Best Burgers: Quick and Easy Recipes for Homemade Hamburgers

Nothing is more "American" than homemade hamburgers! With the stifling temperatures of summer winding down, people are eager to get out and enjoy the refreshing autumn breezes. A great way to take it all in is to take the family out to the deck or patio for a cookout. Are you thinking hamburgers? Yep, just about everybody loves them, but you can overdo a good thing. If you’re adamant about serving burgers, however, at least jazz them up a bit by trying some of the following guidelines. These homemade hamburger recipes should start with extra lean ground round or ground turkey.

For health reasons, always cook your burgers completely, until the juices run clear and there’s no pink inside. Why is it safe to eat rare steak but not burgers? The meat comes from the same animal, right? Yes, but dangerous E. coli is found only on the surfaces of meats. When a steak is exposed to high temperatures on its surface, the bacteria is killed. It doesn’t matter if the inside gets hot because there won’t be any E. coli there. Ground beef is a different story - ANY of it could have been on the surface before being ground. There’s just no way to know.

Ranch burgers: Mix one pound of beef with one envelope ranch dressing mix. Grill until done. Top with ranch dressing, lettuce, and a slice of tomato.

“Filet mignon” burgers: Mix one pound of beef with garlic salt, black pepper, and steak seasoning to taste. Form into four patties. Wrap a slice of bacon or turkey bacon around each and secure with a toothpick. Grill until done. Top with a good quality steak sauce.

Taco burgers: Mix a pound of beef with one envelope taco seasoning. Grill until done. While burgers are still hot, top with a slice of Colby cheese. When the cheese melts, top burgers with chopped tomatoes, salsa, shredded lettuce, and diced onions.

Italian burgers: Mix one pound of beef with one envelope Italian dressing mix. Grill until done. Top warm burgers with a slice of provolone cheese. Add Roma tomatoes, black olives, and creamy Italian dressing. Serve on a toasted onion roll.

Carolina Barbecue burgers: Mix one pound beef with dry barbecue seasoning to taste. Form patties into rectangles that will fit on slices of commercial barbecue bread. Grill burgers until done. Top with barbecue sauce and slaw and serve on toasted barbecue bread.

Hawaiian sliders: Mix one pound of beef with ¼ cup chopped green pepper and garlic salt to taste. Form into small square patties. Grill until done. While burgers are cooking, grill slices of pineapple and cook several slices of bacon. Top each slider burger with a pineapple slice, bacon, and sweet-and-sour sauce. Serve on sweet Hawaiian rolls.

Cajun burgers: Mix one pound beef with chopped jalapeno peppers, one tablespoon worcetershire, and garlic salt, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper to taste. Grill until done. Mix ½ cup mayonnaise, two tablespoons yellow or brown mustard, one teaspoon Cajun seasoning, a little white sugar, and Louisiana hot sauce to taste. Slather the sauce on the burgers.

German burgers: Mix one pound beef with ½ pound bulk bratwurst sausage, salt, and pepper. Grill until done. While still hot, melt a slice of Muenster cheese on each burger. Top with sauerkraut and serve on toasted Kaiser rolls. These burgers are best served with a good German beer.

Three cheese burgers: Mix one pound of ground beef with ½ cup parmesan and ½ cup finely grated Colby or jack cheese. Grill until done. While hot, melt one slice of cheddar on top.

California onion dip burgers: To one pound ground beef, add one envelope Lipton onion soup mix and two tablespoons sour cream. Form into patties and refrigerate for four hours, or long enough for soup mix to soften. Grill until done. Top with sliced avocado.

Meatloaf burgers: Mix together one beaten egg, one cup soft bread crumbs, one tablespoon worcetershire sauce, one tablespoon ketchup or barbecue sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit until bread soaks up liquids, then mix with one pound of ground beef. Add chopped onions and diced bell peppers to taste. Grill until done and top with ketchup.

Mushroom-Swiss burgers: Mix one small can of sliced mushrooms with 1 cup prepared brown gravy. Season one pound of beef with fresh basil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper and form into four patties. Cook burgers until done. While burgers are hot, top with mushroom mixture and melt Swiss cheese on top.

“Prime rib” burger: Mix one pound of ground top sirloin with garlic salt and steak seasoning to taste. Form into square patties. Cook until done. Serve on Texas toast with prime rib sauce: mix equal parts of prepared creamy horseradish and sour cream, with a little sugar or Splenda to taste.

Pizza burgers: Mix one pound of beef with minced garlic, diced bell pepper, dried oregano, basil, chopped onion, and salt. Cook until done. Melt mozzarella on top and serve with pizza or spaghetti sauce.