Burgers―Any Way You Like 'Em

By Southern Living
Photo: Hector Sanchez

Long day at the office? You will get fired up over these grilled burger recipes. These grilled burger recipes show you how to add zip to your burgers and jazz up your condiments. Transform ground beef, turkey, or chicken into a great-tasting dinner the whole family will love. These easy grilled burger recipes, including the best turkey burger recipe ever, keep your food prep short and simple, while helping you serve up family-loved dinners that go beyond the basic burger. Think outside the bun and grill a lamb burger, a mushroom burger, or even a shrimp burger. With the addition of pimiento cheese, peaches, bacon, and bourbon, you will find many of these recipes have a decidedly Southern twist. While you are cooking outdoors, go ahead and serve dinner alfresco, as well. With these creative outdoor dining ideas, you can turn a mid-week meal into something special. Need more fast supper options? Check out these quick and easy recipes for busy weeknight meals.

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Serrano Pepper Burgers

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Serrano Pepper Burgers

Florida Georgia Line's songwriter friend Craig Wiseman shared his recipe with the band. The secret? Grill-roasted peppers that add spicy heat and a touch of sweetness and smoke to juicy burgers. Use your favorite peppers, including milder Anaheim, Cubanelle, bell, or poblano.

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Burgers with Green Tomato Mayonnaise

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Burgers with Green Tomato Mayonnaise 

This is a fabulous new way to add even more tomato flavor to a great burger. Try the tangy, chunky mayo on fish sandwiches and crab cakes too.

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Carolina Chicken Burgers with Ancho Slaw

Alison Miksch

Recipe: Carolina Chicken Burgers

Our BBQ sandwich-meets-burger is a slam dunk for grilling season. Try it with Creamy Ancho Slaw and Carolina Burger Sauce.

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Pimiento Cheese-Bacon Burger

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Pimiento Cheese-Bacon Burger

Dress up our Best Beef Burgers with fresh herbs and a hearty scoop of pimiento cheese and bacon.

Watch: The Best Way To Make a Hamburger

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Sun-dried Tomato-Pesto Burgers

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Sun-dried Tomato-Pesto Burgers

Goat cheese, pepperoncini peppers, and fresh sun-dried tomato-pesto will soon be your favorite burger toppings after you try this recipe!

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Pineapple-Jalapeño Burgers

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Pineapple-Jalapeño Burgers

Recipe: Cilantro-Jalapeño Cream

This island-inspired burger is topped with a Cilantro-Jalapeño Cream, grilled pineapple, avocado, and cilantro. Stir in some jalapeño into the meat mixture for an extra kick.

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Green Tomato-Feta Burgers

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Green Tomato-Feta Burgers

Greek meets classic American in this burger recipe. Feta cheese, oregano, and pickled green tomatoes dress up plain hamburgers.

 

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Muffuletta Burgers

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Muffuletta Burgers

Recipe: Best Turkey Burgers

We take burgers to a whole new level by adding all the favorite ingredients of the Muffuletta. Try with our Best Turkey Burgers.

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Pickled-Onion Chutney Burgers

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Pickled-Onion Chutney Burgers

Recipe: Red Onion Relish

Recipe: Best Turkey Burgers

Red Onion Relish, blue cheese, and mango chutney boost the flavor in this burger—great with our Best Turkey Burgers.

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Lamb Burgers

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Lamb Burgers

Chopped herbs add fresh flavor to these Lamb Burgers—a great 30-minute dinner idea. Substitute ground beef if you prefer.

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Tangy Turkey Burgers

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Food Styling: Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Recipe: Tangy Turkey Burgers

Healthy and delicious, these turkey burgers are great topped with avocado slices and paired with sweet potato fries.

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Bacon-Wrapped Barbecue Burgers

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe:  Bacon-Wrapped Barbecue Burgers

Sautéed mushroom and onion mixture offers the "wow" factor for these bacon-wrapped burgers. Part of the savory mixture is pressed into the center of each burger before grilling, and the remainder is mixed with barbecue sauce and used for the topping. The result is "over-the-top" good.

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The Perfect Hamburgers for Two

Recipe:  The Perfect Hamburgers for Two

A great hamburger begins with the patty. Try this no-frills version to perfect your technique. When forming the patties it's very important to not overwork the meat. Mix it as gently as possible, or your hamburgers will get tough and chewy.

