10 Favorite Burger Recipes

The burger is a custom blend of ground prime rib, brisket, skirt steak and tenderloin, topped with Nueske’s bacon and Cowgirl Creamery’s triple-cream Mt. Tam cheese. The recipe is also delicious with a mix of chuck and sirloin.

Resist the urge to pile on any of the usual toppings—lettuce, tomato, ketchup. “The port is your condiment,” explains Adam Fleischman.

This delectable blue cheese burger is a best seller at The Hungry Cat, in Hollywood.

Minetta Tavern’s namesake burger is made with a blend of beef short rib and brisket from the nearly century-old local purveyor Pat La Frieda.

Inspired by the sliders at White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey, Adam Fleischman creates beef patties by flattening balls of ground meat on the griddle. Tip: Burger purists handle ground meat as little as possible; over-working the beef can create a tight, meatloaf texture.

Chef Laurent Tourondel brushes burgers with butter while they’re on the grill. The natural sugars caramelize, making the meat extra-delicious.

Bobby Flay makes this extremely good barbecue sauce by spiking tomato puree with two forms of smoky chile—ancho chile powder and chipotle in adobo sauce—then adding peanut butter for sweetness. The sauce takes some time to prepare, but by doubling the recipe, it can be made in one large batch and kept in the refrigerator for up to two months.

The gooey filling for these juicy burgers was inspired by the Mexican dip chile con queso, made with melted cheese and roasted chiles.

A great hamburger starts with great ground beef, says David Walzog. He advocates ground-to-order beef with at least 20 percent fat content, seasoned generously with salt and pepper. “After that, it doesn’t need much else,” he says—just a sturdy bun and sauce that won’t overpower the beef, like this sweet-and-sour red onion compote.