What’s more American than apple pie, more liberating than Independence Day, and more explosive than Fourth of July fireworks? The answer: a good burger.

The great American burger can create a sense of pride in the most unpatriotic of citizens. No other country has captured the poetry of ground beef like the U.S. of A. Sure, the French might have steak hache – but they deny themselves the primal joy of eating it with their hands. The Lebanese might have their kibbeh, but the rich spices usually overpower the pure flavor of the beef. A Fourth of July cookout is the perfect time to give this humble miracle of American cuisine its due.

Now, I’m not talking about the fancy burgers that have been crowding New York menus in the last few years. Short ribs, foie gras, and avocado are perfectly fine foods, but there’s plenty of room for burgers to be clever at other times of the year. Come Independence Day, let them have as much simple integrity as Honest Abe.

Without distracting “gourmet” condiments, the focus shifts to the quality of the burger itself. For Rebecca Bent, author of “Burgers” (Clarkson Potter, $16.95), it all starts with freshly ground meat. “The trick at the supermarket is to talk to the butcher. He should know what’s fresh,” she said. Ground chuck is ideal – it has the perfect ratio of fat to meat – and it’s deeply flavorful.

Pre-ground meat will never have the juiciness and beefy flavor of meat that’s been ground right before grilling. But there’s no need to lug out or borrow a meat grinder. Ms. Bent suggests using a food processor to chop the meat. “Once you’ve had a homeground burger, you will never go back to pre-ground meat.”

Simply cut a piece of chuck into medium-sized cubes, and toss them into the food processor. “The trick with the food processor is to pulse, pulse, pulse. That creates big chunks and little chunks that make every bite of burger a little bit different,” Ms. Bent said. The process should only take about a minute – chopping the meat too finely will make the burgers too dense and chewy. Then, gently toss the ground beef with your hands to incorporate the seasonings.

To build a truly unforgettable burger, hide something rich inside each patty.A pat of butter infuses the meat with juiciness, while a cube of cheese creates a molten center. “If you stuff your burger, it squirts everywhere and it’s a huge mess, but it’s an amazing huge mess,” Ms. Bent said. Feel free to melt a slice of cheese over a butter-burger if you want a dose of both.

Once you’ve finished prepping the burgers, chill them until you’re ready to cook them. In the meantime, lay out a toppings bar for your guests so that you don’t have to bother asking who wants onion or lettuce. In “Burgers,” Barbuto chef Jonathan Waxman fried up a quarter-pound of bacon for each one. “I thought it was a mistake at first. It’s a lot of bacon on a burger, but it’s delicious!” he said. Your guests might not want Waxman levels of bacon on their burgers, but if there are bacon fans in the crowd, cook up a generous batch.

Condiments add a final layer of finesse to the burger, and it’s a snap to make them special. Super-charge your ketchup by mixing it with a bit of Worcestershire sauce or some sauteed onions, or make a pink sauce by combining ketchup with mayonnaise. Add spark to yellow or Dijon mustard by adding lots of freshly cracked black pepper or chopped flat-leaf parsley.

When you’re ready to grill, resist the urge to commit the cardinal sin of burger cookery: pressing down on the burger with a spatula as it cooks. Instead, grill up burgers with a crisp exterior and a pink center by cooking the burgers over medium-high heat for about four minutes a side, flipping them only once.

Alongside the perfect burger, serve sides that also explode with classic flavor. Put corn brushed with lime butter on the grill about 10 minutes before you start the burgers, and they’ll soon be gently caramelized and aromatic. Prep a tangy, picklescented potato salad in the morning, and keep it chilled until you’re ready to grill, along with plenty of light, crisp beers.

Of course, after all that beef, dessert needs to be refreshing, but still hearty. A sorbet just won’t do at a barbecue. I nominate the queen of all summertime desserts, the strawberry shortcake. For an extra level of delight in the hot weather, top the shortcake with vanilla ice cream instead of whipped cream. And to make it red, white, and blue, don’t forget those blueberries.

Grilled Corn With Lime Butter

The lime butter can be made a day in advance.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
6 ears of corn, husked

To make the lime butter, combine all the ingredients except for the corn. Using a pastry brush, cover the corn generously with the lime butter and wrap each ear in aluminum foil.

Grill the corn for 15-20 minutes over medium-high heat, turning occasionally.

Serves 6.

All-American Stuffed Burgers

3 pounds beef chuck or another cut that’s 15%-20% fat (freshly ground or unground)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter or 6 tablespoons of grated cheddar, American, or Swiss cheese
6 split hamburger buns or English muffins
Assorted accompaniments:

Iceberg or Bibb lettuce, ripe tomato slices, thinly sliced red onion, sauteed mushrooms, cooked bacon slices, ketchup, Dijon or yellow mustard, mayonnaise, and/or spears or thinly sliced slabs of pickles.

If the meat is unground, cut it into 1-inch chunks and chop it in the food processor in four batches. Use 1-second pulses to mince the meat so that the pieces are small but still fluffy. Transfer the chopped meat to a large bowl and sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the surface of the meat. Using your hands, lightly toss the beef to incorporate the seasonings.

Divide the meat into eight equal portions and form eight balls by lightly tossing the beef back and forth between your hands. Divide the butter or the cheese into 8 equal portions and shape into 1-inch flat discs. Bury a portion of stuffing in the center of each beef ball and flatten to form a patty. Make sure the center of each patty is a bit thinner than the edges.

When ready to grill, heat the grill to medium-hot. Lightly grease the grill with an oil-soaked paper towel held by tongs. Grill the burgers for 4 minutes per side, flipping once. Toast the buns on the grill during the last minute of cooking. Let the patties rest off the heat for a minute, then assemble the burgers and serve right away.

Makes 8 burgers.

Red, White, and Blue Shortcakes

The shortcakes in this recipe are adapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa Parties!” (Clarkson Potter, $35). Make the strawberry-blueberry sauce while the biscuits are baking.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 pints blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 pints good vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sift the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer until the butter is the size of peas (alternatively, combine the mixture by pulsing it in a food processor). Combine the eggs and the cream and add to the flour mixture, mixing just until blended. The dough will be sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Flour your hands and pat the dough out 3 /4-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough.

Cut 6 or 7 biscuits with a 2 3 /4-inch fluted cutter (or similarly sized glass) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush the tops with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Once the biscuits are baking, remove the ice cream from the fridge to soften. Transfer half the strawberries and blueberries to a bowl, add the sugar, and mash until a chunky sauce forms. Stir in the remaining berries and set aside.

To assemble, split each shortcake in half and place the bottom half on a plate. Spoon a generous amount of ice cream over the top and cover with plenty of berries and berry sauce. Cover with the top half of the shortcake and serve right away, before the ice cream begins to melt.

Serves 6 to 7.

Potato Salad With Buttermilk, Pickles, and Parsley

This recipe was adapted from Roy Finamore’ s “One Potato, Two Potato” (Houghton Mifflin, $35).

2 pounds Yukon Gold or white potatoes, scrubbed
Coarse salt
3/4 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon juice from the pickle jar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped sweet pickles
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partly cover the pot, and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes thoroughly.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, pickle juice, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut into bite-size chunks. Transfer them to a bowl and add the hard-boiled eggs, pickles, parsley, and dressing. Toss gently to combine, then taste for salt and pepper. Chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Serves 6.