Instead of buying a box of frozen burgers for your cookout, why not serve a better blend by making your own patties at home after a Saturday morning trip to the farmers’ market? We asked five local restaurants what their go-to burger blend is to help upgrade your Labor Day cookout. —Kristen Wile

Moo & Brew
Moo & Brew uses an 81/19 lean-to-fat ratio with a coarser grind for their burgers. For a little something different, however, Moo & Brew’s Corey Millett points to bison. The Moo & Brew bison burger is 80/20, and has a stronger flavor than a beef burger but isn’t overly gamey. He warns that the bison burgers dry out quickly when overcooked, though. “A great way to combat this is a flat iron/cast iron on higher heat with added oil to start creating a good crust and allowing the center to be rare/mid rare,” he says. Either way, you’ll need to season the burgers heavily.

The Asbury
The restaurant inside of The Dunhill Hotel has a reputation for using the best ingredients, and their burger is no different. Their 75/25 ratio comes from shoulder roast provided by Krenz Ranch, the cattle ranch of former executive chef Matthew Krenz’s family. Current executive chef Mike Long cleans up the roast, adds other trimmings as needed, then grinds the blend. Need to buy pre-ground meat? His burgers are seasoned with salt, black pepper, Worcestershire, and garlic power. Once blended, handle the meat as little as possible when shaping it into burgers, Long advises. “Lots of people overwork it,” he says.

Whiskey Warehouse
Troy Gagliardo, executive chef over the Bottle Cap Group restaurants (which include Whiskey Warehouse, Ink ‘N Ivy, Rosemont, and Brazwell’s), adds pork into his blend. His ideal burger is made with equal parts ground chuck and ground pork shoulder, with a 70/30 protein to fat ration. The extra fat means the burgers will shrink when cooked, so keep that in mind when forming the patties. He also suggests weighing each patty to ensure that they’re all the same size. Salt and pepper them before throwing them on the grill.

Ace No. 3
The team behind upcoming burger restaurant Ace No. 3 has been doing a lot of research and development for their signature burger, and chef Brett Faldstein says they’ll be serving an 80/20 blend. For cooking at home, however, he recommends a 75/25 ratio, as homemade burgers can be on the larger side. His favorite is to grind up some beef cheeks and mix them with 80/20 ground chuck for a 60 percent chuck, 40 percent cheek burger. “It’s a very delicious, delightful patty,” he says, with extra beefy flavor. You can find beef cheeks at your local farmers’ market.

Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen
Alyssa Wilen, the co-owner and namesake of the cooking class, catering, and brunch spot, goes with a good quality chuck steak for the base of her burger, looking for an 80/20 blend. If it’s a little too lean, she’ll add in a bit of bacon. As a cooking instructor, she offers some tips for grilling, too: make sure the burgers are cold when you put them on the grill, so they maintain their marbling. Also, avoid pressing, which can squeeze out too much of the moisture. Flattening them out by hand is a safer option.

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