Sometimes you come across the perfect grilled hamburger recipe in a cookbook, or surfing the net. But there are other times when you don't find just what you want, or are looking for a more flexible burger recipe, or something in which you can use some specific ingredients you have lying around the house. Well, you've come to the right place. Starting with the basic barbecue hamburger recipe on this page, you can do practically anything with a burger. Sure, a great grilled hamburger recipe is really about the meat. But there's a lot more to a truly gourmet burger than a burger patty on a bun. While any old burger is going to taste great (some things are almost always delicious), most of the time you also want some special add-ins and hamburger toppings to make your burger really special. And, hey, don't forget the buns... we've got a great homemade hamburger bun recipe below.

Ready to get creative? The list --or lists, actually-- below cover just about everything you might want to mix into or put on top of a burger. Click here to print out a pretty PDF copy of our burger toppings ideas so you never have to draw a blank when it's time to put the meat on the grill.

Grill Hamburger Recipe Toppings and Condiments:

Meat Toppings:
Cooked bacon
Cooked Canadian Bacon
Prosciutto
Sliced ham
Roast beef
Prepared beef chili

Cheeses:
American
Cheddar
Swiss
Gouda (smoked or regular)
Brie
Camembert
Asiago
Feta
Soft goat cheese
Blue cheese (incl. roquefort and gorgonzola)
Monterey jack or pepper jack
Gruyere
Mozzarella
Munster
Provolone

Mix-ins
Freshly ground pepper
Shredded or crumbled cheeses
Chopped onions, peppers, or garlic
Sun-dried tomatoes
Chopped walnuts
Barbecue sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Ginger
Toasted sesame oil
Hoisin Sauce
Fresh herbs and spices (like Cajun)
Liquid smoke
Worcestershire sauce
Steak sauce (like A1)
Hot sauce (like Tabasco)
Fresh, toasted bread crumbs

Hamburger Bun Recipe Ideas

While hamburger buns are the most traditional way to complete your grilled hamburger recipe, of course, there are plenty of other great ways to serve a hamburger or cheeseburger. For people on low-carb diets, you can serve your burger patties plain or on a bed of lettuce or spinach. Or, if you're looking for a special touch, you can serve your hamburgers on bagels, toasted or grilled bread, English muffins, in pitas or naan bread, on croissants, in baguettes or French bread, even on (I swear I've heard of this) Krispy Kreme glazed donuts.

However, I'm a traditionalist. And though I can never pass up a patty melt cheeseburger served on grilled pumpernickel bread, I'm a sucker for a really great --and very traditional-- hamburger bun recipe. And, of course, homemade hamburger buns are best. Check out the recipe below for very good, very easy to make homemade hamburger buns. No bread machine necessary, though I suppose you could use one if you liked.

This is an old Taste of Home recipe that makes really great hamburger buns, really quick. You don't need to plan hours in advance to get this hamburger bun recipe finished on time-- they rise in just 10 minutes, and cook up beautifully. Fresh buns are always better than store-bought, so whenever you have a little extra time, homemade hamburger buns like these are a great way to take a simple grilled hamburger recipe to the next level.

Like wheat buns (which are especially great with veggie burgers)? This recipe works great with wheat flour, as well. Makes 8 medium buns.

Ingredients
2 tbsp. active dry yeast
1 C. warm water, plus
2 tbsp. warm water
1/3 C. vegetable oil
1/4 C. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

Instructions: 1. Pour warm water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast on top.

2. Gently stir in oil and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes to activate yeast.

3. Add the egg and salt. Add enough flour to make a nice, soft dough, generally 3 1/2 C. is perfect, though you may need less.

4. On a floured surface, knead dough until it begins to feel smooth and elastic, about three to five minutes.

5. Without letting the dough rise, divide it into eight pieces, and shape each into a ball.

6. Place dough balls on greased baking sheets, leaving plenty of room for them to expand-- they grow a lot.

7. Cover dough with a cloth and let rise about 10 minutes in a warm place.

8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

9. Bake rolls 10-12 minutes, until golden.

10. Cool on racks and serve with your favorite grilled hamburger recipe.