There is no food quite so American as the humble hamburger. As a kid, I grew up in a bland family that ate hamburgers that were made from plain, unseasoned hamburger, so I never really got the appeal. Now that I understand cooking better, I have a much better and much more appealing hamburger recipe. Give it a try and enjoy!

Ingredients

For the burger patties:

• 1 – 1.5 pounds 80/20 ground beef
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning, sriracha, or other spicy seasoning (optional)

For the burger assembly:

• Hamburger buns
• Mayonnaise
• Your selection of burger toppings or condiments

Process

You can either cook these patties on a grill, or you can cook them in a skillet. You could also bake them in an oven if you prefer, but I find they taste best on the grill.

1. Set up your work station: get out a flat cutting board, a kitchen scale, and a small plate.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl. Use your hands to really get in there and mix it up.
3. Take the meat mix and break it into four lumps. Weigh each lump on the kitchen scale. You want your burgers to weigh the same so they’ll cook evenly. Usually I end up with 5-ounce burger patties.
4. Take each lump of meat and roll it into a nice ball.
5. Take the plate and use it to smash each ball down into a patty. Take care to make each patty about the same thickness.
6. Preheat your cooking surface. I use a gas grill and let it heat up to about 400 degrees with the lid closed; if using a skillet, make sure water beads on the surface before you start cooking.
7. Place your patties on the grill (or skillet) and cook for about four minutes per side. I use a meat thermometer and take them of the grill when they’ve hit an internal temperature of about 155-160 degrees.
8. Let your patties rest for about five minutes.
9. Assemble your burgers! I like to build mine by putting mayo on the bottom bun, then pickles, then the patty followed by cheese and barbecue sauce, but you can put anything you want on your hamburger. Serve with potato chips, french fries, coleslaw, or whatever else tickles your fancy. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe, why not check out our Recipes Page for more?