Really Great Hamburgers without All the Work - Grilliant Ideas Burgers

Tonight the family had gourmet burgers from the Burger Man, my friend GrilliantIdeas at Twitter. He is one of my grilling and barbecue buddies. We talk a little junk, and he always makes me laugh.

He's been bragging on his flavored burgers. No. He is not a modest guy. Haha. You can tell him I said that.

So, Frank hooked me up with some of his We Got Burgers in various flavors. He just wanted to see what I thought and didn't even make me promise to wear one of those skimpy Burger Girl outfits or anything (-: Yeah. Seriously, all I have to do is tell him what I think (and he knows I'm good about that), so I thought I'd tell ya'll too.

This was a good time for grilled burgers, and I designated it TGIB or Thank God It's Burgers (and not turkey again) with it the weekend after Thanksgiving. Gotta love the turkey, but not for every meal. So, burgers were just the ticket and on the Weber charcoal Kettle for extra measure.



Here you will see Bacon and Cheddar burgers and also Pineapple and Teriyaki. And, yes, they do look big. They are a half pound each. I'll try some other flavors later and check back in, but a half pound is really more than I can scarf down in one sitting. Yep. I'm a lightweight. That's OK. I saved the other half for lunch tomorrow.



Here's the crowd. As you can see, we are guy heavy. They can definitely throw down with thick and juicy 1/2 pound burgers especially good ones.

My two sons called dibs on the bacon and cheddar burgers. This is a small town, and that's getting adventuresome for them. So, if you have a conservative crowd, then you might want to go that way. I got a bite of Caleb's bacon cheddar burger, and it was really fabulous.

I had the We Got Burgers pineapple teriyaki. I had a hamburger in Disney World back in my teens with pineapple on top and thought that rocked, so I knew I'd like the pineapple in there. Yep. Excellent. That worked for me, but I loved that bacon cheddar too.

If you have had pre-made burgers at the grocery store, then you may have noticed that they are not very good usually. Sort of like the Happy Meal burger patties - no flavor at all. This is a whole different ball game here with We Got Burgers. Normally, I'd only serve my own hand patted grilled hamburgers, but that Grilliant has got it going. If you want tasty burgers and convenient, you can just order now and have ones that taste great plus have some very cool flavor options.

One thing for sure . . . this was an easy meal after two mega-time-in-the-kitchen meals. It was realy great to kick back and just enjoy.

Greek Grilled Burgers - Stand Out Burgers on the Barbecue Grill

Grilled Greek Burger

It was a Greek burger night here. OK. Grilled hamburgers aren't traditionally Greek, but I took flavors from when I lived in Greece to make a Greek inspired grilled hamburger.

First, I hand patted the hamburgers which does make a big difference, and I added about 1/4 cup of feta cheese right in the meat as I was mixing and patting. You can use ground lamb which is more traditionally Greek, but we only had ground beef or turkey here.

For five burgers here, I had about 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef. Quarter pound in 80/20 (lean to fat ratio) tends to shrink and be a little skimpy, but a full 1/2 pound burger is more than I can handle.

The Garlic Gold company just sent me a bottle of their new Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette to check out. It's perfect for salads, but it also makes a wonderful marinade for the burgers on the grill.

So, these burgers were marinated with Garlic Gold Vinaigrette and then also sprinkled with Garlic Gold Nuggets. Those are the little dots you see on the hamburgers. I go fairly light but add more on mine at the table, since I am a big garlic fan.

Sticking with the Greek theme for these grilled burgers, I used tomato and cucumber which would be what they serve in salads in Greece. Lettuce is rare, but I did add some, since I like lettuce on hamburgers. Then, the topping is tzatziki which is a Greek condiment with yogurt and cucumber.

You can, of course, switch up with what you like on burgers. The stand out flavors here were the Garlic Gold Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette used as a marinade and the Garlic Gold sprinkles for flavor. These are products that I have found to be really fabulous.

Be sure to also check out my Greek potatoes on the grill with Garlic Gold. Those went over so well that they are my "grill these often" list. One of my buddies at Grillers Index saw them this week and made them, and he thought they rocked too. It's just hard to beat Greek potatoes especially on the grill with a little smoke flavor.

End of Year Grill Out - Newspaper Students at Catawba College

Here's my 2010 college newspaper class. This group took us from print to online with The Pioneer, so I am super proud of this hard working group.



We like to end the year with a cook out. I do that now, because students were a bit challenged with grilling for groups. Hum. Let's see. One forgot to bring gas. Another had damp charcoal, and I had to run in and microwave the hot dogs before we starved. So, it works out for me to go ahead and do the grilling.

The class period is only 50 minutes, so I keep it simple. This year, I went with griled burgers and hot dogs. Those always go over well, especially my hand patted grilled hamburgers. One student said she never really liked hamburgers much but that mine were delicious.



I went with Weber Kettles - one 22.5 inch and the Smokey Joe tailgater. They are easy to use, so I don't have to watch close with these models.

