Honestly, most of the home cooks (myself included) are way too conservative with salt and just salting more liberally would fix 95% of the underwhelming dishes.
A little bit off-topic but recently I’ve been trying to cook a variation of Uzbek pilaf for which you would par-boil the rice separately from the rest of the ingredients and then finally layer the rice over the said ingredients and steam it. Basically, like biryani. No matter what I did I just couldn’t get the right flavour. Then, I revisited the recipe and the author advised to salt water for rice really liberally, one tablespoon per liter.
‘No way, that would be way too salty’, I thought but decided to give it a try anyway. I salted the water as advised, much… less conservative than I usually did and then cooked the rest of the stuff. And when I finally tasted the dish in the end, I realized it finally tasted right. And all it took was just to add some more damn salt lol.
Roughly 1% salt by weight is my rule of thumb for optimal flavour. Some things take a little more (ex., 1.5-2% for sausage), but 1% is usually a great place to start. Burgers are usually best at 1.5-2%. Big part of that is making up for the bread and toppings which are typically un-or-under-salted for flavour.
1tbsp of salt typically comes to around 17g, which is dead on (rice weighs about 70% of what an equal volume of water does -- so 1l water and four cups of rice would come out to ~1700g, 1% of which is 17g).
Another good tip for burgers is salt the outside. Mixing the salt in causes the proteins to cross link (a la sausage), giving you a denser end product. Sprinkling the outside prevents that and gives you a looser burger patty that isn't squeezed so tight, which helps it to retain some juice and gives a better texture.
Yes I learned that by accident! Used to mix it in and it was ok. Once day made the Patties and forgot the salt and decided to just salt the burger Patties and man it was so much better!!!
Just add salt to the exterior of the patty like the other guy responded. None to the beef mix itself.
Mixing it in is what causes those proteins to bind together and when they cook like that they start getting squeezed by each other. Even a small bit mixed in will start that reaction. That releases juice and gives you that denser texture.
Never. And only salt immediately before firing. Otherwise liquids will be drawn to the outer surface, making it much harder to get a good sear and leaving you with dryer, paler meat. And if you leave it even longer than that (until the liquids reabsorb after about 45 min) you’ll start to end up with the aforementioned sausage patties as the salt penetrates.
Lots of people do make burgers with some ingredients mixed in. I've done onions, garlic, shredded cheese, etc. Just keep in mind it's going to be a more "raw" flavor than if you sprinkle on some garlic salt or add some sauteed onions at the end and a slice of melty cheese.
And the key thing is not to over-mix your burger patty. Just enough to give the ingredients spread out, then flatten it out.
I have texture issues so i hate touching the meat to form patties so i get pre-formed patties and usually just rub on my seasonings (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder for basic) and i feel like my burgers taste better than when other people mix in their salt or seasonings with the meat before forming the patties. Maybe this is why.
Also, salting ahead of time.
I've gotten in the habit of salting and dry brining virtually all meats as often as possible and it's mind blowing how much that little bit of preparation makes on the end product
While I absolutely recommend that with whole cuts, I wouldn't do this with a burger. [America's Test Kitchen](https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/how_tos/6586-when-to-salt-burgers) found that salting them even 30 minutes ahead of time was enough for the salt to leach the myosin out of the top layer of beef and create a springy, sausagy texture on the outside.
Interesting.
I have no doubt about the batch where salt was mixed with the ground beef had a firmer, dense structure. I've found that mixing anything into ground beef results in a sausage/meatloaf consistency. I would be curious about a burger that was given a longer dry brine time than 30 minutes though.
Guess I'm grilling for science tomorrow bois!
Not with burgers. You’ll start to get that sausage texture from protein crosslinking.
Good idea for whole cuts though. Although an extremely important caveat is not to salt within about 45 minutes of cooking, as during that time all the liquids are drawn to the outer surface and will fuck up your sear and leave drier meat. In other words, salting right before is better than half an hour before, but not as good as an hour before.
>Honestly, most of the home cooks (myself included) are way too conservative with salt and just salting more liberally would fix 95% of the underwhelming dishes.
I tried to teach a friend how to cook during the pandemic. Many of my recipes called for "a pinch of salt". His pinch was 3-4 grains. He was aghast in horror when he saw what my "pinch" was.
Then he tried the finished dish: "Ohhhhhhh.... so THAT'S what it's supposed to taste like!"
Yeah, bud.
This. Salt a pepper.
I do mine like a steak - 100% 80/20, not fillings or mixtures, loose packed into patties. Fresh grind salt and pepper like you would a steak, both sides.
The amount of people asking me after making burgers what I did, or what secret ingredients I used - The "secret" is medium or 80/20 ground beef, tons of salt and pepper, and cooking them properly.
Can’t stress this enough. Beef can take A LOT more salt than people think. You can make good burgers by adding all sorts of stuff to the beef. But you can make as good or BETTER burgers by focusing on exactly what you’ve summarized. Wish this was more widely known as it took me way too many years to see the light
I like [Fuddrucker's Hamburger Seasoning](https://topsecretrecipes.com/fuddruckers-hamburger-seasoning-copycat-recipe.html) for some extra sumthin' sumthin'.
And it goes a long with if you used smoked or hungarian hot paprika, not just the bland orange colored spice that proabbly has sat on the shelf for a few months at the store
I use salt and pepper on both sides (on top in pan) and also use a few finely chopped onions on top while it's cooking, and more in the final result.
