Making The Best Burgers Ever

Lately the cheeseburgers I've been making have been better than any burgers I've ever purchased from a fast-food restaurant, diner, or burger joint (this includes IN-N-OUT burgers!). It always feels good to be able to make something at home that tastes better than something you have to buy. The recipe I've been going with is more of a combination of ideas I've gotten from different sources. While making the perfect burger is still an ongoing process, I guarantee if you follow this recipe you will have one of the best burgers you have ever had in your life.

Ingredients:

- Cast-Iron skillet

- Ground Beef

- BBQ sauce

- White or Yellow Onion

- Mushrooms

- Cheese

- Hawaiian Buns

- Avocado

- I usually buy an 80/20 protein/fat beef chuck. I've also used a 90/20 and it tasted great as well. (Do not buy pre-made burger patties)

- Get any good tasting bbq sauce. My friend has given me two bottles of Show-Me BBQ Sauce, Liquid Smoke. Very old-school as there is no website. My friend mails a check and they mail the bbq sauce. My friend tells me a family makes the bbq sauce out of their basement. The sauce is really good and the company put some recipe ideas on the label which transformed my burgers. The best secret to a good burger is to mix the bbq sauce in the ground beef. There is no specific amount, but be generous. The sauce caramelizes when cooked and gives a great taste and crust to the meat.

- The next idea I got from Men's Journal magazine. Which by the way is the best magazine for men. Through countless magazine fundraisers I've tried a lot of the guy magazines and Men's Journal is the best. GQ is doesn't know if they want to be gay or if they like women. Men's Health spends too much time telling me how to eat and have sex. Sports Illustrated ... there is more to life than sports. As for the Maxims and Playboys of the world, why be teased?

Getting back to the recipe... The article I read suggested cooking burgers on a cast-iron grill skillet so you don't lose all those juices to the open flame. At first I was skeptical, since I love to bbq, but I'm glad I gave it a try. The burger stayed juicy and had a nice caramelized crust.

- I like sautéed onions and mushrooms. If you don't, then ignore this step. Sautée the onions and mushrooms in a tablespoon of oil until they are really soft, then move them to the side and put down the patties.

- For the meat patties, form them into 2-3" diameter balls and flatten them on waxed paper until they are less than a 1/2" thick so as the meat cooks it won't shrink into a hockey puck. Season with kosher salt and pepper on both sides of the patties. Heat some oil on the skillet to med-high and cook them according to your preference. Then add some cheese for the last minute on the cook-top.

- In an oven, toast the Hawaiian buns. They are so soft and sweet. Use mini-buns and cut the meat patties into quarters if you want to do sliders. If you can't get Hawaiian buns, go with potato buns.

- Assemble the burgers and add any condiments you would like. A standard condiment for me is guacamole (mash avocados and sprinkle with kosher salt).

I hope you enjoy them as much as me.