How To Create Your Own Ultimate Burgers At Home

As you may know, Saturdays at Ted's are special. That's because that's the only day of the week we serve up our incredible burgers, made from Painted Hills Natural Beef and grilled on the Big Green Egg. We offer a classic "Backyard Burger," featuring your choice of toppings, and a monthly "Ultimate Burger," inspired by our collective travels, culinary trends and, always, the freshest local ingredients we can get.But did you know that you can easily create your own "ultimate burger" experience right at home, any day of the week? It's easy when you start with quality beef from Ted's and follow some of our tips for making delicious signature burgers right in your backyard.

Start with the best beef.

We've been carrying Painted Hills Natural Beef from Oregon since the day we opened, and we still think it's the best quality, best-tasting product out there. For our burger patties, we grind chuck and brisket to order for the freshest taste and prepare 7 oz. patties. It's that simple, and also that good. Even without toppings, you can taste the difference. Buy them to cook at home any day of the week.

Bring burger patties to room temperature before cooking.

It's important to bring your patties to room temperature for even cooking. You never want to throw cold meat onto a hot grill or pan. Simply let rest covered on the counter for 30-60 minutes before cooking.

Season your meat!

Adding salt and pepper to your patties while they're coming to room temperature is a must. Some people also add oil or fat - we do not recommend this. And if you really want to step it up a notch, we'll let you in on a little secret: We have a special seasoning that we use for all of our burgers, and you can purchase it to use at home from our online shop or as part of a Butcher Bag order.

Prepare your grill and start cooking.

Whether you're using a charcoal or gas grill, you want to create two zones: Direct heat and indirect heat. Once the grill is hot, sear the burgers over direct heat for two to three minutes on each side, and then place them over the indirect heat zone to cook for approximately two to three minutes per side (see below).

Know when they're done.

It's impossible to say how long burgers should cook, since grilling methods and equipment vary greatly. So we always recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the correct cooking time. For burgers, you'll want to cook to an internal temperature between 145° (medium rare) and 165° (closer to well done), depending on diner preference.

Let 'em rest.

If you're making cheeseburgers, you can throw the cheese on right before they're done. Once you take them off the grill, you want to let them sit for about five minutes to let the juices settle before constructing your burger.

The bun matters.

For our Saturday burgers, we always use locally-baked burger buns or custom selections from Brown's Court Bakery. If you can't get to Brown's Court, look for soft, buttery buns that have enough structure to hold up to all of your burger's juiciness, while not being too "bready," which can muffle the other flavors. The bun should barely just hold everything together.

Finally - the toppings.

This is where you get to put a signature spin on your own backyard burgers. The sky's the limit. Our team always opts for using local veggies and for finding a mix of salty, savory and sweet ingredients that will balance the fat and distinct flavor of the beef, and textures that add a bit of crunch.Still looking for ideas to bring the Ted's Ultimate Burger experience to your backyard? Consider trying the following toppings:Red Dragon Cheddar CheeseMade with brown ale and peppered with whole grain mustard, this cheese is a great burger topper.BaconBut not just any bacon. At Ted's, we typically carry about a dozen varieties, offering a wide selection of flavor profiles. And we slice it to order, so you can get it as thick or thin as you prefer. Tell our staff what you're looking for and we'll find the perfect bacon for your next burger.Ted's Pimento CheeseThere's a secret ingredient in our signature pimento cheese that makes it go great with burgers. Don't ask - just try it.Pickled VeggiesIf you're lucky, you'll find housemade pickles and other pickled veggies in our case that can be used to top off, or serve or aside, your ultimate backyard burger.