Grilled: Home Plate BBQ Presents the All-American Itis Burger

Today we're grilling Brian Murray, the operations manager of Home Plate BBQ. The beloved American-style restaurant not only flipped burgers at our May 28 Burger Festival, but also vied for the title of Burger Cup champion.

Made almost entirely in-house, the team behind the Itis believe it is the best burger in Beijing "because of the love and attention that goes on behind the scenes," says Murray, who has been working in the food and beverage industry for over 20 years. "We smoke our own bacon in-house, the Australian beef is ground in-house, twice daily, and most importantly, we make our pickles in-house. We do this because flavor and freshness matter! Of course we top it all off with caramelized onions and our housemade barbecue aioli sauce."

As for further burger specifics, Home Plate BBQ's buns are fluffy, with sesame seeds on top. For ultimate crunchiness, buns are buttered and toasted before other ingredients are piled on.

The Itis comes off the a la carte menu on its own, although you can order a range of different sides at a RMB 5 discount. There are fries, potato salad, cole slaw, cream corn, hush puppies and ranch beans. As for a drink pairing, Murray is a beer guy, "you can never go wrong with a burger and a beer," he says.

As for Murray's favorite burger apart from the Itis, he really can't pick just one."I am a burger guy first and foremost, they are at the top of the food chain for me, and always have been," he says. "The most important part of the burger is the meat – a juicy, fresh, and beefy flavor is the most important part of the burger. You can add any toppings you like. That is the beauty of the burger. There are so many components you can add to make it your own."