How would you describe your perfect burger? Maybe it starts with a toasted bun—not too big, not too small, just the right shade of golden-brown. The toppings are never-ending, and then there are always the classics like lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onion.
Or maybe for you, it’s all about the beef.
Are you looking for grill marks? Or is it in crust you trust?
We could go on like this all day. Because there’s just something about a great burger.
It’s humble. It’s classic. And more often than not, when you put in the effort to make your burgers at home, with the help of your favorite grill, it’s even better than you thought it would be. Heck, you downright impress yourself.
We’re not burger snobs. But we do think there are a few basic guidelines to follow when in pursuit of the perfect grilled burger.
Who knows, with a few extra minutes of preparation, you might just cook up the best burger of your life.
Tip No. 1: Buy the right meat (and the right buns) for grilling burgers.
Who agrees with us on this? Burgers are best when they’re simple. And the best ones start with the right ingredients: beef, buns, condiments, and toppings.
Your first stop in the grocery store is the meat section. Find the ground beef. “Get an 80/20,” says Doug Scheiding, the BBQ World Champion behind Rogue Cookers. Doug is cooking a new burger recipe every single week in 2022. “I prefer to buy burgers already in 8-ounce patties. This prevents over-working the meat and keeps the burgers flatter.”
If ready-made patties aren’t available, go with a package of ground meat. When you get back to the kitchen, gently roll the meat into 8-ounce patties.
Next stop at the store? Buns. The goal here is the optimal meat-to-bun ratio. Go with the smaller buns, not the super-sized ones. Let that beautiful beef shine.
Don’t forget to hit the rub-and-seasonings aisle. Doug’s favorite is our Championship Seasoning In Original.
Make a list of your favorite toppings and pile your cart high: cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and bacon.
Think about trying grilled peppers, sriracha mayo or ranch, guacamole, runny fried eggs, caramelized onions and blue cheese, grilled pineapple with peanut butter and cilantro (trust us), crispy onion rings, and even jalapeno peppers as toppings.
And, of course, BBQ sauce should be on your condiments must-have list. Our champion BBQers love our Original and our Hickory Smoke sauces on burgers.
Don’t forget to invite friends, family, and the neighbors over to help you with your burger smorgasbord. You could even host a taste test, or a best-burger competition. Grab your favorite six pack (of BBQ sauce—see what we did there?) to give away as the grand prize.
Tip No. 2: Here’s how you season the best grilled burger.
First order of business: Get your beef to your abode. Next, preheat the grill.
Back in the kitchen, it’s time to prep. Get all your burger ingredients ready to go. Brush your buns with butter and toast them to the perfect golden-brown. Slice the tomatoes and onions. Rinse and dry the lettuce. See Tip No. 3 for more toppings inspiration, and get those ready to go, too.
Last but not least, let’s talk seasoning. Whatever seasoning you choose—in the video above, Doug is using Head Country Championship Seasoning in The Original flavor—apply it just to the outer surface of the burger patty.
Whenever it’s time to season meat, make sure to shake seasoning from 8-12 inches above your work area. This ensures the seasoning falls evenly over the meat, with little to no effort.
Tip No. 3: Make a dimple in the center of the patty.
After seasoning burgers, it’s time make sure they cook evenly when they hit the grill. This is because a burger shrinks and can sometimes bulge in the middle during cooking.
To counteract this, Doug advises thinning out the middle of the patty before loading up the grill.
“Put a little dimple in the center,” Doug said. “When the burger is cooking and starts shrinking, [the middle of the burger] will actually fill out.” Skip this step at your own risk—and at the risk of trying to keep toppings on a dome-shaped burger.
Tip No. 4: Want the best grilled burgers? Use a griddle. And turn up the heat.
Grill marks can be pretty, but truly great burgers are coated in a crust, much like a good steak.
The key to crust you can trust? A nice, hot griddle.
Choose a griddle that fits your grill. Most griddles for grills are cast iron, which is officially Doug approved (see video above). Allow a griddle to preheat along with the grill, to 450-500 degrees F. Without a screaming-hot griddle surface, it’s difficult to get a good sear on a grilled burger.
“Turn the heat up high,” Doug said. “That actually helps sear the burger, and also helps cook it a little faster, and it’ll keep it together.” A large cast-iron skillet works well, too.
Place burgers directly on the preheated skillet or griddle with a spatula. Flip burgers after about 4 minutes. Allow to cook for 4 more minutes, then flip again. Continue until the internal temperature of the burger is 150 degrees F for medium-rare.
Try to resist pressing down on the burger. You won’t want to miss out on a single drop of burger juice.
Tip No. 5: When it comes to grilled burgers? Cheese, please.