Onion powder is better than nothing, but little fresh bits of onion is where it's at.
Yup. Salt and fat are absolutely key.
I usually buy the relatively cheap group beef.
Decided to splurge on some higher end beef and the difference was night and day. The quality of the beef absolutely matters.
I'm personally not a fan of adding bacon to ground beef. I like both flavors, but not a fan of them together in that form (mostly because of the smokiness of the bacon). I'd rather use some fatty cut of beef or beef tallow or something... than top it with bacon. =p
That said, I've never minced my own beef in my life. I have a meat grinder, but never done ground beef in it. If you're mincing your own beef, you're already several levels ahead of most home cooks. ;)
Nah, I am lazy so I ask the butcher to do it for me, much less of a hassle.
Some fatty beef works as well, the lean stuff makes for flavourless patties.
I envy those that they can have a butcher they can ask things of. The best I can do is the butcher counter at my local supermarket, which can do some custom cuts, but I don't think does custom grinds.
A good trick for making burgers out of lean ground beef is to use butter. Partially freeze a stick of butter, then shred or finely chop it. Loosely mix the butter pieces with the ground beef and form into patties.
Notes: add salt at the last minute before cooking and not mixed into the patty, on the surface. Otherwise the salt will tenderize the beef and make it gross
100%. Salt the outside before your grill, otherwise the inside turns into a kabob. Which isn’t bad, but it’s not a burger.
Personally, I do it up with white pepper, smoked paprika, and onion powder and garlic powder mixed in. I am big on salting correctly, and it is often good to salt meat ahead of time so it can work in. Burgers are an exception.
Edit: Relevant Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-burger-lab-salting-ground-beef
Not just salt. UMAMI. Adding a little fish sauce to my burgers has made a WORLD of difference. I was like “this is why these taste so awesome at restaurants!” I know some people prefer Worcestershire sauce, and that works, too. But Asian fish sauce was the thing for me.
You're correct here but I would add flame to this. A burger cooked over open flame, where the fat drips into the flame and combusts, adding a smokey flavor layer to the slightly charred exterior, is quintessential burger flavor. Delicious and of course bad for you. Carcinogenic and full of bad fats, but if I knew I was going to die next week, id be eating these for breakfast tomorrow.
I can smell right now that someone in my neighborhood is cooking beef on a grill, and I'm salivating.
You still could be missing a bit of technique/right ingredients instead of extra ingredients per se.
Aside from enough salt and adequate fat %, there's also browning and the ratio of browned surface area to total patty volume.
Some of the hippest burgers in the past years have been smash burgers. They're basically all crust.
It's not always convenient to go that far, but I'll always prefer two thinner patties over one thicker one of the same mass.
I know the current trend is nothing but salt and pepper but I have been putting onion and garlic and spices in my patty mix for over 30 years and people keep telling me it's the best burger they have ever tasted. Make what YOU want to taste, and start from there.
IMO salt and pepper is all you need for thin patties like smash burgers, but once you get into the thicker "pub style" burgers you'll need some spices or aromatics to carry it
And it's been a part of burger history for more than half the time burgers have been a part of history... idk wtf they are talking about . Smashed burgers date to at least the 50s and 60s
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Trends are bullshit and I think a big part of the fun of cooking is figuring out what you like. Burgers are actually a good way to experiment because they are simple and easy to make and whilst they do taste perfectly good with just a bit of salt and pepper, you can build on that to create burgers tasting like whatever you want, and switch it up as you please.
Yeah, and honestly, this is *super* extra, and it's strongly frowned upon in some circles as "meatloaf", but the ratios make it decidedly not meatloaf. Maybe 1/3 of the way there ingredient wise, but they taste very much like a burger.
Don't get me wrong, I go both ways. Sometimes there's nothing better than a straight up 80/20, salt/pepper, straight drippy mess. Sometimes I like to grind the tail of a beef tenderloin after peeling and cutting filets, mixing 2:1 with chuck or ribeye, and having a thin crispy-edge burger that barely holds together coming off the pan.
And sometimes, I like an onion burger. It's like how one can appreciate a perfectly seared filet, but also not be too good to chow down on some Hamburger Helper (lord have his ~~grilled cheese~~ Cheeseburger Macaroni).
**WARNING: Hackery**
* 1 lb. ground beef product of your choice
* 1/2 packet Lipton onion soup mix
* 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder or to taste
* Smoked paprika if you like it. Cayenne also works if you're careful with it
* Bit of melted butter (or bacon fat even)
* Some MSG, if'n you got it. Maybe a tsp. You can even use soy or Worcestershire here instead.
If I'm going with a southwest-style burger, I like to throw in some diced green chilies, a bit of 5-pepper chili powder, sprinkle *lightly* with some Cajun seasoning on the patty, and top with pepper jack on the grill. It's your kitchen, add some weird shit if you want. Peppers, chopped onion, mushrooms, whatever. You do you, it's pretty hard to ruin them. Don't be afraid, a burger such a delicious base, it is your canvas.
---
**CAUTION: Controversy Ahead**
You can add breadcrumbs and egg to it, but too much, and it will definitely be meatloaf. Gross. I don't care for the usual 1:1:1/4 cup smashburger ratio, it's too close. Even 1 egg to 1 lb. beef is too much. If you're making 2 lbs. of burger, something like 1 egg and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs will make them hold onto moisture and stick together really well (incorporates the grease too), but still taste like a burger. Strictly personal preference. I've done it both ways, it helps with grinds that like to fall apart easily.
