The Perfect Burger

What is a barbecue without a burger on the grill?

You don't want a frozen pattie that you toss onto the flame, but a fresh ground beef burger that you shape and season and place on the grill to sizzle to perfection. And if you want cheese, it has to be melted just so.

Executive Chef Gary Coyle from Tavern On The Green in New York City shows CBS This Morning how to do it.

Coyle says a burger begins with a good blend of fatty and lean meat. He prefers 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat because meat any leaner will be dry and will fall apart. Fattier meat is juicier and tastier. Besides, if you're eating a burger, you may as well go for it.

Beef does not really need a lot of spices. Just a little salt and pepper will do it. Put it on the top of the burger rather than mix it into the burger because then you may have a clump of salt in one spot and not another. If you sprinkle it on the top, there is a better chance of it being evenly seasoned. And, again, you don't need much.

CBS
Chef Gary Coyle

Cooking time varies. Let it cook until it is 165 degrees. Different grills cook differently. You have to learn by trial and error. If a burger is charred because it was cooking on the side of the grill that has a high flame, then move it to the other side (with a lower flame) to finish cooking. If the grill is not hot enough, the burger will stick.

Once your burger is done and you want to put something on it, try something other than Jersey red tomatoes. Try heirloom tomatoes. They are really popular these days and you can grill or marinate them. Yellow tomatoes are good and sweet.

If you want cheese, try bleu cheese or Gouda. A lot of people like cheese on top, but you can't just put the cheese on top of the burger because it won't melt. You have to melt cheese by covering the burger to let the heat steam it. Otherwise the heat is on the bottom of the burger and the cheese is on top so you have to have something to cover it. Cheese locks in all of the other ingredients. You can also top burgers with onions. Vadalia onions are great with sweeter cheese.

Then there is the roll. Instead of using the same old kind of hamburger roll, try any roll from your neighborhood baker.

But you can't have a burger by itself. There has to be a side dish. Most of u eat burgers with fries. But that doesn't work at cookouts so you can still have potatoes but from the grill. Brush them with a vinaigrette and place them on the grill. You could also grill some portobello mushrooms.

If you want something to go with the burger, try steamed potato salad with a vinaigrette dressing. Or you can grill potatoes and dress them with any number of vinegars for a low fat option.

Here is the recipe from executive chef Gary Coyle of Tavern On The Green restaurant in New York City:

Potato Salad with Vinaigrette

This recipe feeds 6.

2 lbs. of assorted potatoes, washed and split lengthwise

1 bunch of scallions chopped fine

10 leaves of basil cut into thin threads

3 tbs. virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Rub potatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill or roast in oven until tender. Cool. Dress with scallions and basil.

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

3 tbs. champagne vinegar

1/4 cup diced heirloom tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Pour half the vinaigrette over potatoes and toss. Reserve other half to brush over grilled vegetables.