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While writing about great places to have a burger is a lot of fun, it's also a fact of life these days that people everywhere are forced to slash their budgets for things like eating out. So instead of heading to Casler's for a patty melt, or 96th St Steakburgers for a double-cheese, more and more people are making the decision to stay in Friday night and "do it yourself". Thankfully, you don't have to sacrifice a quality burger because your budget doesn't allow for eating out. Courtesy of AllRecipes.com, a burger aficionado can find everything they need online to create their perfect burger experience in the comfort of your own home. Just check out their selection of different burger recipes - from traditional to exotic, pick one you like and go to town!
Before you start though, here are some handy tips on how to prepare and cook your burgers, starting with the most important ingredient - the meat.
- Start with the right meat - the best burgers are made from ground chuck, which is usually about 20% fat. If you go leaner than 20%, the meat gets dry when cooked, and no one wants a dry burger. If you can't get ground chuck, try to select "ground beef" that's around 85/15 lean/fat ratio. This won't be as juicy as the 80/20 ground chuck, but for a backyard burger it will do just fine.
- If you're using very lean beef (such as the meat from Laura's Lean), you can add a bit of olive oil to make up for some of the fat content, but this will speed up the cook time of your burger. You can also add things like onions or chili peppers to give the beef a little moisture if you're using very lean meat.
- Make the burgers about 1 inch thick. Burgers less than an inch thick will cook through too quickly, and lose too much of their moisture when they're on the grill.
- Don't over season the meat - a little salt and a little pepper for each patty are all you need. Think of a good burger like a good steak - if you need to put sauce on it to make it better, then you messed up somewhere.
- Don't overcook your burgers! Too many people will make a nice 1 inch thick patty, and then throw it on the grill for 25 or 30 minutes and ruin it. If your grill is running around 450 degrees, just do each burger for 7 minutes (or so) on each side to get them right to medium. If you're like me and like your burgers near medium rare, then try about 5 minutes per side to get that pink, juicy interior.
If you follow the above tips, your next cookout will be a smash hit - nothing gets people talking like a good burger. Serve them with some homemade steak fries and an ice cold Corona or two. Your friends will be asking "when's your next cookout" whenever they see you.
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