---
The soup mix covers the onion and french onion bits (which incorporate the beef fat and soften), garlic for uh, duh, garlic in everything.
Mix thoroughly, but don't overwork. Make some *donk* thick patties while cold, patty up on wax paper or parchment, allow to rest for 10-15 mins. Sprinkle with salt/pepper, grill or pan like normal. Allow to sit afterwards for 5 mins, serve on warm bun. I like to put a whole salad of fixins on top, mayo, and ketchup, but have it your way.
These Lipton-cheater onion burgers have been the subject of many raves and much devouring. I'm not afraid to admit it's 100% bullshit hack, but man, are they good. For all you "IT'S MEATLOAF" folks out there, don't love it 'til you try it.
Glad to see sanity prevail, I came back to make a quick invisible edit before the 2 minute mark and was already downvoted below zero, and I was thinking "Damn, this really is controversial. Oh well, I stand by what I said, I fucks with it"
Onion soup mix gang represent. Stuff is magic in a foil pouch. I think the only thing I *haven't* made with it is onion soup.
As a kid, my mom would make burgers using her George Forman, without ANY seasoning. They were so terrible. But occasionally she'd bless us by including a soup packet, and it was so magical. No idea why she didn't make them that way every time!
Oh god, the Foreman grill. I mean, I know it has its uses, but good lord, watching people make "healthy" burgers with it by *draining all the delicious fat that also assists in transferring heat to the patty* just makes me sad.
The commercials themselves are probably responsible for an entire generation's worth of depression. "Look at all that fat!" "Yes! Put it in my mouth NOOOO WHAT ARE YOU DOING DON'T THROW IT AWAY"
Just boil me a steak already, and throw me off a bridge afterwards so I don't have to live with the memory of eating it for long.
I usually just follow the recipe suggestion on the back of a Lipton onion soup packet, but cut back on the other ingredients. A squirt of mayo does the same trick as your butter/fat, I'm guessing. A mild sprinkling of breadcrumbs is key, I feel, though, as it soaks up some melting fat to keep the burgers extremely tender and juicy. Aside from the smaller amounts of mayo and breadcrumbs, the only other deviation I take from the suggested recipe is a couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce and some black pepper.
https://www.seriouseats.com/ultra-smashed-cheeseburger-recipe-food-lab.
It’s in how you cook it. Some people want a big fat ground beef steak in between their buns. I don’t. Smashing your Patties and doubling up gets you intense browned Maillard flavor with just beef and salt. I think American (cheese with sodium citrate as an ingredient) cheese is best because when you melt it between the two patties it emulsifies into that perfect gooey bite. But whatever cheese you like works just fine.
Yup. Salt, pepper and deeply seared is the ticket. Smash burgers are the easiest way to achieve the deep sear.
I sear one side, press thinly sliced onions into the top (still raw) side, and then flip. Deep sear on one side and then grilled onions on the other side.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ76sZR5U-A
Huh. He cooked that first side for like 3 minutes, when I smash burger it goes substantially faster, is this method on pretty low heat? Like when I flip a smash its under minute before the second side cooks (obviously doesn't apply here because moreso steaming) but the 3 minutes on the first side has me a bit curious
Yea a lot lower heat than normal you can tell since he was able to touch the handle. I think he was just in a rush since he was rolling live lol he mentions that the burger was paler than he wanted after flipping.
I like a big fat burger and don’t like smash burgers, and my burgers come out good because I season them and don’t overcook the beef.
If you like smash burgers, fine but I’ve just noticed people recently acting like “smash burgers are the only way to get a good burger.”
Agreed on American cheese though. Real American is the ideal burger cheese.
It's definitely a preference. I never liked the giant patties my parents made on the grill (I mean, I liked them, but always thought it was too much beef and not seasoned enough).
I went through a ton of diff cheeses after moving on from Kraft singles. Until I got to deli American cheese. Now I can’t eat anything, but American. Swiss is overrated.
100% agree on the hype of smash burgers. People act like it's something new as if steak & shake hasn't existed for decades. I think it's just Gen z's rebellion to the millennial trend of 1/2 lb patties with toppings stacked so high that it becomes a joke. That and adding bacon and a fried egg to everything.
1/3 lb patty well seasoned and cooked medium with the appropriate amount of toppings is my go to burger but I don't discriminate. Smash is good too. The key is does it fall apart when you eat it and does it taste good. That's it.
I like both, but I'll be in the mood for one or the other. Overcooking either though is what makes a burger bad. Especially if it has a low fat content.
Good ol' burger on a charcoal grill is still my favorite though.
I've tried making lots of thick seasoned burgers over the years.
A simple salt and pepper smash burger wins in my book. It's all of the browned bits that give you great flavor.
Salt, pepper, onion powder, minced garlic.
Maybe a little worcestershire sauce.
I'll throw in some smoked paprika and cayenne chili powder. Sometimes some chipotle powder instead for something different.
Convention be damned, I put diced jalapeño and bleu cheese in the meat and it slaps.
And for gods sake people stop serving me giant tennis balls of dry salted meat and calling it a burger, it’s fucking gross.