The large grill was charcoal, but I used FlamdDisk from my OpenSky store in the smaller one. It's an alternative to charcoal and a fuel that I think works well for college students and for tailgating. It's super easy to light (like a candle), burns out clean, and there is no clean up. Hard to beat that.



The students had fun playing cornhole while the food was grilling. Cornhole is getting super popular here for tailgates or just on sunny days. It is a lot like horseshoes, but you throw bags filled with corn at holes in the game boards. A lot safer I'm sure than tossing metal, and you don't have to put up stakes or dig pits.



For dessert, I'd made peanut butter fudge. I usually put M&Ms on top, but some of the students asked if I could do chocolate chips. Easy enough. So, this batch had chips instead of the candies. Very tasty. This is also my boys' favorite dessert. It's easy to make and always turns out nice and creamy.

Some of my students have already tried making the fudge and some of my other recipes online. I always try to go for things that taste great and are easy to make. Also, I add tips, because there seem to be little things that make a difference when grilling of cooking that they just don't mention in the recipe books.



We had a great time at the end-of-year cook out. Most of my students this year are graduating, and I am sure going to miss them. It is amazing how fast four years go.

Grilled Mini Bagel Burgers - Cute and Fun

I love bagels and grilled burgers, so I decided to come up with a good recipe combining both.

Full sized bagels are awfully filling. My boys could handle those, but I wanted something a little lighter, so I got the mini bagels. I guess you could say I went with bagel burger sliders.

I made my hand patted burgers but a little smaller, since the little bagels are about three inches across. I did not measure out the meat, but I'd say that I went with a generous 1/4 pound per burger at 80:20 (lean to fat) and keeping in mind that I'd have shrinkage with that fat content.

On the bagels, I just brushed on a little butter. Olive oil would also be fine. I placed the flat part down on the grill just long enough to heat the bagels and to get some grill marks on the inside part of the bread.

My younger son is good at art, and he said, "Wow. Those look like magazine food." They really did turn out cute, and they tasted great.

I'm sure full sized bagels would work fine with this burger bagel recipe, but that would be a whopping big burger. I found the mini sized bagels were just perfect for me, and the boys just got seconds.

How to Grill Hamburgers on Your Barbecue Grill

Make Sure Your Grilled Burgers Turn Out Yummy

My neighbor grilled some hamburgers and wondered why they did not taste like mine.

She started out with pre-formed patties (kind of like McDonalds). She did not marinate the burgers. She cooked them on a gas grill. Since they got done fast, she plopped them in a crock pot with Kraft barbecue sauce.

Well, OK, that is one way to do grilled burgers, but you likely will not be thrilled with your results if this sounds like your method.

I wrote a guide for making great grilled hamburgers at my Yes You Can Grill site. That will give you all the basics for nice juicy barbecue burgers that taste fabulous off the grill.

Over time, I have found that people will do some odd things when grilling and especially hamburgers, so I collected tragic tales and put together a grilled burger trouble shooting guide too. If I missed any grilling disasters that you've had with hamburgers, just let me know, and I'll add to the guide.

Hamburgers really are easy if you know how to grill them, and hamburger meat is inexpensive and often on sale. So, master the burger, and you will have a safe go-to meal on the grill.

If you're looking for a yummy marinade to try out in place of Italian dressing (which is very good), then one of my favorites is Wild n Mild barbecue marinade and sauce which is now back in stock at my OpenSky store. Wild n Mild has a nice sweet taste but with some zip - especially in the Wild version. But, it is not over the top. Even my mild loving son can handle both the Wild n Mild marnades.

Graduation Barbecue - Way to Go Shane - Catawba College

Happy Graduation Shane! And kudos to the Family as Well. It Takes a Team Effort to Accomplish Big Things.

First, I have to give a shout out to Shane. He's a co-worker and friend, and he just finsihed up his degree at Catawba College. That takes a lot of time and effort, and he did it at night.

To celebrate this big occasion, Shane hosted a huge cook out at his house. I must say that he knows how to throw a party. When there's a live band and a port-o-pot, then you know that someone knows what they're doing. This guy can put on a cook out!


A Thumbs Up to the Grill Guy!

Grill girl says this fellow knows his way around a grill. It's hard to crank out huge numbers of hot dogs and hamburgers. If he got any wrong, I sure didn't see them. Spot on with the grilling.

Great mega grill too. This one had two gas tanks. Yep. Two. And, as you can see, this grill is road ready with wheels also.


Was it Mom Who Hand Patted the Burgers?

I'm thinking Shane said that his Mom hand patted all those burgers. That's really the key to having yummy grilled hamburgers. It's not that much work for a family, but when you're doing it for a party, whew. Lots of patting. But, these were fabulous burgers.


I May Be Easily Amused, but I Thought the Night Light in the Port-o-John was Just Really Cool.

Shane and his family thought of everything for this big cook out. First, I don't know many people who remember that an extra bathroom really comes in handy. Second, I never did see a nightlight in the john. One tap - instant light. Very good for guys who may not have good aim I must say as the mother of boys.


Cyndi and the Boys Having a Super Time at the Cook Out.

I'm usually doing the grilling, so it was a treat to kick back and relax at Shane's party. We enjoyed the food, the band, and especially the company.

