Give Your Grilled Burgers a Kick!

Some Tips That Will Make You Enjoy Every Bite

Tired of the same old burger? You pull out the package, mash the beef into little patties and try to keep it from falling apart to grill. Kick your grilled burgers into new heights with little effort! The perfect grilled burger is waiting to be found and grills around the country will thank you for the honor of making them.
Start with good meat – a great burger can’t come from poor meat. It can be spiced up, it can be dressed up and made edible but for a great burger, you’ll need to pay attention to the ingredients. Good fresh beef, without excess fat. If you can’t find low-fat beef try this tip – mix ½ to one pound of ground turkey to the supermarket beef and mix it thoroughly. This disperses the fat, increases the meat but at the higher level of mixing does change the flavor of the meat. This is a poor substitute for getting good meat to start with.

A few ways to create some tasty spiced up burgers to get you started!

Take a ¼ cup each barbeque sauce and A1, a small amount of diced butter and cream cheese…reserve half the sauce mix and put the rest of the ingredients in there, mix thoroughly. Add ½ cup bread crumbs, crushed seasoned croutons crackers or oatmeal, and shape into patties for the smoker. Grill and brush occasionally with the reserved sauce while grilling. Serve with slices of onions and cheese on buns.

Or mix ground meat thoroughly with one packet of taco seasoning mix, shape into patties and grill. Top with salsa, cheese and serve on toasted Kaiser rolls.

For a different taste still, make ground meat into thin patties. Combine ¼ cup ranch dressing with ¼ cup barbeque sauce, spread some on half of the patties. Arrange cheese slices on top and take the other half of the meat and place on top, sealing the edges securely to keep the stuffing in. Brush with a small amount of A1 while grilling.

Still another option for those lean meats is using a grill plank. Use an untreated cedar, maple, cherry or apple wood plank, about 14X7 and one inch think. Immerse the board in water overnight, weighing it down if necessary to keep it in the water. Using medium heat, grill meat on the soaked board. It’s important obviously to use UNTREATED wood – you want to add flavor, not chemicals to the food. Check the underside and spritz with water if needed.

These are just a few ways to charge up burgers for your next outing! Grilled burgers don’t have to be dull. Look for ways to add new tastes with seasonings and flavors already in your kitchen.

Burgers and hot dogs are convenient and economical grill fare – but don’t let it get boring! Remember when grilling that beef burger it can be just burger or it can be ground steak…both are beef! Make yours sizzle with tastes that are beyond the same ol’ burger. Grill lovers…light your grill!