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Shrimp Burgers With Sweet 'n' Spicy Tartar Sauce

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Shrimp Burgers With Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Tartar Sauce

Recipes for shrimp burgers, a favorite food of Southern shrimping towns, are often a big secret. Here we divulge our version, which is chunky and spicy with some Cajun flair.

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Sweet-and-Savory Burgers

Recipe:  Sweet-and-Savory Burgers

Put a new twist on an old-fashioned cookout with these sweet-hot burgers. They're topped with chili sauce mixed with jalapeno jelly. Dress them up even more with grilled sweet onions or slices of grilled pineapple.

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Barbara's Big Juicy Burgers

Recipe:  Barbara's Big Juicy Burgers

Versatility reigns supreme when it comes to preparing and dressing your favorite burger. With the availability of so many options (ranging from beef, chicken, veggie and turkey), the first step is just deciding what you desire. It's hard to beat our no-fail, all-American Big Juicy Burgers.

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Pecan-Crusted Pork Burgers

Recipe: Pecan-Crusted Pork Burgers With Dried Apricot-Chipotle Mayonnaise

Pecan-Crusted Pork Burgers grill up crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Top with tart, subtly spicy Dried Apricot-Chipotle Mayonnaise.

Ground pork is becoming more common in the meat case. You can also ask your butcher to grind it. Usually the lean-to-fat ratio is similar to ground chuck. We find French hamburger buns at Publix grocery stores.

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Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Carrot-Cabbage Slaw

Recipe: Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Carrot-Cabbage Slaw 

You won’t miss the hamburger meat when you top these hearty, smoked portobellos with our crunchy slaw.

 

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Spicy Cheddar-Stuffed Burgers

Recipe:  Spicy Cheddar-Stuffed Burgers

This burger will make you the envy of the neighborhood. Start by mixing the ground beef with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Then press two patties together, both topped with cheddar cheese. The result is a thick, spicy, and delicious cheese-filled burger.

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Tasty Turkey Burgers

Recipe:  Tasty Turkey Burgers

Delicious, healthy, and easy-to-make, Tasty Turkey Burgers are a must-add to your burger repertoire. Choose the type of ground turkey you prefer; just remember, it is the fat that helps keep the burgers moist. Add potato salad, and you're ready to serve for a quick and easy dinner.

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Dixie Beef Burgers

Recipe: Dixie Beef Burgers With Chowchow Spread

We loved the slightly sweet Chowchow Spread and the tangy Banana Pepper Spread on these burgers. Make both and let guests choose.

The secret to Dixie Beef Burgers With Chowchow Spread is grilled country ham slices. The saltiness is amazing with the sweeter flavors of Chowchow Spread and honeyed grape tomatoes.

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Greek Turkey Burgers

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe:  Greek Turkey Burgers

Lemon zest and a minty cucumber sauce give Greek Turkey Burgers the fresh, cooling flavor you want on a hot day.

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Bacon, Peach, and Basil Burgers

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Bacon, Peach, and Basil Burgers

Nothing says summer in the South quite like peaches, and of course we think everything goes better with bacon, so the Bacon, Peach, and Basil Burgers are a fresh-off-the-fire sensation. We recommend ground sirloin here because it's lean, which causes fewer flare-ups on the grill. Chopped pickled jalapeños and their juice ramp up the flavor, while bacon, and tangy-sweet chutney balance the heat. Soft and creamy goat cheese, an unexpected addition, adds just the right amount of smooth flavor to these amazingly balanced burgers.

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Sloppy Joe Carolina-Style Burgers

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Sloppy Joe Carolina-Style Burgers

These fantastic burgers—made with ground sirloin—get that little something extra, Carolina-style, from a delicious scoop of chili on top. We don’t call them sloppy for nothing, so you’ll want to eat these over-the-top burgers with a knife and fork, or set out a pile of napkins. Add fresh crisp texture and flavor by mounding slaw atop the burgers. Serve extra slaw on the side to sop up that chili, or save it for another day.

 

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Piggy Burgers

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Piggy Burgers

Look for ground pork at the meat counter at the supermarket. We recommend a blend that's not too fatty, such as an 8 5/15 mix of lean pork to fat.

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Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers

Grab a bag of tortilla chips and a can of black beans to serve alongside the burgers, and whip up a batch of margaritas for a festive cocktail.

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Red Beans-and-Rice Veggie Burgers

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Red Beans-and-Rice Veggie Burgers

Stirring the rice as it cooks releases the starch that helps hold the veggie patties together. Want to go beyond vegetarian? Top these burgers with grilled shrimp or sausage.

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