What is more American than a hamburger or classic cheeseburgers? These are topped with a copycat In-N-Out Burger sauce spread and amazing seasoning.
To make the best burger recipe, you need some chef secrets up your sleeve. Today we will cover everthing you need to make a restaurant burger any cook will be proud to serve.
There is nothing better than a big fat juicy cheeseburger with tons of melted cheese, pickle chips, tomato slices, and crisp cold lettuce. ...
Easy Tips For The Best Hamburgers
- Really good cheeseburgers start with the best quality ingredients. Buy ground chuck, the classic choice for burger recipes. It has the most flavor due to the higher fat. Fat equals flavor! It will be labeled 80/20 at the grocery store. There are lean ground beef options, but those don't have the flavor due to lower fat content.
- Season the ground beef with a good seasoning and Worcestershire sauce, as it adds an umami flavor and works as a meat binder.
- Only mix for under a minute, this makes them juicy and amazing with "nooks and crannies".
- To get equal portions of ground beef per burger, use a large ice cream scoop, this also makes the prep it go faster.
- Press the beef patties on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for fast easy cleanup.
- Wire brush the grill well, then use vegetable oil on a paper towel for a non-stick surface.
- Spread soft butter on the buns, and toast the buns on the grill for maximum flavor.
- Use a good American Cheese, I used Kraft Deli Deluxe, it melts beautifully. Place a slice of cheese on the patties just a couple of minutes before removing to a platter.
- Use fresh cold crisp lettuce leaves and juicy tomatoes.
- The most important thing, is the Burger Sauce. This recipe is very similar to the fast food restaurant burger spread at In-N-Out in Southern California. I grew up eating In-N-Out, where I live so I know that taste...I have had hundreds. 🍔🍟🥤
- Wrap your messy hamburgers in small sheets of parchment paper, it helps to hold them together when loaded with toppings and makes eating them easier.
- The ultimate is to serve the perfect burger with crisp hot golden french fries or a open a nice bag of kettle potato chips.
Best Hamburger Recipe
- 8 grilled hamburger patties
- 8 slices American cheese or Cheddar try Deli Deluxe Kraft cheese
- 8 pieces of iceberg lettuce
- 24 dill or sweet pickle chips
- 8 slices tomatoes
- 3-5 slices of onions
- 8 hamburger buns
- 4-6 tablespoons butter (softened)
- burger sauce
Ground Beef Burger Patties
- 3 pounds 80/20 ground beef (ground chuck)
- ¼ cup burger seasoning (see below for ingredients)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Ground chuck has the most flavor due to the 20 percent fat content and is the classic choice for burger recipes with a good amount of fat.
Fat equals flavor! It will be labeled 80/20 at the grocery store.
Seasoning Juicy Burgers
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup paprika
- 3 tablespoons cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons kosher sea salt (coarse salt)
- 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix in a bowl, a small whisk or fork helps to blend it well. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. This is a multi purpose recipe and a great way to add tremendous flavor to grilled steaks, chicken or pork.
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- In a large bowl, mix ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, and Grill and BBQ Rub until mostly combined for about 1 minute. Don't over mix, this creates pockets and makes a tender burger.
- Line a sheet pan or baking sheet with parchment paper, using a large ice cream scoop, portion out the seasoned ground beef, and press into round patties.
You can swap in ground turkey for beef in this burger patty mix too!
Mix The Burger Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons dill relish
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- In a bowl using a whisk, mix mayo, ketchup, relish, white wine vinegar, and sugar. Cover and chill. Can be made days ahead.
- Cover and chill. Can be made days ahead.
Grill The Best Homemade Cheeseburgers
- Wire brush the grill well, then use vegetable oil on a paper towel for a non-stick surface.
- Butter the inside of the buns with soft butter, this helps them toast on the grill and taste so delicious.
- Heat the grill direct heat to medium-high, 450-500 degrees. Grill how you prefer, I prefer them to medium-well. Cook one side for 4-5 minutes and flip for another 4-5 minutes of cooking. Don't press them down in the middle of the patty, that causes flare-ups and pushes out all the juices. If the fire flares, reduce the heat and shut the lid on the grill. If you like them rarer, then grill for less time. The minimum safe internal temperature for ground beef is 160 degrees.
- Toast the buttered buns until light marks form, and they are lightly toasted to a golden brown. Any buns you like work, the ones with sesame seeds or soft brioche buns would make a great burger.
- Once they are almost done, add slices of cheese. Remove to a platter with the buns.
- Add the toppings you love. I added melted American cheese, iceberg lettuce, dill pickle chips, tomato slices, and sauce.
