Father's Day: Grilled Burger Basics Inspired by Dad

When a hamburger is done right, you know it--the smoky, char-grilled outside and the juicy inside, all barely contained within a chewy, toasty roll. That's what a burger is all about!

Get the Best Flavor

Meat with a higher fat content will be juicier but will also shrink more when it cooks. If you shop at a grocery store or a butcher that grinds their own beef, choose coarsely ground beef for juicier burgers with a more pleasing texture. 

Add just about anything you like to your burger mixture. Here are a few flavoring suggestions: 

• Fresh or dried herbs and spices
• Dehydrated or fresh minced onion and garlic
• Seasoning mixes for soups or salad dressings
• Your favorite cheese, such as Blue cheese, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, Feta, Stilton, Cheddar, or pepperjack (I like Brie! - Cathy)
• Prepared sauces including Barbeque sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, Hoisin sauce, plum sauce, oyster sauce, salsa, or salad dressing
• Other tidbits like olives, capers, chopped tomatoes, diced chiles, crumbled bacon, or minced ham. You can add the avocado at the end!

Save the Salt

Here's one common ingredient to leave out. Wait on the salt! Don't combine it into the mixture, especially if you're not going to grill the patties right away. Salt will extract moisture from the meat, leaving you with bone-dry burgers. Instead, sprinkle each burger with salt right before you put it on the grill.

Don't Mix Too Much

Use a light touch when combining seasonings with the ground beef. If you mix it too much, your burgers will be dense and heavy.

Let the Flavors Mingle

Leave the meat mixture (or patties) in the refrigerator for several hours to allow all the flavors to mingle. To form patties, wet your hands a little to keep the meat from sticking to them. If you've patties ahead of time, stack them on a plate separated by waxed paper and cover with plastic wrap before you put it in the refrigerator. 

Form a Good Patty

Don't form patties too thick or too thin. A 3/4-inch thick patty is ideal. To keep patties from swelling in the middle, make small indentations in the center.

Turn Once

And it's hard to resist, but try not to flatten your burgers with the spatula. It squeezes out flavorful juices. 


Nice Buns (couldn't resist this headline!)

Always heat the bun, on the grill (careful). It just should be heated, not toasted. Nothing worse than a hot burger on a cold bun or toasted crisp one. The best roll is a Sheboygan (WI) hard roll but whatever you're using, heat it. Put a pat or two of butter on the top half of the bun, just before serving. 

Closing Thoughts (inspired by my Pop)

No matter how hard you try, you won’t please everyone.Hey, those that are on some goofy diet don't eat burgers anyway so get some chicken, swordfish and a few veggie burgers. And that burger doesn't have to be too thick. There's no flavor to cooked hamburger by itself. It's how you cook it, what you put on it and the bun that make the burger. And don't forget that avocado. No kidding.

About the author: Catherine Siroka is the mother of 2 boys and the editor & publisher of a local parenting blog, Macaroni Kid. When she's not dreaming of burgers and chocolate, she welcomes your comments!