Those who know me well know that I’d pretty much sacrifice a great meal out at an expensive restaurant for a great burger at a hamburger stand. Now, that restaurants are slowly opening, still nothing beats a juicy, well-prepared burger on a toasted bun 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, thicker, pan-sear it, grill it, and 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 imitate.

The basics.

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

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 hamburger, whether it is ground from the round, the chuck or sirloin.

Another so-called secret to a better burger is keeping it well chilled and not over-handling the grind. The less kneading and handling, the tenderer your burger will be.

Want to flavor your burger?

Adding additional complementary flavor ingredients to the standard burger is becoming more and more popular nowadays. From bacon and cheese to mushrooms, onions, roasted garlic, and countless other savory ingredients—like toppings on a pizza, adding additional flavors to your burger can make the ordinary extraordinary!

I have some additional tips and thoughts on building better burgers that 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 great burger advice but also 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!