy.
I keep the patty simple. I’ll make a 1/3 -1/2 pound one, and season with sea salt and large ground or cracked pepper. That’s it, you want the flavor of the beef to come through, not seasonings.
I like to cook it to a medium/medium well. Very little pink, it is a thick patty so too much pink can be a turn off, but it needs to still be juicy. I will sear each side for a few minutes over the hottest part of the grill, then move the patty away from the heat some to finish cooking it over a lower heat.
Next is the bun. You want a good sturdy bread, and a large enough bun to hold your burger but not be more bun than meat. You can butter and grill it, toast it, or leave it plain. I like to mix it up. If I’m not making my own buns, I prefer a sweet Hawaiian style bun, or a butter bun. Trust me, the bun will effect the overall taste as much as the meat will.
To cheese or not to cheese? For me, no question, if I’m grilling burgers they are getting cheese! My go to is cheddar. Two thick slices. I will mix it up, maybe one cheddar, one gouda, or something like that. The point is, it has to have cheese, and I mean real cheese, not American cheese singles or any other variant. While those are good for some uses, not on your awesome backyard burgers….just don’t do it. 😉
I keep the toppings simple, again, I want to taste the beef, just enough toppings to compliment that. Lettuce, tomato, and onion.
Let’s talk about the onion. Personally, for a burger, I like red onion, but a great Walla Walla sweet would be just fine!(Vidalia if you don’t have Walla Walla sweets in your area) The trick is thinly sliced onion. Use a mandolin if you have one. If you don’t, get one, it’ll be worth it, honest….
And finally, just mayo. Thats it. No catchup, no mustard, just mayo… or Miracle Whip…
There you have, an awesome backyard grilled burger. Play around with it, add or remove items, but remember, quality beef and great buns!
***As you can see, the pictured burger has a lot of toppings, egg and bacon, but the great flavor of the beef still rang out! Everything works together so good.
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