JQ’s Famous Home-grilled Burgers (Nashville, TN)

Reviewed by: Kate

With the 4th of July right around the corner I thought I would do a slightly different review than normal. As Americans, it just wouldn’t be the 4th of July without a cookout complete with burgers, hotdogs, and if you are from where I am from, Spiedies (that’s a topic for another day). Since most people tend to grill their own burgers in the summer, I thought I would review a homemade burger in honor of the Fourth, and ‘Merica.

To be honest, for some reason I never think home-grilled burgers are as good as going to a burger joint. I don’t know why that is, and it is probably completely psychological, but it’s true. My expectations for a burger grilled at home are just lower than that of a restaurants’. That’s why when my friend, JQ, told me he was making his famous burgers I expected a mediocre burger at best (sorry JQ, this has nothing to do with how I view your cooking skills. He’s a great cook, ladies and gentleman).

These burgers are INCREDIBLE. I told JQ from the start that if I was going to review his burgers, I was going to have to be honest and wasn’t going to say they were great just because he is my friend. So I promise I am being completely unbiased when I tell you these are the best home-grilled burgers I’ve ever had. Burgers should be about the meat. Kevin and I have mentioned in other posts that although toppings can really enhance a burger, the meat should always be the star in any great burger. The flavor of JQ’s burger is off the charts! It’s so well seasoned, that I literally didn’t put anything else on my burger. No ketchup, no mustard, no lettuce or onion or pickles. Just the burger and the bun, and to be completely honest it didn’t even need the bun. The meat was the star in these homemade burgers.

The thing that makes these burgers so unique is the asian-inspired flavor. JQ’s recipe is secret for now, but whatever he puts in his marinade makes a really unique flavor with a slight kick.

If I had to criticize something, it would probably be the Kroger buns, but I dont really feel like I can give him too hard a time about the buns since he was grilling at home. Now if he was opening a burger joint, I would suggest he spend more time considering the bun. And as I previously stated, his burgers were so good they didn’t even really need the bun.

One last comment on the quality of these burgers. I was over at JQ and his wife, Chandler’s, house recently and they offered me a leftover burger. Can we all agree that burgers are not as good leftover? I was hungry though, so I accepted the free meal. The burger was just as good a day old as it was freshly made. Now THAT says something.

Do any of you have special burger recipes of your own you would like to share? I would love to hear what makes your homemade burgers unique.

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone has a wonderful, burger-filled, Fourth of July with friends and family! God Bless ‘Merica! 🙂