This Is The Secret To Cooking The Best Burger Possible — Every Time

Summer isn't complete without a meal cooked over an open fire. And if you eat all the things, you know it's not a proper grilling season without the inimitable American cookout classic: the burger.

We've been to enough BBQs to know that there’s a variety of different ways to make a delicious burger. Everyone's got their own secret sauce (sometimes literally). But there’s one universal detail that truly transforms a really good burger to those standout "I'm-gonna-need-seconds" kind of burgers that stick with you long after the coals have cooled.

Here’s why: The fat inside your patties will render while cooking. On a grill, that fat drips down between the grates, causing flare-ups and drying out your patties (neither are great).

But on a skillet, cooking your burgers with this fat is what keeps them juicy and gives them that delicious, flavorful, seared patina. FYI, Applegate’s Great Organic Blend Burger™ is made with 45% less fat, so you won’t have to worry about your burgers swimming in a ton of juices (and thanks to its rich umami flavor packed in, you won’t have to worry about missing out on big flavor, either).

If your BBQs aren’t complete without some burger action, just take your heavy-duty skillet outside. It can rest right on top of the grill grates, directly onto the charcoal, or on your grill’s side burner. Even if you’re just at home with cheeseburger cravings for dinner, just fire up the grill and cook ‘em up on the cast iron to avoid heating up your whole kitchen and dealing with errant grease spatters on the backsplash.