Well its officialy grilling weather, Memorial Day coming up and then July 4th will be quickly upon us. What do you do to "kick up" your hamburgers to keep them from being so boring? One thing I do is chop up bacon into bite sizes and mix it in with the ground meat to make patties. A "real" bacon burger!
To make sure that mine aren't dry and have good flavor, I get the chubs that are 73/27. I have a large grill and long handled tools, so it's easy to press some of the extra fat out over the fire to give them a quick "charring" that crisps up the outside but still keeps them really juicy and sloppy
Grilled Onions is always a must for me. Sometimes I get fancy and make a stuffed burger with Bleu Cheese, Gouda, Cheddar, etc... Keeps almost every bite as hot as the first. Sometimes I grill some red peppers along side to add to the burger.
My perfect burger: Very fresh 85/15 ground Angus, a little salt an pepper. Lightly charred on the outside, medium in the middle topped with melted cheddar. Put that on a fresh, lightly grilled, onion bun with 2 strips of bacon, 2 wickles, and a little honey pecan bbq sauce.
I really hate "gourmet" burgers made from lean meat and filled with all kinds of chopped onions, bread crumbs, bacon bits, secret sauces, and assorted other glop that make it taste like a meat loaf. I like a burger made from not-so-lean beef that has more flavor. All I add to the raw meat it is garlic power and Worcestershire sauce--and I'm sparing with that. And I like them fairly thin and cooked medium. I'd rather eat two small burgers than one sloppy, over-topped, super-jumbo, 2-inch thick, half-pound patty that is charred on the outside and bloody in the middle. I like grilled onions when I'm frying a burger inside on a griddle, but on a charbroiled hamburger I like fresh chopped white onions, not rings of onions, and I really hate purple onions on a burger. I like garden tomatoes in the summer, but those greenish, tasteless, hothouse tomatoes in the winter, I leave off and just use ketchup. Always; mustard, mayo, shredded lettuce, tomato slice, dill pickle slice, and chopped onion. Sometimes: Cheddar cheese melted just right, steak sauce, ketchup. Never: bacon, white cheese, fried onion rings, salad dressing, avocados, hickory flavoring
If you tried mine, I think I could change your mind :thumb: I use lean beef only becaue the raw bacon, as it melts, provides plenty of "juice". I will be grilling Monday, just talked to wife and that will be on our menu along with other fixings and chips, dip, iced down cold beer etc. I like grilled onions idea mentioned above but never think to do that with burgers. Think I'll break out the black skillet and grill some in butter and olive oil while I cook the burgers. I'll be spending the weekend in Lake Charles for son's baseball tourney so Monday will be nice relaxing day around the grill.
There are few things I like better than a BLT, but bacon is overwhelming on a burger and takes away from the burger taste to me.
