From my cookbook…Dave’s Grilled Cheeseburgers
Summer is coming up. Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day. And what do you think of when you think of these summer holidays? Yes, grilling and barbecue, of course! And if you are like me, you want to cook cheeseburgers on the grill! Not dry, tough, shrunken, hockey puck cheeseburgers, but tender, flavorful burgers, just like these!
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
David Giustozzi’s Grilled Cheeseburger
There are few things as satisfying as a cheeseburger on the grill in the summer. Since we live in Tulsa, OK, we occasionally get nice winter days, and we can grill then, too. For example, it’s February 2023 as I revise this recipe and it is 68 degrees and sunny today so, yup, time to fire up the grill and cook some burgers. Sometimes I like to grill even when it’s very cold outside. You can do it, but it changes everything up and generally takes longer. If you can, then I say go ahead, especially if you get an itch for a nice ribeye in the dead of winter!
I’m going to go into detail for this recipe because hamburgers are such an important part of American tradition and lifestyle. We like hamburgers for major holidays such as Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day. Plus, really, who does not like a properly cooked hamburger at any time? When I say properly cooked, I’ve seen and eaten too many that were not cooked properly, so I want to give you a few tips to avoid common mistakes that make hamburgers turn out badly. Here are, in my opinion, the major reasons burgers turn out, uh hm, less than optimal…
Using the wrong meat: The best is 80/20, ground chuck. 70/30, regular beef is too fatty and will cause flare-ups and shrink up into a little hockey puck. Leaner cuts are just too dry. Now, if you really want to try something different, mix some ground pork into your burger!
Compressing the meat: overworking the meat and pressing it together too much will cause it to be dry and dense. Touch and form your beef as little as possible. The craggy edges are good for charring and adding flavors; you don’t need a perfectly formed, overworked burger
Pressing the patty with a spatula: Really? I’ve never figured this one out, but there seems to be a tendency, mostly in guys, it seems, to press down on the burger with the spatula when it is cooking. I guess they need the feeling of doing something. Guess what you get when you do this? That’s right, a dry, compressed, dense burger because all the moisture was squeezed out.
Flavorless burgers: Just adding some condiments and toppings will not save a burger that is not prepared correctly. All you get is vegetables and bread on a dry piece of meat. Spend the time and effort to prepare your burgers, and you and your guests will be rewarded with a flavorful, memorable meal
This recipe will provide you with a lot of options because, well, everyone has different tastes. For example, Diane likes hers with beef only, really thin, with melted cheese, catsup, mayo, lettuce, and thinly sliced tomatoes. I like burgers thicker and I add mayo, breadcrumbs and onion soup mix as I like more flavor and a “lighter” texture. Melt some cheese and use a good brown or Dijon mustard, and that’s all you need, I say! Sometimes, if I’m in the mood for it, I like grilled red onion and even bacon on it! There are no wrong or bad choices; they are all good!
Of course, you can make fewer burgers than I call for here, so reduce the ingredients proportionally. Today, I’m only making two pounds of meat, about 8 hamburgers. Try ¼ to 1/3 pound per precooked burger.
Ingredients
2 lbs. ground chuck. Leaner cuts will be dry, cheaper cuts will catch on fire and make you mad…
½ cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s, Dukes or even Kewpie)
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs (or substitute Panko)
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets onion soup mix
High-quality hamburger buns (Note 1)
Condiments of your choice
Spicy brown or Dijon mustard, catsup, A-1 sauce, or BBQ sauce.
Homemade bourbon sauce or chipotle catsup are good too
Salt, pepper, dried basil, etc.
Red onion, sliced thin and rubbed with pure olive oil
Sliced, pickled jalapeno peppers
Bacon (Note 2)
Ham (Note 3)
Fried egg (Note 4)
Sliced cheese, white American preferred (Note 5).
Directions
Crumble ground chuck in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle soup, mayo and breadcrumbs over the top. Using a large serving fork, incorporate mayonnaise mixture into ground chuck. The goal is to blend the ingredients but not pack the meat together; it should be very loose (Note 6)
Form into 1/4-to-1/3-pound patties and place on a plate covered with wax paper, 4 to a layer. Add wax paper, layer and repeat, then again. Do not overwork the patties; use as little effort as you can to form them. They will be loose. Note: You should have 7 or 8 patties.
Wrap hamburgers with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours to allow flavors to meld and patties to tighten up.
Light a grill and allow to warm up such that the grill grates are hot enough to sear the burger and onion. Don’t get it as hot as you would to sear a steak; this hot can tend to cause flair-ups. Lower temperature, a bit longer cooking time is preferred over a too hot a grill.
Place the onion slices on the grill and grill until soft and slightly charred. Alternatively, sauté them on the stove until soft and beginning to brown. Remove from grill or skillet, cover and reserve.
Take hamburgers out when you are ready to cook them; do not remove them from the refrigerator until ready to cook. Cook burgers, flipping once, until they are medium rare (135 degrees). If you like cheese, place a slice on each burger just until it starts to melt. Swiss, provolone, Munster, or even smoked Gouda would be good choices. If you like toasted buns, add them to the grill now, too. Place burgers in a large Pyrex or similar glass bowl. Cover with aluminum foil until ready to serve.
The burgers will continue to cook a little more as they rest. Look, I’m aware of all the controversy about undercooking home-prepared burgers. Your call if you like them well done, but I just cannot do that to a burger, as it tends to dry it out anyway. And another thing…Don’t ever, ever, and I mean ever, let me catch you pressing down on the burgers with a spatula, squeezing the juice, and making your burgers hard and dry. Do we understand each other on this? OK, good! I’ve seen and eaten too many where this happened. And, if I had to watch, it was just painful. Keep…mouth…shut!!!
Assemble (dress) the burgers with your choice of condiments. Enjoy the best burger ever (Note 7)!
Notes
The bun is an important part of your burger. Most people buy the cheapest ones. I know, I did it for many years. I like a moist bun and not a roll or something that is too dry, which can make the burger even drier. My favorite is Hawaiian, followed closely by potato buns. Buy the good ones, you and your guests will be happy you did.
You can do bacon in one of two ways. One is to fry it separately and add it to the top of the burger when dressing it. The other is to chop some raw bacon finely and add it to the meat. This will add extra moisture (yes, I know, it’s called grease), but if you cut it into too big of pieces, it will not cook all the way through and just be lumps of raw fat. Experiment with this process; it can turn out really well.
There is a restaurant in the Washington DC area called Roy Rogers that has a Double R burger, which is essentially deli ham placed on top of the hamburger. This is so good you just have to try it! If you like, drop the ham on the grill for a few minutes to warm it up and char it a bit.
Putting a fried egg on top of everything nowadays seems to be all the rage. And I get it, I mean, a fried egg is good anytime and anywhere! To me, it’s just a little too much protein and causes me to overload, but if you are a hungry guy, go ahead and add one if you wish.
I’ve seen where some people will stuff their burger with cheese in the center. I’m not going to argue with this method; I’m sure it is very good.
This yields a very tasty, very tender burger.
Serve with baked beans, potato salad, French fries, tater tots, or chips as desired.
Dave’s Grilled Cheeseburger
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Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating hearty food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
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Notes
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Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy