A juicy Portabella Swiss Burger. Photo
courtesy Certified Angus Beef.

Today’s tip comes from Chef Michael Ollier of the Certified Angus Beef brand—a specialist chef who focuses every day on the best way to prepare beef recipes.

Great taste begins with the blend, advises Chef Ollier. Most fine chefs have developed their own custom beef grind for a signature burger.

This summer, create your own signature burger. You don’t need secret ingredients, just a great custom blend.

Start by asking your butcher for a custom ground beef mix of half brisket, half chuck.

And of course, it’s not just the cut but the quality of the meat. If you have a spending limit, serve smaller portions of beef (the recommended four ounces instead of double that), and pile on the lettuce, tomato, sweet onions, pickles and other ingredients.

Signature Toppings
In addition to a custom grind, decide on your signature toppings. Perhaps it’s corn relish, pickled onions, sautéed portabella mushrooms, sundried tomatoes marinated in herbed olive oil or arugula instead of lettuce—even grilled pineapple slices.

We’ve been enjoying hot-and-sweet pickle mixes lately, from Mezzetta and Sechlers as well as smaller brands.

What’s Certified Angus Beef?
Certified Angus Beef® is a trademarked brand that licenses the trademark to ranchers who are approved by the licensor. Only cattle that pass stringent breeding standards can be distinguished as Certified Angus Beef; less than 8% of all U.S. beef is Certified Angus Beef. The brand promises the consumer consistently flavorful, juicy and tender cuts with generous marbling. It is available at more than 12,300 restaurants and retailers around the world.

For more information and tasty recipes (including burgers), visit CertifiedAngusBeef.com.