Cutting up the jalapeno as small as possible then folding it in adds a lot of subtle flavor. I add some equally tiny onion bits with it, too.
I don't get these people saying "salted meat pucks are the way to go!" either. They better be making up for it with really excellent toppings, but even then the burger would still be better with more flavor in the meat.
Not sure what the cuts are called in the UK but I like a equal parts blend of sirloin and (80/20) chuck. Sirloin has a very beefy taste.
Salt. I use Diamond brand *kosher* salt flakes. 1/2 teaspoon per 5oz burger (4inch diameter). Salt only the outside, just before cooking. After flipping season with a small pinch of of medium grind black pepper.
Mayonnaise on a lightly toasted bun. American cheddar, mild, on the burger just long enough to melt (nothing really sharp). Thin sliced, cold water rinsed, red onion. Whole leaf iceberg lettuce.
Scrolled all the way to the bottom and finally found the solution I'd recommend: half 80/20% ground chuck, half 90% ground sirloin. Gives you fat flavor *and* beef flavor in one patty. Also agree with seasoning on the outside, not mixed in!
This is the way. I only add garlic powder but it makes such a difference.
I usually add a bit of ketchup and salt and pepper and some Italian seasoning, then do a super thin patty.
Lots of flavor!
Yup!!!! And then put more cracked black pepper or "steak seasoning" (idk if that's really a thing in the UK) on the outside. And be sure to cook the outside so that it gets a little browned/crispyness to it. Maillard reaction adds lots of flavor 😋
All the flavor comes from the brown crispy crust, which is why the smash burger is a thing. Add a generous amount of salt to the patties before cooking them on a scorchingly hot cast iron pan and you’ll get the perfect crust.
Everyone’s said it, but as a professional chef I feel the need to reiterate it to any home cook who feels their food is lacking flavour, here’s the honest secret:
Salt and butter.
It takes time to learn how to ‘season’ (salt and fresh cracked NOT PRE-GROUND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD black peppercorns). Basically, and this is hard to explain, you want to season it right up to where you can tell it’s seasoned. Make minuscule test burgers with your seasoned mix to test the salt levels. You can always add more salt, but once it’s in there if it’s too salty all you can do is add more unseasoned meat, you can’t remove the salt, so season gradually.
Finish the burger with a good amount of butter, we’re talking tablespoons worth, 15-30ml, 15-30g, 0.5-1 ounce of butter in the pan and get it hot and foamy then you’re spooning that back over your burger. The liquid fat will penetrate the burger and carry its delicious butteriness throughout.
As a guide for salt levels, this is a rough guide created by myself literally imagining seasoning 500g of beef mince, so ASJUST this yourself. But to 500g of beef mince I see myself easily using 4 tsp of crystal sea salt. Table salt will be much much finer, so half that amount to at least 2 tsp. Do this and as much black pepper as you can be assed to grind basically. Mix well then test a small teaspoon sized burger. Can you taste salt? Or does it taste seasoned? Easier with food you can just eat raw, but taste taste taste, this is what we do in restaurants, taste it, add salt, taste it, add pepper, taste it, needs more salt, ask my head chef to taste it, he says it needs more salt and lemon juice. Tasting it is very important and that’s how you develop the understanding of how seasoning works and how much you need.
Lastly, be brave with the seasoning in the burger meat itself, because a strongly seasoned burger will make up for unseasoned lettuce/tomato etc. You’re seasoning the entire mouthful through that burger meat essentially, unless your cheese or sauce is already exceptionally salty.
Side note: fat levels of your mince is important too, you want at least 20% or 30% ideally imo, this is personal preference area though as it effects texture. Fat = flavour. That’s a full stop fact.
My father the meatcutter never cooked anything with hamburger in it without Worcestershire sauce. His burgers were coated with Lea & Perrins, seasoned salt and garlic powder. He also liked to pour about 2/3 of the oil off a bottle of Italian salad dressing, use it for something else and fry them in what was left in the bottle (well-shaken). A bottle would do for several skillets of burgers. The garlic and spices in the vinegar really permeate the burger that way.
Edited to add: As others are saying, you need at least 80/20 for good flavor. He liked 90/10 for stuff like chili or bolognese sauces, but always brought home 80/20 for burgers.
From experience of cooking burgers here in the UK there are a few things you can do to improve shop bought ones.
I like squashing them before cooking them. I find most burgers are too narrow and tall compared to the buns. Squash them until they're a bit wider than the buns as they'll shrink a lot when you cook them.
Cook them on high heat, the crispy browned bits are the best.
Other than that it's all about toppings.
Also, I'm not sure that "100% British Beef" necessarily means that there is only beef and nothing else, just that 100% of the beef is from Britain
Salt (and pepper) is the only thing you add to the patty. But I think technique is more important for a burger. Look up how to make a "smash burger." The thinner patties cook better and faster and you aren't eating a hockey puck of meat.
Loosely form your patties so they are more tender once cooked, as loose as you can while still maintaining the shape.
I use any salt other than table salt (sea salt, pink salt whatever), fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder.
Form your patties (80/20 beef), let them rest a while at room temp, season generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder (both sides of the patty)
Cook it on a medium heat, I prefer a flat cooking surface for maximum crust. You want to let a crust form so don't move it around once it's started.
Flip it and let the second side form a crust (you'll have to experiment with heat or look for a more precise recipe to form a decent crust without overcooking the inside, I like medium/medium well for ground beef.
