Tips for Making the Perfect Burger in Your Backyard

One of the most popular summertime meals is hamburgers from the grill.

It seems easy enough to cook these tasty sandwiches, but the truth is sometimes they can end up tasting like they were grilled on a engine block. Especially if you're grilling for company, you want to be able to serve burgers that are great.

And with a few helpful hints, you can do just that.

What kind of meat should I use?

Yes, plain old ground beef is the cheapest way to go. But there's a reason for that ... the meat in ground beef can be from anywhere on the animal. To get really great-tasting burgers, get fresh meat (preferably from the butcher's case rather than pre-packaged). The most flavorful ground cut is chuck, but round or sirloin will also work.

Whichever cut you choose, check to make sure the fat content is somewhere between 15 and 20 percent (this will make the burgers juicier). Those who like a burger that is more well-done should ask for meat with a higher percentage of fat; this makes it so the burgers can cook longer and not dry out into hockey pucks.

Once you get the meat home, put it in the fridge for a while before going on to the next step.

How big should I make the patties?

Make sure the meat is good and chilled before you start making patties (warm meat is sticky and messy, and the patties won't stay together as well). Pick up a piece of ground meat that's about the size of a baseball (this should be about a half-pound). Roll the ball until it's tight, then press it into a patty between your hands.

Press it again onto a clean plate or cutting board. Use a knife or spatula to pull in the sides of the patty to tighten it further. Season the patties with salt, pepper or seasoned salt (hint: you can also mix some dry onion soup mix into the meat).

When finished, the optimum thickness for the patties should be between ½ and ¾ inches. Make sure the patty is a little larger than the buns you have, as they will shrink up some on the grill.

Now that's a fire!

For both charcoal and gas grills, get the flame going hot. To prevent sticking, a trick is to oil the grill. You can do this by wetting a napkin or paper towel with vegetable or canola oil, then holding it with tongs and slathering the grill with it.

The burgers should be put over the hottest part of the flame and cooked three or four minutes on each side. They should only be turned once.

A mistake many grillers make is pressing down on the hamburgers while they are cooking. This takes the juiciness from the burgers, and can also make the flames from the grill jump, which in turn will further dry out the meat.

To see if your burgers are done, use the corner of your spatula to get a look inside. Alternately, you can also use a food thermometer in the thickest part of the patty (USDA guidelines state that all ground meat should be cooked to at least medium, which would give you a temperature reading of 165 degrees Fahrenheit).

If you're going to put cheese on your burgers, do it right after they're off the grill.

Toppings are everything

Of course, you have to have the usual fare for hamburger toppings ... mustard, ketchup, mayo, pickles, etc.

But you can also have some fun.

Put some fresh mushrooms and onions in foil with some olive oil and grill them. These are great hamburger compliments. You can also set out some green peppers (raw or grilled), jalapenos or salsa.

One of our favorites is mexi-ranch sauce. That's a 50-50 mix of salsa and ranch dressing. Pair that with a great burger and a slice of pepper jack cheese.