So, I’ve made it all the way to late August, and truthfully, I’ve come nowhere close to filling my personal burger consumption quota (BCQ) for the summer.

A weekend of seafood at The Boston Seafood Expo, some wonderful Southern barbecue during The Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour, How To Make Fish & Chips while touring Great Britain, and WAY too much popcorn (Is that even possible?) while launching Nino’s NEW popcorn station at Troy have all taken my attention away from one of my favorite foods… The hamburger.

Though I cut my professional teeth on expensive ingredients on expensive plates in expensive restaurants, those who know me well know my love of a great burger is a real passion that’s no less than my love of a great pizza (and that is REALLY saying something). While memorable fine-dining meals in far off places have their virtues, nothing beats a juicy, well-prepared burger on a toasted bun, made right at home. So something must be done, and (thankfully) I know just what to do and just where to start.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, building a better burger starts with the burger itself, and fat is where it’s at. Unless you want to sacrifice both juiciness and flavor, a 20% or near 20% fat-to-lean ratio is considered the sweet spot when it comes to hamburger, whether it is ground from the round, chuck or sirloin. Another so-called secret to a better burger is keeping it chilled and not over-handling the grind. The less kneading and handling, the more tender your burger will be.

Want to flavor your burger? Adding 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, adding flavors (like toppings on a pizza) 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. Contained in Nino’s Burger Primer, they’re my 10-point Burger to Bun tips, sure to make your burgers the best on the block. It goes without saying that Nino’s is one place you can count on for not only 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 and get your burgers on!