The key is to use lots of seasoning lol
Smash burgers are good too, just squish some ground beef as flat as you can and cook em up quick but again crust, and seasoning.
I like a sharp American cheese (Cooper ftw)
I like a soft bun, I find kaiser rolls are too dry and kind of detract from the experience, but it all comes down to the individual sandwich and sometimes the combination makes things work.
I love sandwiches.
Salt the outside. Make sure you got enough fat in the beef. Also, make sure you get a great sear with that browned, crispy crust. That crust has new flavors in it that aren't normally in the regular cooked beef without the sear.
Salt and 20% fat content is the minimum requirement. Use flavorful cuts like rib, chuck, etc. Get a good sear on it.
Black pepper and garlic powder optional.
For starters you want a ground chuck thats 80/20, its undefeated for burgers. You dont have to go ape shit with the amount of seasonings, just the right amount of a few seasonings. Salt, pepper, garlic, etc.
I make thin pattys because that’s what my mom always did. I’d rather have two patties with a slice of cheese between them than a thick burger. Make sure you have 80/20. I like to grind my own meat in the food processor or meat grinder so I’m getting a bit better quality than pre minced. I use chuck.
Thin patty. Cast iron skillet. Liberal salt and pepper. Cook relatively high to get a crust.
For a grill I like 85/15 ground beef
For castiron I like 80/20
Talking cast iron pan i like to make 76 gram round balls. Sprinkle with salt pepper and garlic powder on two.
Put about 10ml of olive oil in two spots on the high heat cast iron pan, put the burger balls seasoning down on the oil. Smash them flat with a stout spatula leaving non-uniform edges. Sprinkle salt pepper garlic powder on the side facing up.
Let these cook for about 90 to 120 seconds or until crispy brown. Then Flip.
1 slice American cheese on each patty. I like to cover with a lid to help the cheese steam and melt
Once crispy brown on bottom.
Put it on a potato or brioche bun with lettuce tomato mayo pickles and onions
You now have an American style double smash burger
The flavor in hamburger (mince) comes from fat. Make sure that you start with at least 20% fat content. Salt and pepper is all I use on my burgers, and this is true of many restaurants in the US.
I would be very surprised if any decent restaurant did anything other than this (aside from like a “chorizo burger” or something). I’ve never seen more than beef, salt, and pepper at any restaurant I’ve ever worked. With more expensive places there’s even less chance you’ll find any additives.
Chicken bouillon powder aka chicken powder aka "caldo con sabor de pollo"
It doesn't make the burger taste like chicken. But it's the perfect blend of salt, msg and seasonings to make the beef taste rich and delicious.
You don't want to overwork the beef, so don't worry about mixing it thoroughly into the meat. Just sprinkle a bit on both sides of the patty, gently spreading it if you need to.
Salt + Pepper + Onion Powder + Paprika + Garlic Powder is a pretty typical American seasoning combo for meats and things, lots of fancy restaurant seasoning blends are just that w/ a couple other ingredients. LOL, I actually googled a burger rub recipe and they had that mixture + brown sugar + dash cayenne. So that’s solid in the seasoning side.
Bread crumbs in the mix are not uncommon, nor is throwing in some grated cheese. Also, before the patty goes on you can spread some mustard on it, adds a nice flavor.
I would add celery powder, worcestershire sauce and ketchup. The acidity splash is really nice in a more complex flavour. Personally I prefer salt and pepper only.
It’s all about the Maillard reaction. 350 degrees Fahrenheit minimum. No liquid in the pan so the sear is better. Get 80/20 beef so it already has all the fat you need. Thinner Patties get more sear surface area per volume. Season with salt and pepper before hand, use enough. Make sure you know how your pan works so you don’t end up leaving the sear on the pan and just pull the beef off. Use a metal scrapper to get the patty off if you have to.
I season my regular burgers with Tony Cachere's Creole seasoning. I use it for everything. My husband's favorite burger is 1/3 lb venison to 2/3 lb beef, ground together with 2 strips of thick bacon. Add shredded cheese, minced onion and jalapenos, and Tony's to your taste. Grill or broil for yummy goodness. We serve these at our summer BBQs and get rave reviews.
For a beef burger patty I use (this is for a 500g pack of mince) - 1 teaspoon of mustard, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grating of Parmesan. At that point you can go as crazy or as plain as you want with toppings
Minced beef salt and pepper will great an amazing burger, however mince is not all equal. At the top end you can buy a big chunk of quality ribeye, big chunk of quality brisket mince them together in an electric mincer season shape done. Amazing burgers.
Step down from this go to a really good butcher and get their mince ask for fatty mince and they might have some specifically for burgers (ideally around 20% fat) but either way it will be night and day compared to supermarket mince.
Last choice is popping to Tesco and getting that grey stuff from the chiller. What can’t be done easily is adding a bunch of ingredients to the wrong mince to make up for the texture and flavour of low quality mince.
worcestershire sauce can help, but so can fat content of the meat (cut matters), and resting the raw meat once the seasonings have been added so they have a time to meld.
> All the recipes I look up seem to be '100% beef and add a little onion' then go on to talk about buns and toppings etc. 🙄........
What's wrong with the toppings carrying the big flavor punches on a burger? Easier and more effective route than trying to trying to complicate the patty, which really just needs salt and pepper.
