It’s summertime, which means it’s time to fire up the grill for backyard barbecues.
When temperatures rise, we know it’s burger time (but, seriously, we love hosting cookouts in the fall and spring too!). From juicy Angus beef burgers to beefy blends to veggie burgers, we love burgers that are well-done and pimped up with creative and flavorful toppings.
Whether you like your burgers old school with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles or bistro-style with a runny fried egg, or a modern brunch burger topped with aged cheese, smoky bacon, and zesty aioli, you’ll say double cheese to our tasty burger combinations.
Our bun true love is barbe-cute hamburgers that mimic and elevate fast-food favorites like the classic McDonald’s Big Mac with 2 all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, and cheese on a sesame seed bun. We also love chefs who make their burgers more interesting with aged cheeses, pickled veggies, and secret sauces.
Need inspiration for your next good burger meal? Check out the best burger ideas below to perfect your hamburger recipe and to top a burger you won’t soon forget.
Image Credit: bhofack2/Istockphoto.
The “Txuleburger” Ribeye Cheeseburger
Founder of World Central Kitchen José Andrés is most known for his humanitarian efforts and Spanish cuisine, but did you know he makes a fantastic burger too? Behold the Txuleburger Ribeye Cheeseburger created by Chef Andrés and Chef Nicolas Lopez.
The burger is named Txuleton, the Basque word for ribeye. It’s a juicy 8 oz. patty made with 60-day dry aged chopped ribeye steak from Pat LaFrieda nestled on a brioche bun. The burger is topped with pickled Piparra peppers from Basque Country, American cheese, and Burger Sauce (a mix of olive oil mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, chipotles, and hot sauce).
Image Credit: Txuleburger Ribeye Cheeseburger.
The Tavern Burger
It took years of requests before Chef Michael Anthony added his now-famous Tavern Burger to the menu at Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern in New York, New York.
The fan-favorite Tavern Burger is made with freshly chopped chuck and brisket blend sourced from farms in upstate New York and Vermont. This expertly seared burger is placed on a toasted and buttered Orwashers Bakery sesame seed bun and topped with 1-year-old Shelburne Cheddar, smoked belly-cut bacon, and Gramercy Tavern’s signature smoked onion aioli.
Image Credit: Gramercy Tavern.
The Le Big Matt Burger
What started as a special on the menu at Brooklyn, New York’s Emmy Squared has turned into a popular permanent item on the Williamsburg pizzeria’s menu. We have Chef Matt Hyland to thank for the eponymous award-winning hamburger.
Each Le Big Matt Burger features 2 grass-fed patties served on a buttered pretzel bun. This play on the Big Mac includes 2 slices of American cheese, pickles, and Sammy Sauce (a blend of canola oil, garlic, light brown sugar, mayo, sambal, and tamarind.
Image Credit: Emmy Squared.
The Ugly Burger
Who doesn’t love a messy burger every now and then? We can’t get enough of a burger like Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s that you have to grip with both hands and not set down until it’s gone. The chef’s Certified Angus beef burger earned its name from a New York Times’ restaurant critic who called it “so delicious but so ugly! You’ll probably also need a small stack of napkins to tackle with beauty.
The Ugly Burger is a mouthwatering masterpiece that starts on a fresh-baked onion bun. Each 8-oz. patty is topped with Gruyère cheese, pickled Kirby cucumbers, pickled red onion, pickled Jalapeño, and burger sauce (a mix of sweet and tangy Dijon mustard, A1 steak sauce, tomato purée, vinegar, crushed orange purée, garlic, KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, and Kewpie mayonnaise) — perfect for pairing with Chef Zakarian’s crispy French fries.
Image Credit: Chef Geoffrey Zakarian.
The Le Pig Mac
James Beard Award-winning Chef Stephen Stryjewsk decided to make a porky play on burgers, more specifically the Big Mac with his own creation, Le Pig Mac. This porker of a sandwich is a popular part of the menu at hybrid butcher shop/restaurant Cochon Butcher in New Orleans.
We love pigging out on the Le Pig Mac with 2 3-oz. pork patties, American cheese, shredded lettuce, onions, dill pickles, and a spicy and tangy Special Sauce made with black pepper, cayenne, cane syrup, chilies, Cochon’s Sweet Potato Habanero Sauce, horseradish, Jalapeno, lemon juice, salt, and vinegar on a tri-level house-made sesame seed bun. This is one decadent burger!
Image Credit: Cochon Butcher.
The Gold Label Burger
What do you get when you combine legendary Pat LaFrieda meat with Goldbelly greatness? The Gold Label Burger! This beautiful collaboration is inspired by bougie burgers like New York’s Minetta Tavern’s Black Label.
Each Pat LaFrieda X Goldbelly burger starts with an exclusive blend from the famed New York butcher of American Black Angus short rib, flat iron, and dry-aged rib steak — the perfect foundation for you to level up each 6-oz. burger with your favorite toppings and sauces.
Don’t forget hamburger helpers (aka side dishes) like piping hot French fries, a fresh side salad, or BBQ sides like cole slaw, potato salad, and baked beans. While you’re at it, don’t forget a thick milkshake for the classic all-American meal.
This article originally appeared on Goldbelly.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: LaFrieda Meats.
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