Y’all want to come over and grill this summer? I got these extra sharp cheddar cheeseburgers.
The official start of summer is only a little over a week away, and I can guarantee you, we will be grilling a few cheeseburgers come Memorial Day weekend. Anyone who knows cheeseburgers, knows, a good burger is the combination of how you cook it, and what you dress it up with. The flavor combinations are almost endless. Personally, I love a classic burger, with smoky flavor and sharp cheddar cheese. In case you’re looking for some inspiration for your upcoming summer party, here are just a few ways Steven and I up our cheeseburger game for summer.
How To Up Your Cheeseburger Game This Summer
The Meat!
The meat is of course, the star of a burger. We’ve tried marinating burgers, seasoning heavily, mixing in onion soup mix and adding fillers. While all of those were good, nothing beats the burgers that come off of Steven’s pellet grill. We didn’t actually have a grill of our own until a few months ago! I let Steven do the shopping and he chose a pellet grill. Which, if you’re not familiar, runs off of wood pellets instead of charcoal or propane. The fun part about the pellet grill is using flavored pellets. We use applewood pellets and it makes everything we put on it, amazing! Since all of that flavor is infused from the grill, Steven just seasons the meat with a little salt and pepper, it’s perfect! According to Steven, you can also get the same effect with applewood charcoal or use the pellets in a smoke box on a gas grill. That’s all over my head, good thing he’s the griller in our house. We used 92% lean beef for our burgers; Steven recommends handling the meat as little as possible and making the patties about 1/3 bigger than the bun, to accommodate for shrinking.
The Cheese
The more flavor in the cheese, the more flavor on the burger! Sure you can use a classic american cheese, but once you try a burger with an aged sharp cheddar on top, you’ll never go back. Publix recently moved to our area, and I’ve been pretty much obsessed with it since they moved in. They have one beautiful cheese section, and amongst the blocks and smelly gloriousness I found this Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese by Black Creek®. The cheese lives up to its label – it is smooth and buttery and rich in flavor. Trust me, you’re going to want to try it on your burgers (or in your mac and cheese) more than once this summer.
Visit Black Creek® online to see all of the delicious cheese varieties they offer.
The Bun
If I’m feeling like saving a few calories I may eat a burger sans bun or wrap it in some lettuce, but if I’m trying to go to “flavor town” as Guy Fieri would say, I go for a fluffy, bakery fresh bun. I’m a bread girl at heart, so the bigger and softer the bun, the better! I didn’t use them for this photo, but the Montana Bread Co. in Richmond, makes these garlic knot buns that are amazing on burgers and on sloppy joes (another favorite of mine).
The Toppings
This is where the burger gets individual, the toppings. I’m going to just go ahead and admit that I’m plain and eat burgers with just a little ketchup, mustard and mayo. However, Steven is the experimenter in our house. He’s made burgers with avocado, an egg on top, bbq sauce, onion rings, friend onions, and on and on. I’m pretty sure you could try just about anything on top of a burger and it would totally change the flavor and experience. These sharp cheddar burgers were complimented by cool avocado, tomato, pickle, lettuce, and my classic – ketchup, mustard, mayo.
This summer, you’re sure to find us around the grill. What about you? I’d love to know what you put on your burger!
-Brooke
Now, let’s…get…linking!!
NEW! I’ve started a collaborative Pinterest board for the Oh, Hey Girl! Link-Up. I would love for you to join and share your looks there too! Just send me a message on Pinterest or at Brooke@pumpsandpushups.com if you would like to be added.
Link up any post you would like to show off; your outfit, home decor, recipe, workout. Anything at all! Because, oh, hey girl! I want to see it!
Link-Up ‘Rules’
1. Follow me on Bloglovin or Instagram
2. Link back to my site from your post, you can grab a button if you like!
See who I link with here! (p.s. – if you have a new link up on your blog, leave it in the comments, so I can add to this list!)
