The Perfect Hamburger

By Cara

Use your imagination to jazz up a classic hamburger any way you want. For an Asian twist, omit the Worcestershire sauce and salt, add a dash of soy sauce, and use chopped green onion instead of yellow onion. For a French-style hamburger, omit the Worcestershire sauce, halve the salt, and add 1 Tbs. each of crumbled blue cheese and chopped mushrooms along with a dash of red wine. For a Provençal flavor, omit the Worcestershire sauce, double the garlic, and add 1 Tbs. each of chopped dried tomatoes and pitted black olives. Vary the garnishes along with the seasonings. For health reasons, all ground meat should be cooked at least to the medium-well stage.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground chuck or ground lean beef
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 ⁄2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 or 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 4 slices cheddar or Swiss cheese (optional)
• 4 hamburger buns, split
• Sliced tomato for serving
• Sliced sweet white onion, such as Maui, Vidalia or Walla Walla, for serving
• Torn lettuce for serving
• Sliced dill pickle for serving
• Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard or other condiments of your choice for serving

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each 3⁄4 inch thick.

Grill the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Check for doneness by cutting into a hamburger near the center or testing with an instant-read thermometer. No pink should show on the inside, and the internal temperature should register at least 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. If making cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese on top of each hamburger during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

During the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, toast the hamburger buns, cut side down, on the grill. Serve the hamburgers on the buns with tomato, white onion, lettuce, dill pickle and condiments.