While I love pizza, fried chicken, and a slab of BBQ ribs, nothing throughout the summer months beats a juicy, well-prepared burger on a toasted bun—one made right at home.

Homemade burgers have their advantages. For one, you can prepare it EXACTLY the way you like it or flavor it to suit your tastes. You can make it thinner or thicker, pan-sear it, grill it, or even Sous Vide it, which, by the way, may be THE best method ever invented and one that even the best burger stands can’t even imitate.

The bottom line is anything worth doing is worth doing well, even when it comes to burgers.

The basics.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, building a better burger starts with the burger meat itself. “Fat is where it’s at, baby!”

Unless you intentionally want to sacrifice both juiciness and flavor, a 20% fat-to-lean ratio is considered the sweet spot when it comes to a great hamburger, whether it is ground from the round, the chuck, or the sirloin.

Another so-called secret to a better burger is keeping it well chilled and not over handling the meat. The less kneading and the less handling, the juicier and more tender your burger will be in the end.

Want to flavor your burgers

Adding additional flavors to burgers is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Like toppings on a pizza, adding additional flavors (from bacon and cheese to mushrooms, onions, roasted garlic, and countless other savory ingredients) to your burger can make the ordinary extraordinary!

Want to learn how to choose, flavor, and grill your burgers for extraordinary results? Check out one of my recent videos here.

I have some additional tips and thoughts on building better burgers. They are contained in Nino’s Burger Primer. It’s my 10-point “Burger to Bun” tips sure to ensure your burgers are the best on the block.

It goes without saying that Nino’s is one place you can not only count on for great burger advice but also find all of the essential ingredients, including your choice of grounds, buns, and WAY too many delicious condiments to list.

Stop on in to Nino’s soon and get YOUR burgers on!