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As Americans fire up their grills for Memorial Day, Wahlburgers executive chef Paul Wahlberg said the best burgers are still the simplest ones — and the holiday always brings him back to memories of family cookouts growing up in Massachusetts.
“My dad was that classic dad,” Wahlberg told Fox News Digital. “He cooked for us. My mom and dad both cooked during the year. But in the summer, my dad manned the grill. And cooking burgers out in the backyard, sitting in the backyard, waiting for those burgers to be done — there was just that feeling.”
It was those backyard meals that he said helped inspire the family’s Wahlburgers chain, which he launched alongside his brothers Mark Wahlberg and Donnie Wahlberg in 2011.
Burgers, Wahlberg said, are “a true summer meal, especially at home.”
Ahead of the unofficial start of summer, Wahlberg shared a few simple rules for grilling burgers at home — starting with “really high-quality beef.”
As for the best ingredients to put on a burger, “I am that American burger guy,” he said.
His preference for toppings include lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and the custom “Wahl Sauce” from Wahlburgers, he said.
“What’s great about burgers is they’re like pizza — you can make them any way you want,” he said.
Wahlberg also recommended not overcomplicating things when grilling at home.
“Sometimes less is better,” he said. “The simpler, the better is always good.”
Burgers remain one of America’s most enduring foods because they bring people together and can easily be customized for any family cookout, Wahlberg said.
“It always seems to start with burgers — burgers and dogs,” he said.
Food also carries deep emotional connections, the celebrity chef said, especially around holidays and family gatherings.
“Food can put you in a very specific time and place in your life,” he said.
“And when someone says, ‘Oh, it tastes just like my mom’s or just like dad’s,’ that’s the highest praise you can receive.”
As families and friends gather for the Memorial Day holiday, Wahlberg said the occasion is also a time to remember “all of the people [who] make it possible for us to be Americans and to be happy and to celebrate life.”
