The ultimate burger: Do you have what it takes?

It’s time to fire up your grills and griddles.

Just as Christmas brought the first Los Angeles Times Holiday Cookie Bake-Off, this Fourth of July will bring a full-scale Battle of the Burgers.

So it’s time to start perfecting yours. You’ll need a recipe and an essay about what makes this particular burger so special.

A photograph will probably help too. Watch http://www.latimes.com/features/food/ for more information in the coming weeks.

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Photo: Terry Way Photography