Cooking Inspiration - Tips and tricks for grilling the perfect burger

Channel Your Inner Grillmaster

The grilling season has arrived, power up the grill and tune into your inner grillmaster. Lucky for you, we have your back on this momentous title, here is a brief refresher on the tips and tricks for grilling the perfect burger.

The meat is the foundation. We highly encourage you not skip a beat on this part; I mean, the burger is the whole reason for the grilling experience. Fresh is best, as always. Frozen patties are convenient, however, are usually made of a lower-quality meat and do not cook as evenly.  Create your own burger variation by whipping up a fresh batch in your kitchen. Opt for ground beef with a higher fat percentage, it creates a juicier burger to bite into later on.  When creating the patties, make sure to make them larger than you would like, about an inch or so, because the grill will shrink them a bit.

Season the meat to your liking. Work your flavor magic by incorporating some salt and pepper, at the very least. Make sure to mix evenly, without mashing the meat too much (that will dry out the meat). For some inspiration, check out the  Southwest Burger with Avocado Salsa Recipe.  

It is tempting, and you may see others do it, but do not smash the burgers while cooking. This will dry out the burger, keep that spatula for flipping only. While we are at it, flip only once. When the corners of the burgers are turning upwards, that is a solid indicator it is time to flip; if the burger is still sticking to the grate, give it more time.

And lastly, of course, the last step is cheese. Slide that slice of cheddar (or any kind you choose) and let it ooze to gooey perfection.