Summer afternoons are meant for burger grillin' and patio chillin', but eating the same, generic hamburger with ketchup, mustard and cheese tends to get a little dull. Instead, try giving your summertime meal a more tropical flair. By adding just a few extra toppings to your burger, or even to a grilled chicken sandwich – you will get an entirely new and refreshing barbecue experience.

  • Start off as you normally would – placing your patty onto a pre-heated grill. Once they are beginning to cook, coat pineapple rings (one per patty) lightly with some olive oil, and place them along the outer edges of the grill, where they will cook slowly without charring. You can purchase pineapples that are pre-cut into ring form, or buy a whole pineapple and do the slicing yourself. I usually leave them on for the entire grilling process.
  • Usually around the same time that I put the pineapple rings on, I throw on a couple of pieces of bacon too. Leave the pieces on the grill until they reach the crispness that you desire, but I have also noticed that once you take the pieces off, they will crisp up way more than how they might appear on the grill.
  • When it comes time for cheese, opt for using provolone or pepper jack, just to switch it up from the usual cheddar. You can even lay the bacon down on the patty before adding the cheese, and it will melt right over it. Throw your buns on the grill for just a couple of minutes too, just so they get a little crispy.
  • Once the burger is done cooking and ready to serve, add other refreshing toppings, such as onions, avocado slices, peppers and pickles. While ketchup and mustard is delicious on this jazzed up concoction, you could keep with the tropical theme and top it off with some teriyaki or barbecue sauce.

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