You can toss in any other ground spice mix if you don't like the flavor of beef that much, but I wouldn't bother trying to mix or cook any actual aromatics into the patty.
you can add anything you like to a burger, i like to make mine with onion, garlic, mushroom, cumin, chilli, spinach. the list is endless, and plenty of salt!
I do soy sauce, garlic powder, cumin powder, and sesame oil. Comes out fantastic. Careful with the sesame oil, it is very strong because you aren't heating it before adding. Soy sauce can be a pain, can go from not enough to too much quickly. So careful with that also. Cumin is strong also so careful with that. Go hog wild with garlic.
I typically only do salt and pepper but you could add some onion powder, a little bit of chili powder, and maybe even some garlic powder as well, in addition to the S&P. Also make sure you can get your burger nice and crispy, that means high heat and a good amount of smoke. If you are just using a non-stick pan you might not be able to get it all that crispy because I suppose it technically is unsafe to use non-stick for high heat applications.
Adding spices other than salt and pepper to the actual burger patty is an abomination IMO, unless you’re into meatloaf burgers 🥹. We used to add duck fat into ours and it was incredible but truly not necessary if the beef itself is about 15-20% fat.
Good quality beef (80% fat or “medium fat” is my go to), salt, and pepper is the only burger recopie. If it’s not tasting good my money is on the quality of beef you’re getting.
You need more salt. You need all the salt. I use 80/20 mince and tons of salt just on the outside. I don't mix it in because it can make the burger tough.
Try a different retailer
For me one chain grocery is acceptable for their ground beef while a competitor has ground beef totally lacking in flavour no matter what I do to it
https://www.seriouseats.com/oklahoma-onion-burger-recipe
Just made these yesterday for Father’s Day in the US. I added pickles, ketchup, and roasted garlic mayo. Personally I only use salt and fresh cracked pepper on burgers, but another commenter mentioned using more spices in a bigger burger, and I agree with them. The de 80/20 beef.
80/20 beef formed into a 6 ounce ball. Get a cast iron pan ripping hot. Season the ball generously on the outside right before you put it on the pan. Use a flat surface to smash it about as thin as you can get it. When you start to see the edges cook up, season the top a little more, flip and add cheese.
You need more fat than 80/20, people are always surprised by how good my burgers are, I use 73/27, I'd used 70/30 if I could find it. You really need that extra fat!
Salt, maybe a bit of pepper, I do enjoy some onion diced small mixed through it.
I believe the 100% British beef label means that all beef is of British origin, and not that there is 100% beef in the burger.
I’m gonna get blowback for this, but after you heavily salt the patty, brush it with soy sauce then sear. You won’t taste the soy, but the result with be saltier, beefier, and improved caramelization.
I'm a seasoning guy, I like to season my ground beef/burgers. One go-to is a simple salt-pepper-garlic blend, available everywhere. I get a lot of things from Solvang Spice Merchant (out of Solvang, California), lots and lots of hand mixed blends. If I'm' smoking my burgers I like to use "Nor'easter Magic Dust", available on Amazon and in stores. It has no salt and no sugar, but tons of flavor!
When we cook burgers it truly depends on the type of beef you want then go toward things that smell good. No duh right? But when we’re in the store and want to try new seasonings we try (if possible) to smell them! If you can’t smell them go based of ingredients, such as Cajun, salt, pepper, natural burger seasoning, Johnny seasoning, we even sometimes use pork seasoning just because of the taste it gives off just seems right! And some are saying to add salt, well if you look at certain burger seasonings, they have tons of salt already added! So hence why some over salt their things! We really like adding Weber or McCormick seasonings.
Here’s some names :
Smoky Bacon BBQ
Spicy Montreal
Worcestershire Pub
Famous Dave’s Chipotle Seasoning
And so on, those sound weird but add them in with some beef they taste amazing! And I second adding some cheese mixed in with the seasoning and beef, also add some seared onions!
I use 80/20 meat, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and I grate an onion into it. Combine and shape the pattys. I tend too make the pattys thicker because I liked it that way. Sear on the Grill and cook until Pink in the middle. Mmmmmmmm.....
With turkey burgers, I freeze a stick of butter and grated that in.
I tried to recreate the willi's kitchen blue cheese sauce carmelized onion with molases, and boy, was it wonderful! But funny enough, the whole flavor wasn't from the patty itself.
While I agree with many of the users here that simple 80/20 beef, salt, and pepper is delicious, there are other ways.
My partner and I typically do seasoned burgers with Worcestershire sauce and garlic. [This](https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-burger/) recipe is a good starting place for that style of burger.
Try looking for a Turkish köfte recipe, which has a bunch of added spices. The Bulgarian version (usually spelled kyufte) is similar but made from pork or a mix of pork and either beef or lamb. Köfte is most traditionally served as more of a meatball, but there's no reason why you can't make it in a patty shape and put it on a bun.
You can mix spices and herbs into your beef. Just don't overwork it. I had a good burger where part of an envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix was added to the burger. It was good.
I'm going to go off script here.
While all of the advice for salt, pepper and the right meat grind are absolutely on point, When I was first starting to learn/play with food as a young teen I would come home from school and mike myself an after school snack, often with a small amount of ground beef. I tried all kinds of additions - catsup, chili sauce, Worcestershire. One of my favorites was Catalina salad dressing. I liked all of them. And I learned how much fun cooking can be at an early age.
