By Marc Vanscoy

Everybody loves a burger hot off the backyard grill, especially in the summertime. But sometimes a home-grilled burger served on a typical white bun with the usual slice of American cheese lacks flavor and tastes way too ordinary to excite you or your guests.

Cooking the perfect burger begins with the meat – we use ground chuck and sirloin consisting of about 80% lean and 20% fat. We run it through the grinder twice, and then the meat is individually wrapped before grilling.

Here are some of our secrets for the best-tasting burgers you have ever eaten.

SALT AND PEPER - THAT'S IT FOR SPICE
You might be surprised to learn that you don’t have to use a lot of spices other than kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, sprinkled liberally on both sides of the burger.

YOUR OUTDOOR GRILL
When it comes to grilling choices, you may grill your burger over hardwood or charcoal for the best flavor. We use a gas grill at about 500° – very hot – as this allows the grilling to sear the meat so all the flavor stays inside.

Your outdoor grill will burn just as hot as a restaurant’s gas grill. Close the grill lid on the burgers after you place them on a hot, clean grill. Our 10-ounce burgers may take longer to cook than yours, if you are using less meat. We grill our burgers for five or six minutes on one side, then flip them and grill the other side for about the same amount of time.

NEVER PRESS THE BURGER
Never press the burger – it will squeeze all the juices out, right along with the flavor, and you will end up with a dry, tasteless burger that will disappoint you and your guests.

CHOOSE YOUR CHEESE
I suggest topping your burgers with local, straight-from-the-farm cheeses, such as pepper jack and “hoop” cheddar from Ashe County Cheese, the state’s oldest cheese maker. Experiment with different cheeses atop your burgers for a fresh surprise. Try some Chapel Hill Creamery cheeses, such as its popular Carolina Moon – a mild, buttery, Camembert-style cheese – or feta and goat cheeses from other local producers.

For those with international tastes, I suggest red wax gouda from Holland, provolone and tallegio from Italy, Manchego from Spain, Saint Andre “triple cream” from France, and king-cut gruyere from Switzerland.

Place the cheese of your choice on the burger after it has cooked, and then move the burger aside, away from the flame, to let the cheese melt. Allow the meat to rest a minute or so before you put it on the bun – otherwise, the juices will run out on the bun, and you will have soggy bread.

HOW TO TOAST THE BUN
Speaking of the bun, we toast ours on a flat grill separately from the meat. We spread a mixture of half butter and half olive oil on the bun before toasting.

If you do not have a separate grill at home, you can always toast buns directly on a section of your outdoor grill and get the same effect. And don’t hesitate to experiment with brioche and ciabatta instead of that plain white bun.

FIXIN'S
Many people enjoy bacon or chili on their burgers, but don’t be afraid to try something you’ve never experienced previously. From mushrooms to avocado, to chopped or fried egg, or to beer-battered onion rings, experiment with your burger toppings this summer.

Here are some fresh ideas for fixin’s that are guaranteed to liven up an ordinary burger into a whole new taste sensation.

– Southern: For a Southern taste, top your burger with fried green tomatoes, Goat Lady goat cheese, bacon, and aged balsamic on brioche.

– Mexican: If your taste runs south of the border, try topping your burger with guacamole, salsa, pepper jack cheese, and fried jalapeños on brioche.

– Italian: Be bold and experiment with Tallegio cheese, fried salami, fresh basil, roasted tomato, and grilled peppers on ciabatta bread.

– Cajun: Try Cajun spice, Roaring ’40s blue cheese, fried jalapeños, pepper bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion on brioche.

– Spanish: Try topping your burger with Manchego, chorizo sausage, and Romesco sauce on ciabatta for Spanish flair.

– Asian: Use ginger and soy-marinated ground beef, wasabi mayo, wild mushrooms, shredded carrots, grilled green onions, and bean sprouts on brioche.

– Greek: Instead of beef, make your burger out of ground lamb, and top it with Chapel Hill Feta, roasted red peppers, and tzatziki sauce on ciabatta.

– Turkey: Not the country – the meat! If turkey is your preference, top your ground lean turkey breast with a papaya, mango, and basil salsa topped with a dark rum reduction on brioche.

– Seafood: Are you a seafood lover? Try topping your burger with lump crab, fried mashed potatoes, roasted garlic, and rosemary hollandaise on ciabatta.

Lastly, we always use local products first. Summertime offers wonderful produce options, including our favorite for burgers – fresh-picked tomatoes!

Marc Vanscoy is a chef for Rocky Top Hospitality, a part of Raleigh’s dining scene since 1998. The following restaurants operate under the Rocky Top Hospitality name: Michael Dean’s Seafood Grill and Oyster Bar, The Twisted Fork, The Red Room Tapas Lounge, Bogart’s American Grill, Hi5, The Mash House Brewery & Chophouse, and Tribeca Tavern.