Cheese and burgers. It’s one of our favorite love stories.
There’s no cheese-and-burger combination that we’d turn down, but our favorite way to enjoy this power couple is with as much melting as possible.
For the cheesiest cheeseburgers, “bring your cheese out early,” Doug said.
First, bring the cheese to room temperature. This gives the cheese fewer degrees between refrigerator temperature to melty-goodness temperature.
Once the cheese goes on a grill full of burgers, tent them with aluminum foil. “That’s going to help with the melting,” Doug said. Leave the tent over the burgers for 4-5 minutes for the ultimate cheese melt.
Want more burger tips? First, follow Doug on Instagram, where burgers are flipping on the regular. And don’t miss Doug’s recipe for Green Chili Cheeseburgers. More about that below.
Our favorite burger recipes
RECIPE: Green Chili Cheeseburgers
What it is: This recipe is a crash course on how to make the best burger of your life, straight from a World Champion BBQer. How to keep from overworking your patties, how to reverse sear for the perfect crust, how to get the perfect cheese pull for the ‘gram: it’s all right here.
Why we love it: The green chilies join forces with our Original Bar-B-Q sauce to give this burger just the right amount of smoke and spice.
Stock up on: Our Original sauce, our Original Seasoning
FULL RECIPE: Green Chili Cheeseburgers
RECIPE: SOUTHWESTERN BBQ BACON BURGER
What it is: Light up the grill for this southwestern BBQ Bacon burger with crispy bacon, fire-grilled corn, cowboy candied jalapenos, and crunchy jalapeno chips on top. Don’t forget the BBQ sauce and pepperjack cheese.
Why we love it: Fresh and smoky flavors come together to deliver one of the great American regional flavor profiles. Also? There’s bacon.
Stock up on: our Original sauce
FULL RECIPE: Southwestern BBQ Bacon Burger
RECIPE: MARINATED MUSHROOM AND SWISS BURGERS
What it is: Marinated mushrooms team up with crusted patties of sizzling beef in this umami bomb of a burger.
Why we love it: Melted sheets of rich, complex Swiss cheese and chopped fresh parsley add bite, and butter-browned buns satisfying crunch.
Stock up on: Our Original Seasoning, our Marinade
FULL RECIPE: Marinated Mushroom & Swiss Burger
RECIPE: BOURBON & BACON BLUE CHEESE BURGER
What it is: Stacks bourbon against bacon, blue cheese, our Sweet & Spicy seasoning, and our Hot & Spicy Bar-B-Q sauce, and you’ll have a winner of a burger every time.
Why we love it: It’s a towering bite of sweet, savory, and smoke.
Stock up on: Our Sweet & Spicy Seasoning, our Hot & Spicy sauce
FULL RECIPE: Bourbon & Bacon Blue Cheese Burger
RECIPE: BUILD YOUR OWN GOURMET BBQ BURGER BAR
What it is: Break out the big plates for the smorgasbord of toppings—get the kids in on arranging the add-ons to create a feast for the eyes.
Why we love it: You can make it your way, any-which-way.
Stock up on: Your favorite flavors of our Bar-B-Q sauce
FULL RECIPE: https://www.headcountry.com/recipe/build-your-own-gourmet-bbq-burger-bar/
RECIPE: SMOKED BURGERS WITH BBQ AIOLI
What it is: A creamy aioli is the perfect foil for these burgers, bathed in smoke and then seared. Crisp lettuce and juicy tomato add freshness—bonus points if these come from your backyard garden.
Why we love it: The combo of the melty cheese and the BBQ aioli has hooks. You’ll crave it often, and we’ll be it lands on your regular dinner rotation.
Stock up on: Our Original Seasoning, our Original sauce
FULL RECIPE: Smoked Burgers with BBQ Aioli
RECIPE: SWEET & STICKY SKILLET BBQ BLUE CHEESE BURGERS
What it is: Your new favorite burger to make inside on the stove, outside on the grill, or out and about at the hunting camp or campsite.
Why we love it: Pairs perfectly with a big pile of thick-cut potato chips.
Stock up on: Our Original seasoning, our Sweet & Sticky sauce
FULL RECIPE: Sweet & Sticky Skillet Blue Cheese Burgers
RECIPE: ASIAN BBQ PORK SMASHBURGERS
What it is: This pork burger recipe pairs a smoky teriyaki sauce with zesty slaw for an Asian BBQ burger that will have your taste buds singing.
Why we love it: Want the $10 burger without the $10 price? Try pork burgers. Pork burgers are juicy and flavorful, and ground pork can be half the price of ground beef.
Stock up on: Our Original sauce
FULL RECIPE: Asian BBQ Pork Smashburgers