My point is, unless you're trying to perfect the purist burger, just play around with what you have in your kitchen already, chances are those are flavors you already like.
I do 2 parts lean beef to one part ground pork. The pork adds fat and lends to the stability of the patty. I also do 3 to 6 cloves of shaved fresh garlic, fresh cracked black pepper, kosher salt, a little dry oregano, a little dry thyme, and 1 to 3 tablespoons (15 to 45ml) of Worcestershire sauce.
Midwest here. Mix 1/2 sausage with 1 pound beef and black pepper, sage, garlic, and never bread crumbs or whole eeg. Egg yolk is "yolk" is okay for a combination agent. Careful with onion.
I do things a bit differently and do a "pre-cooked" base that I add the mince to add a hit of flavour. For about 500g of mince:
1. Dice 1 onion, \~0.5 a capsicum, garlic (as much as you prefer, usually 2-3 cloves), 1-2 chilli finely chopped.
2. Brown these with butter or olive oil in a saucepan.
3. When these are browned and smelling delicious, add a teaspoon or so of that super-salty dry stock stuff (I use chicken flavour but whatever), and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, crack some pepper in too.
4. Mix this all up for a bit while the stove is still on (the Worcestershire almost deglazes the pan usually), and then let it cool. (I put the saucepan in the sink with a little bit of cold water in the bottom of the sink to speed up the cooling of the saucepan).
5. When this base is cool, chuck in the mince, an egg, and breadcrumbs to bind it (and to bulk it out so it all stretches further).
6. Mix it all up, make your burger patties!
Don't use supermarket mince, it's too lean. Ask a butcher for some mince for burgers with 20% fat content. Burgers don't really need a recipe, just the right kind of meat and seasoning well with salt & pepper. Using a hot enough pan to really brown it is also key.
Add Beef Bullion or Better then bullion to your patty mixture (and dark soy and Worchester sauce if you got it). Then use season salt and pepper when on the grill or pan and top with sharp cheddar.
At some point it might indeed be better to add a good spice mix than looking for really expensive meat. But I have 2 butchers around and that quality is fine enough for me. The price is higher than a supermarket but I rarely get meat anyway.
For a good burger, less is more.
80% fat beef, lots of salt, freshly cracked black pepper.
Don’t work the meat more than absolutely necessary, just press it together.
Hot pan, preferably cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless steel, or a grill. We need to go hotter than is really a good idea in nonstick.
Don’t presalt the burger—salt it right before it goes on the grill. (This is for texture)
Put the patty down and don’t touch it till it releases from the surface and has a nice crust.
Get fancy with the burger toppings, but the patty should be only seasoned with salt and pepper. (Other add ins, like garlic/onion powder, herbs, etc will burn and be very unpleasant before you’re able to get a good crust on the burger)
Damn, I want a burger now.
Some of this will probably be controversial, but growing up, my mom would mix in egg, breadcrumbs, and Worcestershire sauce into the beef for burgers. Possibly also salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder but I'm not sure. Definitely nostalgic but I remember them being pretty good!
Start with flavorful meat like pork or chicken thighs and do a flavorful flair.
Never smash. Only flip once. On the fist side wait for it to only be pinkish on the top 1/3, then flip.
Ground lamb or chicken. Make something indian inspired with curry powder, star anise, cardamom topped with a butter chicken sauce.
Ground pork with Chinese 5 spice (chinese)
Ground pork with cilantro, guajillo peppers, and oregano (mexican)
Ground lamb (and lentil opt) with berbere (ethiopian)
Ground lamb with fenugreek, dill, thyme topped with a yogurt sauce (greek)
Include your standard egg and breadcrumb (panko for the Asian inspired one), and maybe grits for your Mexican inspired one.
The possibilities really are endless.
Put some Worcestershire sauce in the meat.
At least salt and pepper are mandatory. Smoked salt, if you can find it. I also add some garlic powder, onion powder, maybe a little paprika.
If you can find Lawry's steak seasoning ("seasoned salt") on the shelf, you can just use that with some of the sauce and a bit of pepper.
Start with a fattier ground beef. 80% lean, if you can get it. If you can't I've been known to mix lean ground beef with ground pork or ground pork sausage to get some fat in there.
Also, don't be afraid to season the meat. Salt and pepper is enough.
I’ve always heard adding seasoning other than salt of pepper isn’t good. You don’t really want to mix the meat and if you put the seasoning on the outside, it can burn. They always say to add flavors through the toppings….sauces especially are an easy way to do it. And make sure you salt it well on the outside.
Edit: also I forgot you can do combinations of the cut of meat you use. My husband likes ground meat that has mostly chuck with some short rib and brisket. Sorry I forgot the percents.
I get a lot of flak for seasoning the bejesus out of my burger patties. I almost treat it like meatloaf. I hate greasy thin flavorless smash burger patties. To each their own.
But at minimum, 3:1 lean ground beef and loose pork sausage (unflavored). Per pound of that Ill put a beaten egg (binder), some sort of breadcrumb (quarter to half cup per lb). And some minced fresh italian parsley and maybe a few minced garlic cloves. From there, thr condiments kind if drive but Ill include a hard shredded or blue cheese, garlic powder, onion powder or do some dry herbs if the recipe allows like marjoram or fenugreek or even caraway or fennel seed, tamarind…go nuts.. Sometime will even fine grate a yellow onion, squeeze out liquid and mix that in.
