I don’t need to tell you about the joys of going out to get some burgers and fries, however, you can bring that same magical taste and aroma you find at Whataburger or a Smashburger and easily duplicate it in your kitchen.

Whether you’re cooking for your own pleasure or to please a crowd, this article will break down the burger essentials that every man, woman and child needs to know.

The Patty

No need to waste time getting to the star of the dish, the perfect patty is essential to making a killer burger at your next cookout.

Off the bat there is two routes you can go here. Buying your own burgers at the grocery store is a perfectly suitable option but if you’re really trying to flex your culinary prowess then a combination of sirloin, brisket and short rib meat ground and mixed together will bring together a diverse combination of flavor and elements that make a good tender and juicy burger.

Once you’ve made that huge life choice and have your patties formed. It is time to season them with salt and black ground pepper. No need to get complex with the seasoning as there are so many other elements you can add to your burger for flavor.

For grilling consult this temperature guide from The Spruce Eats

Buns

Buns are always better toasted. To do this, soften up a stick of butter and evenly spread it over the surface of each top and bottom bun.

You can take your buns out to the grill with your burgers but its just as easy to get the nice and golden brown with a few minutes of medium heat over your stove top. Make sure to push the buns down so the surface is toasted evenly. Once you’ve got those golden brown, brush some melted butter on the un-toasted side for both flavor and presentation purposes and set them aside.

Veggies

You can get wild here with whatever you deem burger-worthy but the OG veggies for burgers are onion, tomato and lettuce.

Onion isn’t for everybody but a purple onion provides a good sweetness and flavor that makes the burger a little more diverse in flavor. Take off the outer skin and slice the onion thinly. Since onions have such powerful flavor you want them as thin as possible so they don’t over power a sandwich or burger.

A plump, red tomato will provide freshness to your burger.

Even though everything would be nice even if were just meat and cheese sometimes it is nice to throw it back to childhood and eat your vegetables. Like the onion, you want your tomato slices to relatively thin as well.

A bed of shredded iceberg lettuce placed on the bottom bun give the burger a nice final resting place.

Shredded iceberg is a good lettuce for its texture and it is often used by chains like Whataburger and Five Guys

Cheese

A slice of American cheese works best for burgers. It is good on taste and melts pretty quickly. A burger pro tip if you need to get cheese to melt fast, heat the burger in a pan, add a small splash of water and cover the the pan. This will build up steam that will not only melt the cheese but it give you a juicier and better burger.

The Secret Sauce

Every burger is better with the sauce. McDonald’s whose “secret sauce” is famous in the burger world and is the best condiment for your homemade burger. Many assume McDonald’s uses thousand island dressing as the secret sauce, however using a dressing would be too heavy and would drown out all other flavors.

Here’s the break down for the burger sauce you need in your life:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup mayo
• sprinkling of onion powder
• sprinkling of garlic powder
• a dash of smoked paprika
• a heaping tablespoon of sweet relish

Mix those components together in a bowl, spread evenly on both buns.

Now it is time to put all of our hopefully not-so-hard work together to make a homemade burger that rivals any chain restaurant.

Start with your bottom bun that is already generously coated in sauce, add shredded lettuce, top with burger and cheese and as many veggies as you deem necessary and top with your last bun. Enjoy!