Today’s National Day celebrates a ubiquitous American standard – the hamburger. From the humble slider to the fast food staple to the fancy shmancy deluxe versions, they exist in so many forms. Credit is claimed by many to have been the first, but many foundation myths start with cooked ground beef stuck between two pieces of bread to allow buyers to ambulate through some state fair with greater ease.

If you enjoy them in any form I urge you to try to make some from scratch. You can use an old fashioned hand grinder if you have extra elbow grease (for the turning, not for inclusion into the contents), there are full size dedicated grinders for big batches or just get the handy KitchenAid Mixer attachment like I use. You can find many recipes for what cuts to use on the internet, but my method is very simple. 3 parts boneless sirloin steak to 1 part bacon (slab or thick cut) all chopped up into 1 or 2 inch chunks. Sprinkle to taste with salt, pepper and onion powder. Toss together and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Send through your grinder and you will have the tastiest burger you’ve ever had, no matter how you cook it up.

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