Happy National Burger Day! Let's Eat!

Burgers! The classic American meal!

We just got some of our beef back from our processor and we have been having fun enjoying our beef. Hanging by the grill flipping burgers makes us feel like summer is here and we are celebrating by making home-grown burgers with our boys.

How to make the perfect burger

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1/4 cup panko crumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp off seasoning of your choice (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)
• couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce

We get about 4 patties out of a one pound ground beef package. 

Directions:

1. Preheat your grill or BBQ to a medium high heat. More on the high side.
2. In a large bowl, mix in all of your ingredients together until fully mixed. (I love incorporating my 3 and 4 year old boys when mixing. Staying connected to their food! Staying comfortable in the kitchen!)
3. Form a baseball sized ball with your hands and them form a patty onto parchment paper to separate the patties. I love my little burger press I received as a wedding gift from Williams Sonoma. (find the press here: BURGER PRESS)
4. Grill the patties for 3-4 mins per side. 
5. When you make your first flip, add cheese if desired on top to make it melty. **Pro-tip** shredded cheese melts faster if your want a more pink burger.
6. Around the end of my cooking time I will put down the burger buns on the grill briefly to toast.
7. Take them off and rest for 5 mins before serving. 

Dress Up Your Burger!

This is the fun part! I typically like to have a load of toppings available when I am entertaining a crowd. Some ideas to consider:

• Sautéed veggies: caramelized onions, mushrooms, bell peppers. This adds a whole new dimension of flavor for your burger. I like to cut up veggies and put in tin foil with a slice of butter, salt and pepper and add to the grill prior to grilling burger patties. Cast iron is my other way to go. However, less clean up is key so the grill method is nice!
• Fresh veggies: Sliced red onion, tomato, lettuce and avocado add color and crispness to your burgers. I like to prepare this ahead of time on a cutting board and stick into the fridge until burgers are finished. Time saver and looks pretty with the colors displayed on a platter. 
• Sauces: Ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, BBQ sauce are the basics. Lately, I like to use fun sauces like the Caramelized Onion dip from Trader Joe's or the Garlic Spread from Trader Joe's. Super yummy!
• The extras: BACON. I always make extra bacon for breakfast and save some for dinner like this. Easy to store away and bust out when needed. Again, I will reheat on the grill in tin foil in a pinch. The easier the better. Pickles! The little extra crunch and bite, so good. 

Happy Burger Day from us at Flying F Ranch! We hope this helps you bust out your burger magic!