Hamburger Hacks

In our opinion, nothing, truly nothing, is better than a perfectly grilled hamburger on a summer evening. But this summer staple isn’t always the easiest to prepare. Shaping the patties by hand can be tricky business, and it’s important to make the patties consistent in size for consistent grilling time.

Luckily, Weber has the perfect solution! Make prep time effortless with Weber’s user-friendly Burger Press. The handy Burger Press shapes perfectly formed burgers, and is designed to make a dimple in burger patties for flat, uniform 1/4 lb. or 1/2 lb. burgers. Check out this video to see it in action!

In honour of the noble hamburger, try out this delicious sweet and savoury cheeseburger recipe that is bound to get stomachs growling!

Cheeseburgers with Grilled Apple

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Grilling Time: 9 – 11 minutes

Ingredients:

1½ pounds ground chuck (80% lean)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large, ripe apple, cored and cut crosswise into four ½-inch slices
1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces Tilsit or Havarti cheese, cut into 8 pieces
4 round pretzel rolls or hamburger buns, split
Spicy brown mustard
4 leaves lettuce

Directions:

1. Mix the patty ingredients, and then gently form four patties of equal size, each about 1 inch thick. With your thumb or the back of a spoon, make a shallow indentation about 1 inch wide in the center of the patties to prevent them from forming a dome as they cook. Refrigerate
the patties until ready to grill.
2. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat (400° to 500°F).
3. Brush the apple slices on both sides with the oil.
4. Grill the patties over direct medium-high heat, with the lid closed, until cooked to medium doneness (160°F), 9 to 11 minutes, turning once. At the same time, grill the apple slices over direct medium-high heat until tender and nicely marked, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. During the last 30 seconds to 1 minute of grilling time, place two pieces of cheese on each patty to melt, and toast the rolls, cut side down, over direct heat.
5. Build each burger on a roll with mustard, a lettuce leaf, a patty, and a grilled apple slice. Serve warm.

Don’t forget, OLM and Weber are joining forces to help you upgrade your grill! Enter our awesome contest for a chance to win a Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill.

To enter, share a photo of your worn-out, rusty, upgrade-ready grill. All you have to do is head over to our Facebook page and leave a comment on this post with a photo of your grill. Twitter more your style? Tweet your photo entry to us @ottawalifers.

Good luck!

For more information and delicious recipes, visit weber.com.

©2014 Weber-Stephen Products LLC. Recipe from Weber’s Big Book of Burgers™ by Jamie Purviance. Used with permission.