It’s Labor Day!! And a perfect excuse to light up the grill one more time. Make a couple burgers, hot dogs, a summer salad and some yummy dip. Crack-open some beers and enjoy the last bit of summer. I had a couple friends over yesterday afternoon for a nice housewarming BBQ, so homemade burger patties were a must.

All you need is leaned beef (around 80-90%), onion, lemon, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, grated parmesan cheese and a dash of milk to make the juiciest burger patties. (Exact recipe at the end of the post). Finely chop half an onion. The smaller the onion pieces, the easier it will be for the patty to stay together. Throw it in a bowl, along with the beef, salt, pepper, an egg, bread crumbs and milk

Once everything is well mixed in, grab a handful of meat, roll it into a ball, and pat it down until it’s a nice and round patty. If you have time, place those wonderfully fresh patties into the fridge for an hour so they can settle and prevent from breaking apart. If you’re short on time, put them in the freezer for a bit while you’re heating up the grill.

Make a refreshing fruit salad on the side. A small watermelon, peaches, berries, mango–anything you have in your fridge. Or get some hummus and chips to entertain your guests while you’re grilling the patties.

Once the grill is nice and warm, coat the rack with vegetable oil using a kitchen brush. (This is key to prevent the meat from sticking). Close the grill for around 5-6 minutes and flip them only when they can easily be lifted from the rack. Close the grill again, and bam–5 minutes later you’re patties are ready to be swallowed up!

Place some ketchup and mustard on them, slap them on a bun (if you want), add you’re favorite burger toppings and wa-lah, you have some great burgers all you’re friends will love. Leftovers (if there happen to be any) will make a perfect weekday lunch.

Oh-So-Juice Burger Patties

• 80-90% Lean Ground Beef (1lb)
• 1/2 Finely Chopped White Onion
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Egg
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Handful of Parmesan Cheese
• A Couple Dashes of Milk
• 1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs