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It’s no secret Wisconsinites love cheese, but they also love their cheeseburgers.

Midwesterners are the No. 1 regional group in the U.S. for preferring ground beef when buying beef, with 46% of their beef dollars spent on this meat staple in 2018, according to beefitswhatsfordinner.com.

When preparing burgers at home, there’s a lot to consider: the meat itself, the many choices of cheese, bun and condiments. Before you fire up the grill, consider how the following Wisconsin beef professionals love their burgers; ideas run the gamut from classic to creatively fancy.

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Doug Ney, beef farmer and owner of Ney’s Premium Meats in Hartford

 “I have two favorites, the official burger of Wisconsin, which is our trademarked prime rib burger. Otherwise, it’s our three-steak custom blend burger using short ribs, brisket and tenderloin steak trimmings. I like a sharp cheddar or a jalapeno jack or a blend. I like a good pretzel bun. Dill pickle slices, you bet. Maybe a touch of A-1.”

Kaitlyn Riley, communications and outreach director for the Wisconsin Beef Council

Via email: “I inherited my dad's love for barbecue sauce, so a solid choice for me is a zesty barbecue cheeseburger, sometimes I'll even add a couple of slices of bacon. What I love about burgers is they are easy to make, but also so simple to customize. For this recipe, all you need is ground beef, onion, barbecue sauce, cheese (I love pepper jack), buns (it's a pretzel bun for me), and any other veggies. I love adding tomatoes, lettuce and pickles. Of course, toasting the bun on the grill is a must to get the full summertime flavor. We do have this recipe on our website."

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Brian Schroeder, meat and seafood director at Sendik’s Food Market

Via email: “We offer an awesome array of gourmet specialty burgers but oftentimes I opt to get a few pounds of our ground chuck and hand patty burgers at home. My go-to seasoning is simple kosher salt, cracked black pepper and just a touch of brown sugar, the sugar helps create awesome grill marks and seals in the juices. Finally top it with caramelized onions, sharp cheddar, stone-ground mustard and a tomato slice on freshly baked buns from our bakery.”

Devin Kulla, marketing director at Strauss Brands

Via email: “For me, nothing beats a patty with American cheese on a King’s Hawaiian bun with some homemade special sauce — mayo, ketchup, Dijon mustard, relish and Worcestershire.

Dan Fox, owner and executive chef at Heritage Tavern in Madison

“Grilled grass-fed, grain-finished beef burger, aged Gruyere cheese, chili mayonnaise, stone-ground mustard, pickled red onion, bibb lettuce, crispy pancetta, brioche bun.” Fox is also owner of Fox Heritage/Willow Creek Farms in Prairie du Sac.

Jordan Jeanpierre, marketing director at Albrecht’s Delafield Market

ia email: “When I’m making burgers, I always make sure to grab St. Pierre’s brioche buns. Then I’ll grab some of our very own ground sirloin and then top if off with either Crystal Farms extra sharp cheddar or blue cheese. Then I prefer to put BBQ sauce on there, preferably Guy Fieri Barbecue Sauce Bourbon Brown Sugar, some Famous Dave’s spicy pickles and some fresh iceberg lettuce, tomato and chopped raw onions from our produce department.” 

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