An awfully good burger

With the weather finally turning decent in Chicago, Rory and I decided to grill a couple of weekends ago. For the first grilling of the season we decided to go simple: burgers.

Now some people may say you need to do all sort of things for a good burger. And it's true, sometimes special ingredients can make some difference. But for a really tasty burger you really only need three things.

First is the beef. You need fat so it doesn't dry out so use an 80/20 mix.

Second and third: salt and pepper.

I bought a little more than a pound of ground beef added a good amount of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, mixed it up, and formed three patties.

I cooked it over charcoal for 3 to four minutes a side, added some nice sharp cheddar cheese, grilled onions and crimini mushrooms on a toasted bun and that's it.

The burger would have been just as good without the onion, mushrooms and cheese. The key is the fat in the beef and not overcooking it. I'm craving one right now just thinking about it.