It’s officially spring time. The cooler weather has finally let go and it’s time to get your burger on. Here are some tips to help you get that perfect juicy burger.

1. Say it with me brethren, charcoal. While you can still get a good burger with a gas grill or by using the sear setting on your smoker in our opinion the best burgers are done on a charcoal grill.
2. Fresh is best. Whenever possible use fresh ground beef. While bulking up on ground beef when it’s on sale is always a good idea, fresh unfrozen beef makes the best burgers.
3. Don’t over-season. Sounds weird coming from a seasoning company, but a common mistake is to overpower the flavor of the meat with seasoning. Use just enough to enhance the flavor without burying it.
4. Fat is the flavor. Avoid using the leanest beef. A fat content of about 20-25% will give the flavor and result in a juicy burger, but hey if you like hockey pucks on a bun then roll with the 95% lean.
5. Clean your grill grate. Some say that the left over burnt on junk helps. We think it just makes old crispy chicken wing goo stick to your burger.  It does suck scraping all of that stuff off, but on the bright side you get to use that cool monogrammed grill brush you ordered on Amazon.
6. Cook in smaller batches. It always seems easier to throw 20 patties on and roll with it. The truth is that most people just can’t manage that many burgers well.  y making smaller batches you can avoid flare up, burnt burgers and scorched eyebrows.
7. Temper temper. Make sure to temper the meat. Let it come up to room temperature after making your patties. Never go directly from cold fridge to hot grill.
8. Use 2 cooking temps. Keep about 1/3 of your grill for indirect heat. Sear the burgers over the high heat and finish them over indirect. This will help you not overcook them.
9. Leave it the hell alone. Don’t smash it on the grill, don’t keep moving it around and just let it do it’s thing.  You made a great burger from quality meat. It knows what it is supposed to do.
10. Give it a break. When you have your burger cooked to your desired internal temperature and have pulled it from your grill let it rest for about half of the time that it took to cook it. This will draw the juices back into your burger instead of leaving them on the platter.

Now get after it and make your nest cookout your best one yet.

Let’s kick off our favorite month of the year with a list of some of the best BBQ cities and Joints in the country.  These are in no particular order or ranking because in our opinion all BBQ is good BBQ.

Austin, Texas

In Texas, you’d be hard-pressed to not find good BBQ at any restaurant, which is why places like Franklin Barbecue stand out. If people are willing to wait hours in line in the Texas heat, you know it’s got to be good.

New Orleans, Louisiana

While it doesn’t share the BBQ history Memphis or Kansas City has, New Orleans has more top BBQ joints than most of the cities on this list. Make sure to check out Walker’s Southern Style BBQ for a cochon de lait poboy, a Cajun-style sandwich with smoked pork and Creole slaw. You can also try the plate of pork ribs or the chaurice sausage at The Joint.

Memphis, Tennessee

Throw a rock in Memphis and it’ll somehow land on a rack of ribs. Memphis-style pork is some of the best in the nation, which is why Charlie Vergos Rendezvous and Payne’s Bar-B-Que are definitely worth visiting.

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is known for its white sauce and smoked chicken, so head to Saw’s Soul Kitchen for a fried green tomato BLT and the smoked chicken sandwich with white barbecue sauce. If your stomach is up for the challenge, check out Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q for the hickory-smoked chicken, pulled pork, and smoked ham.

Louisville, Kentucky

Momma’s Mustard, Pickles & BBQ serves famous Kansas City-style barbecue, offering smoked pork ribs, brisket sliders and smoked wings. The baby-back pork ribs and pulled pork sandwich at Feast BBQ are also definitely worth checking out.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

The common theme with Oklahoma BBQ is meat that is charred on the outside and tender on the inside, coupled with a unique smokey flavor. At Elmer’s BBQ, eat the Famous Badwich, a sandwich that contains hickory-smoked bologna, beef, sausage, and a rib. And try the sausage-stuffed pork loin or turkey (a specialty) and ribs at Burn Co Barbecue.