Enjoy more party photos at my Facebook page.

Grilled Hamburgers and Boneless Chicken Breasts in the Rain

Grilling out Hamburgers and Boneless Chicken Breasts and Tenders in the Rain

My students had been asking, all semester, about when I was going to grill out for them. I think they were joking, but my small New Media class was the right size for a nice May cook out. I thought, "Yep. Let's do it."


Had to Keep Everything Covered with it Raining

Initially I was going with hand patted hamburgers and hot dogs, but one student asked about bringing some chicken. I told her that I'd just change the menu. Grilled boneless chicken breasts or tenders are easy.

The chicken was even more popular than the hamburgers with this crowd. I think I will have to give the credit on that to the sauce, Firefighters Barbecue Sauce. That was a real hit. It's tangy and works great on chicken or anything else that you might barbecue.

I did the burgers on the Portable Kitchen PK charcoal cooker and the chicken on the City Grill. With two meats going at once and chicken more delicate, I wanted better heat control, so gas made sense for the chicken. The charcoal added flavor to the beef. It adds flavor to chicken as well, but the trade off on convenience was a good idea especially since it rained while I was grilling.



Might Not Be Obvious - But It's Pouring the Rain on Me and the Grill

The Portable Kitchen Grill is cast aluminum, so it has excellent heat retention. That's good, because we had a gully washer right as the hamburgers started to sizzle.

Rain drops the temperature and can also dampen the coals. By keeping the lid closed a good portion of the time, I was able to complete the grilling. A few burgers were undercooked, but the students just let me know, and we put those back on the grill for a couple of minutes.

A good grill chef will roll with the punches and also make sure guests know that it's fine to speak up. If you have kids, you probably know this (-: Adults are more likely to keep quiet. But, an interactive griller can get everyone involved and comfortable.


My Girls - I Don't Have Any of My Own so Enjoy Some Girl Giggles at Gatherings

All the students offered to help, and I took them up on it. There's a lot to carry and do at a cook out. Extra hands make a world of difference. I've never understood the "keep out of my kitchen" or "stay out of the grill area" mentality. I love the company and also fewer trips back and forth to the truck or kitchen.


Let's Get This Fudge Under the Little Shelter, So It Does Not Get Wet

For dessert, I made homemade peanut butter fudge. That may seem a strange choice, since fudge is more often a holiday treat. My peanut butter fudge recipe is so quick (5 minutes on top of the stove), so when I need a splurge type dessert, that's what I make. It also ends up being the recipe I'm asked for most often.

Grilled Hamburger Problems and Solutions

Hanging Out in the Yard Waiting for the Perfect Hamburgers to Cook

I've had a number of friends, neighbors and online readers get in touch with problems with their grilled hamburgers.

One of the most common problems noted was that the hamburgers fall apart on the grill. Other things mentioned were barbecue burgers sticking to the grill grates, burgers puckering up like meatballs, burned burgers, undercooked burgers, and burgers lacking flavor.

Hamburgers rank right at the top of the list of things folks like to cook outside on the grill, so it's really a shame when things don't go right. No one likes to work hard on a barbecue meal and be sitting there anticipating a delicious grilled burger meal and then have a flop.

One tip I'd give is to buy a good grill. If you're using a low end grill, it's going to be hard to cook anything - including burgers. It can be done. Burgers can be done right, but it really takes some skill to work with bad grill equipment.

As far as those other little (or big) hamburger grill problems, I wrote up a trouble shooting guide for grilled burgers. I covered all the issues folks had mentioned plus some others that I thought might come up. I'll add to the guide as needed, so if you have a flop with your grilled burgers and don't find the answer in my barbecue burger guide, just let me know. I'll go in and add your problem and offer a solution.

Perfect Hamburgers on the Barbecue Grill

Yum! Burgers are Delicious Cooked Out on the Barbecue Grill.

Burgers are the top pick for outdoor cooks according to a survey by Weber. And, they sure are yummy. Of course, some burgers are lots better than others. If you have problems getting your hamburgers perfect, try out my Hamburger Grill Guide. That should cover any question you have about making burgers on the grill, and if you follow the steps, you'll have the best grilled burgers you've ever tasted.

If you have specific questions or have had problems with your grilled burgers like the burgers falling apart or sticking to the grill, check out my Hamburger Troubleshooting Guide at Yes You Can Grill. That should cover all your grilled burger problems, but if you come up with anything else, let me know.

Lazy Days of Summer - On the Creek

Here's the whole crowd - or most of them.

Dad plays Tarzan at the creek near his old home place in Oklahoma.

The little guy gets in on the fun while his brother cheers him on.

This kid-o is a lifeguard, but he didn't learn this trick at the YMCA.

The boys went out to Oklahoma to visit the relatives before the summer wrapped up. They especially enjoyed the rope swing out on the creek.

They also had a great time grilling, and I'm sure they all packed away a ton of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.

Be sure to check out my tips for grilling perfect hamburgers. There are some little tricks that make them much tastier - not that a grilled burger is ever bad. Well, some of the burned ones might not be primo.