Grill the Perfect Burger

If you are looking to have a barbecue, then you are going to need to know how to grill the perfect burger. In the minds of many people, if you don't know how to produce a great tasting, juicy burger, then you really aren't having a good barbecue. Here's how you can grill the perfect burger and make your next barbecue a roaring success.

Ingredients:

• 80% lean ground chuck
• Salt
• Pepper
• Buns
• Cheese (optional)
• Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• Onions
• Pickles
• Mayo
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Lettuce
• Butter (optional)
• Olive oil (optional)
• Baking sheet
• Wax paper
• Ice
• Grill
• Food thermometer
• Grilling utensils

Procedure:

1. Make patties. The very first step for making your hamburgers lies in actually making the patties themselves. Gather together your salt, pepper, hamburger, Worcestershire sauce if you prefer, and a large bowl to mix it all in. You will want to use hamburger that is about 80% lean when making your patties. Anything leaner than that will not be juicy enough, and anything more than that may be too greasy. Prior to handling the meat, make sure you have properly washed your hands. Add the meat to the bowl, along with salt and pepper to taste. If you are using Worcestershire sauce, make sure that you do not use too much, since a little can go a long way. Mix everything and then remove some of the meat to form the meat into balls that are approximately the size of a baseball. "Squash" the meat into a relatively flat cake, don't make it too thin though since the meat can easily burn. Each patty should be between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch thick. Set each patty, as it is finished, onto a baking sheet that has ice laid along the bottom, with wax paper on top of the ice. The ice will help keep the meat cool, while the wax paper will protect the meat from getting watered down. Set everything aside.
2. Heat grill. It is time to start the grill. If you are using a charcoal grill light the coals; if you are using a gas grill simply turn it on. This will allow the grill enough time to heat up to proper cooking temperature. You will want to sear the meat as it gets placed onto the grill, to keep the juices in.
3. Prepare condiments. As the grill is heating up, take advantage of the wait time to slice up and prepare your condiments. Whatever condiments you will be having need to be prepared. Slice the onions, tomatoes, and cheese; pull apart the lettuce and arrange everything into its own little groups.
4. Prepare buns. Once you prepare the condiments, it is time to prepare the buns. Spread butter or olive oil on the open side of each bun. This will allow easier "toasting" of the buns.
5. Grill. Place the hamburgers onto the grill. In order to achieve the perfect medium-well burger, allow the burger to cook for no more than four minutes on each side, flipping once. Make sure that you do not press down on the burger, since this will push out the juices and dry out the burger. As you are grilling the burger, you should also take the time to toast your buns, though you will want to keep an eye on them so that they do not burn.
6. Check. If you want to double check how well the meat is done, you can do it in one of two ways. The first is through peeking inside the meat with a spatula and a small incision. The second is to insert a food thermometer to see that the meat has arrived at the proper 165-degree temperature. If everything is to your satisfaction, remove the burgers and begin to feast.

This method for preparing hamburgers will serve as many people as you have meat for. The only real limitations to this recipe are what you can afford to purchase and how many people you are going to have at your barbecue. Now that you have made your hamburgers, sit back and enjoy your great food in the company of good friends.