Vancouver, Wash ? Here are some grill do’s and don’ts from Rick Browne:

Tips for grilling burgers

• Spend some money on the meat rather than using a cheaper cut.
• Form the patty gently. Smashing the meat drives out moisture.
• Stuff the burger for flavor. Make a pocket and fill it with Asiago cheese and Parma ham or a flavorful cheese, such as blue cheese.
• Sear both sides of the burger on high heat from 2 to 3 minutes a side then move the burger off the coals and cook with indirect heat for several minutes a side.
• Don’t add sauce until the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Use a meat thermometer to tell when the burger is done. Heat can be uneven. (The government’s food-safety recommendation is to cook ground meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.)
• Remove cooked burger to a warm plate and let sit for several minutes to let the juices run back into the middle of the meat.

Common mistakes

• Using too much lighter fluid.
• Cooking on a dirty grill. Clean it with a brush or scrape it with a wad of aluminum foil, held with a pair of tongs.
• Spraying the grill with an aerosol cooking spray. To lubricate grill, use a piece of fat from what you’re cooking or dip a paper towel in olive or vegetable oil, hold it with tongs, and rub the grill.
• Cooking meat too fast and at too high a heat.
• Opening the lid and peeking too often. You lose 15 minutes of cooking each time the lid is opened.
• Saucing too early. Add sauce during the last five minutes of cooking to prevent sugars in the sauce from burning.