Great grilled burgers, dogs: Pro's tips, recipes

The unofficial start of summer is here - Memorial Day weekend - and there's no better way to jump into the season than firing up the barbecue and grilling some amazing burgers and hotdogs.

And there's no better person to share expertise on prepping your holiday feast than Kevin Roberts, chef and owner of North Country Tavern in Bowl in San Diego.

On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," the chef, cookbook author and restaurateur offered an insider's advice on making the ultimate burgers and dogs in ways that enable you to get consistent results and, just as importantly, leave you with plenty of time to enjoy your own festivities!

Kevin showed how to make the perfect burger, what goes in the ultimate burger bar to top those perfect patties, and how to grill up some killer hot dogs and great sides for your backyard fun.

The best part? As our "Chef on a Shoestring," he showed how did it all on a limited budget - though we did allow him a special holiday party total of $60, up from our usual $40.

"Shoestring" chefs are usually automatically entered in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition, in which the one with the lowest ingredients cost will be invited back to cook for our year-end holiday extravaganza - and spend as much as he or she wants.

Since we exempted Kevin from our $40 norm, we didn't toss hit hat into that ring. But so far this year, our Leaders Board has Marco Canora, of Herarth on top at $36.33, followed by MP Taverna's Michael Psilakis, at $36.56, and Michael Lomonaco of Porter House, at $36.82.

For the record, Kevin's total was $59.12.

And yoy can play a role in our "Chef on a Shoestring" segments. Viewers get to vote, via mobile phone, on the main dish they want our "Shoestring" chef to prepare the following week. Click here to see how to have your say about next week's main event.

Enjoy all our "Early Show" recipes!

Look below the following recipes to learn more about Kevin.

RECIPES

Classic Burgers

A burger is a burger until you try one of my burgers. Remember, you will want to make the patty a little bigger than the bun because the meat will shrink slightly when cooked.

Serve with your favorite toppings or have it my way - with spicy Buffalo onions and blue cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound beef
• Burger Bar of toppings and condiments - see below
• 4 hamburger buns

The Steps:

Shape the meat into four round patties each slightly larger than a standard hamburger bun.

Season with the ingredients of your choice.

Grill on the barbecue until desired doneness

Place the burgers on the buns, top from options below and feast.

The Ultimate Burger Bar

These are just suggestions, feel free to assemble an assortment of your favorites:

• Crumbled Blue Cheese
• Purple Onion (raw)
• Sauteed Mushrooms
• Olive Tapenade - available at most supermarkets or gourmet grocers
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Guacamole
• Thousand Island Dressing
• BBQ Sauce
• Pesto

Crunch Onion Cheeseburger

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups (4 oz.) French fried onions
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 slices Swiss or Muenster cheese

METHOD:

1. MIX beef, 1 cup French fried onions, Worcestershire and garlic powder. Shape into 6 burgers.

2. GRILL burgers about 10 min. until cooked through in center.

3. TOP each with 1 slice cheese. Cook 1 min. until cheese melts.

4. SERVE burgers on rolls with lettuce and tomatoes, if desired. Top each burger with remaining French Fried Onions.

For more of Kevin's recipes, go to Page 2.

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[RealiteBites]

I like the onion soup mix burgers, with a little bbq sauce and sauteed onions on top - so yum, even with extra lean ground beef.

I like those crunchy french-fried onions on top of a meatloaf sandwich - I make a copy of the one I had a Cheesecake Factory, with the mashed potatoes on top - mmmm

Not sure if I'd like the crunch in a burger though - maybe next time I'll try tucking a couple in though ... see what it's like. Cool idea! :)

[vickigabel]

Most of the coupons don't even work unless you use good websites some of them ********** retail me not etc, so do some research before you buy anything!