Burger FAQ
Option 1: Spray a nonstick coconut cooking spray to the grill grates, and use a wire brush to clean any food that is stuck.
Option 2: Make your grill nonstick naturally with onion, orange, lemon use onion half for grilled onions. This works to clean and season your grill surface.
Option 3: Season the grill grates with oil use a paper towel and tongs. Get enough vegetable oil on a paper towel coated not dripping, and just rub it all over before turning on the grill. This method is very effective, don't worry if you get a small flare-up as you oil the grill grates.
Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat and to get a good sear on your hamburger patty, bet sure you have a hot skillet.
You can also use a grill pan or hot griddle on the stove, but any cast iron pan will make an amazing burger. Season your burger meat well for great flavor and don't over work the ground beef.
More Hamburger Toppings
There are endless options, these are just a few inspiring favorite toppings for your cookout. Whether you keep it classic or go wild, it is so fun to try out new flavors and ingredients...
- Crispy Bacon
- Grilled Onions or Caramelized Onions
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Dijon Mustard
- Burger Sauce
- Pickle Chips
- Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Remoulade
- Ortega or Hatch Chiles
- BBQ Sauce
- Creamy Horseradish Sauce
- Cheeses: Cheddar Cheese, Blue Cheese, Pepper Jack, etc.
- Guacamole
- Ranch Dressing
- Jalapenos
- Red Onions
- Fried Onions
- Your Favorite Hot Sauce
More Hamburger Recipes
These are some of my best ground beef recipes. When you crave the real thing, here is my favorite copycat recipe of the In-N-Out burger spread special sauce. It is a new recipe, and a very messy burger situation, with all that drippiness and melted cheese.
Burger Seasoning makes the flavor-filled juicy hamburgers. Mix up a batch of hamburger seasoning for your next cookout, grill, or BBQ party.
Cheeseburger Sliders are mini burgers stuffed with cheddar cheese, spread with burger sauce, and oven-baked. The perfect party food for summer cookouts or celebrations like birthdays and graduation.
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The Best Cheeseburger Recipe
Ingredients
ground beef patties
- 3 pounds 80/20 ground beef
- ¼ cup burger seasoning
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
cheeseburgers
- 8 grilled hamburger patties
- 8 slices American cheese or Cheddar try Deli Deluxe Kraft cheese
- 8 pieces iceberg lettuce
- 24 dill or sweet pickle chips
- 8 slices tomatoes
- 3-5 slices onions
- 8 hamburger buns
- 4-6 tablespoons butter (softened)
- burger sauce
burger sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons relish (dill or sweet)
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
seasoning
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup paprika
- 3 tablespoons cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
make patties
- In a large bowl, mix ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, and grill and BBQ rub until mostly combined for about 1 minute. Don't over mix, this creates pockets and makes the burger so juicy!
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, using a large ice cream scoop, portion out burgers, and press into round patties.
mix sauce
- In a bowl using a whisk, mix mayo, ketchup, relish, white wine vinegar, and sugar. Cover and chill. Can be made days ahead.
- Cover and chill. Can be made days ahead.
grilling
- Wire brush the grill well, then use vegetable oil on a paper towel for a non-stick surface.
- Butter the tops and bottoms of the buns with soft butter, this helps them toast and taste so delicious.
- Heat the grill to medium-high, 450-500 degrees. I prefer medium-well, so I cook one side for 4-5 minutes, and flip for another 4-5 minutes. Don't press them down, that causes flare-ups and pushes the juices from the burgers. If the grill flares, reduce the heat and shut the lid on the grill. If you like them rarer, then grill for less time. The minimum safe internal temperature for ground beef is 160 degrees.
- Toast the buttered buns until light grill marks form, and they are lightly toasted to a golden brown.
- Once burgers are almost done, add slices of cheese. Remove to a platter with the buns.
- Add the toppings you love. I added melted American cheese, iceberg lettuce, dill pickle chips, tomato slices, and sauce.
Notes
More Burger Toppings
There are endless options, these are just a few inspiring ideas to top burgers at your cookout. Whether you keep it classic or go wild, it is so fun to try out new flavors and ingredients...- Crispy Bacon
- Grilled Onions
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Burger Sauce
- Pickle Chips
- Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Remoulade
- Ortega or Hatch Chiles
- BBQ Sauce
- Creamy Horseradish Sauce
- Cheeses: Blue Cheese, Pepper Jack, etc.
- Guacamole
- Ranch Dressing
- Jalapenos
- Fried Onions
Oh WOWZER. These burgers were so good. My husband loves grilled burgers and these knocked his socks off.
Hands down our favorite way to make burgers! We grilled these over the weekend, the seasoning makes them so tasty, but that burger sauce is over the top amazing.