How to Make a Classic Burger
Achieve burger perfection every time with our time-tested recipe and grilling tips
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
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.
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.
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.