Tyler, Texas

East Texas has its own style of BBQ compared to the rest of Texas. Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ cooks its food over a legendary half-century-old pit, giving its meat an incredible one-of-a-kind taste. Also check out Pat Gee’s, a converted shack in the woods, for chopped beef, pulled pork, and hot links. You can eat there or order your meat by the pound to take home.

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is famous for its grilled pork spare ribs, so make sure to visit Bogart’s Smokehouse and order a smoked rib sandwich. Head to Pappy’s Smokehouse for classic Memphis-style barbecue … their specialty is the dry-rubbed ribs, which are slow smoked over apple and cherry wood.

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City-style BBQ has a taste of its own. It’s slow-cooked over low heat, and basted with tomato sauce mixed with brown sugar and molasses. Notable places to scope out are Jack Stack BBQ, LC’s Bar-B-Que and Arthur Bryant’s, which serves some of the best BBQ in the nation.

Charleston, South Carolina

Pork is King in South Carolina, and their BBQ reflects that. RightOnQue offers authentic southern pulled pork, ribs, pork loin, and beef brisket cooked slowly at a low temperature over local woods.

Lexington, North Carolina

The Carolinas are all about their pork shoulder and ribs, topped with a vinegar-based red sauce. Lexington Barbecue serves an excellent chopped BBQ plate and chopped BBQ sandwich. While you’re at it, also check out the chopped barbecue plates at Speedy’s Barbecue Inc. and Cook’s Barbecue.

Spring has almost sprung and soon everyone, not just the hard core will be firing up their grills and smokers for the season.  Here are the Fat Boy top 10 things to avoid while grilling:

1. Not pre-heating your rig. Get that bad boy going early. Pre-heat at least 15 minutes before slapping it down. It doesn’t just sound cool, it helps to sear the outside of the meat and keep it juicy.
2. Cooking too hot.  Yes we want to eat, and we want to eat now, but cooking too hot can dry out your meat unless you are just searing for a minute or two on each side.
3. Not controlling your fire. Set up direct and indirect heat zones to move stuff around and keep it out of the flare ups.
4. Not using the lid.  Keep that thing closed. It seals in heat, smoke and flavor. As the old saying goes, if you are lookin’ you ain’t cookin’.
5. Saucing too soon. If you grill ribs, please do it over charcoal only. If you do them on a gas grill an angel will lose it’s wings. While smoking them, put the sauce on about 15-20 minutes before the end of the cook. The meat won’t absorb a thick sauce.  It’s meant to top it off.
6. Not using a thermometer. It’s not about time, it’s about temperature. Even the seasoned pros on the BBQ circuit use them. Your cook is done when the internal temperature is right, not when your watch says so.
7. Not being patient. You can cook low and slow or you can cook hot and fast, but it all takes some time to do right. Your time can also be affected by such things as wind, outside temperature and what type of fuel you are using.
8. Using low quality meat. Yes we get it. Sometimes that steak, brisket or rack of ribs is almost as expensive as your first apartment. The rule of thumb is that the better quality meat you have, the better it will taste. Choose the best cut that you can afford, but hey if you can’t afford the prime brisket, cook it the best that you can. That is what BBQ is all about.
9. Not cleaning your grill. No matter if it’s cleaning out the grease trap on your pellet grill or scraping the crust off of the grates on your trusty kettle you need to keep them clean. It also helps reduce fires and flare-ups, and helps you from accidentally cooking that ribeye to well done when you were shooting for medium rare.
10. Over seasoning. While we sell some of the most awesome tasting rubs around, even we know that you need to be careful how much you put on. Seasonings are supposed to enhance the flavor not overpower it. We always say lightly coat the meat surface. This means cover it, but don’t use it like gravy on a biscuit.

Following these simple steps will help you to be the king of the grill or master of the pit this spring so dig in, do your thing and let the smoke roll.