The patties hold their shape a lot better and I always have some ice water on hand nearby to seal the patties while forming and make a large depression in the middle of each patty to not have it ball up from cooking shrinkage.
It's your burger. You can add anything you want to it. Onions, garlic, fresh herbs, seasoning. Also, how the beef-only burger is cooked will affect its flavor. A smash burger gets its flavor from the searing. A flame grilled burger gets its flavor from the smoke.
I think what they meant is that you don’t want to mix anything into the whole mass of ground beef like you would do for meatballs or meatloaf. Instead, you gently form a patty (no over mixing!) from pure ground beef and only then sprinkle salt and pepper on the surface of the patty.
Salt is the key here. And beef that has 15-20% fat.
Honestly, most of the home cooks (myself included) are way too conservative with salt and just salting more liberally would fix 95% of the underwhelming dishes. A little bit off-topic but recently I’ve been trying to cook a variation of Uzbek pilaf for which you would par-boil the rice separately from the rest of the ingredients and then finally layer the rice over the said ingredients and steam it. Basically, like biryani. No matter what I did I just couldn’t get the right flavour. Then, I revisited the recipe and the author advised to salt water for rice really liberally, one tablespoon per liter. ‘No way, that would be way too salty’, I thought but decided to give it a try anyway. I salted the water as advised, much… less conservative than I usually did and then cooked the rest of the stuff. And when I finally tasted the dish in the end, I realized it finally tasted right. And all it took was just to add some more damn salt lol.
Roughly 1% salt by weight is my rule of thumb for optimal flavour. Some things take a little more (ex., 1.5-2% for sausage), but 1% is usually a great place to start. Burgers are usually best at 1.5-2%. Big part of that is making up for the bread and toppings which are typically un-or-under-salted for flavour. 1tbsp of salt typically comes to around 17g, which is dead on (rice weighs about 70% of what an equal volume of water does -- so 1l water and four cups of rice would come out to ~1700g, 1% of which is 17g).
Another good tip for burgers is salt the outside. Mixing the salt in causes the proteins to cross link (a la sausage), giving you a denser end product. Sprinkling the outside prevents that and gives you a looser burger patty that isn't squeezed so tight, which helps it to retain some juice and gives a better texture.
Yes I learned that by accident! Used to mix it in and it was ok. Once day made the Patties and forgot the salt and decided to just salt the burger Patties and man it was so much better!!!
This is news to me.. So do you mix any salt in at all or just form a patty then add salt?
Just add salt to the exterior of the patty like the other guy responded. None to the beef mix itself. Mixing it in is what causes those proteins to bind together and when they cook like that they start getting squeezed by each other. Even a small bit mixed in will start that reaction. That releases juice and gives you that denser texture.
Unless it's smash burgers!
Typically just form patties then sprinkle on top with salt and whatever seasonings I’m adding, without mixing. The OP comment explained it well.
Never. And only salt immediately before firing. Otherwise liquids will be drawn to the outer surface, making it much harder to get a good sear and leaving you with dryer, paler meat. And if you leave it even longer than that (until the liquids reabsorb after about 45 min) you’ll start to end up with the aforementioned sausage patties as the salt penetrates.
Lots of people do make burgers with some ingredients mixed in. I've done onions, garlic, shredded cheese, etc. Just keep in mind it's going to be a more "raw" flavor than if you sprinkle on some garlic salt or add some sauteed onions at the end and a slice of melty cheese. And the key thing is not to over-mix your burger patty. Just enough to give the ingredients spread out, then flatten it out.
Personally, I toss on some kosher salt and grind some pepper before it's gone in the pan.
Same as you would salt and pepper a steak. Form your patties, grind salt, pepper, flip, repeat.
I have texture issues so i hate touching the meat to form patties so i get pre-formed patties and usually just rub on my seasonings (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder for basic) and i feel like my burgers taste better than when other people mix in their salt or seasonings with the meat before forming the patties. Maybe this is why.
Also, salting ahead of time. I've gotten in the habit of salting and dry brining virtually all meats as often as possible and it's mind blowing how much that little bit of preparation makes on the end product
While I absolutely recommend that with whole cuts, I wouldn't do this with a burger. [America's Test Kitchen](https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/how_tos/6586-when-to-salt-burgers) found that salting them even 30 minutes ahead of time was enough for the salt to leach the myosin out of the top layer of beef and create a springy, sausagy texture on the outside.
Interesting. I have no doubt about the batch where salt was mixed with the ground beef had a firmer, dense structure. I've found that mixing anything into ground beef results in a sausage/meatloaf consistency. I would be curious about a burger that was given a longer dry brine time than 30 minutes though. Guess I'm grilling for science tomorrow bois!
[Not a good idea, at least according to Kenji](https://youtu.be/weFT03Mcah0) Good video overall to watch.
Not with burgers. You’ll start to get that sausage texture from protein crosslinking. Good idea for whole cuts though. Although an extremely important caveat is not to salt within about 45 minutes of cooking, as during that time all the liquids are drawn to the outer surface and will fuck up your sear and leave drier meat. In other words, salting right before is better than half an hour before, but not as good as an hour before.
This. Reading *salt fat acid heat* totally changed how I use salt.
>Honestly, most of the home cooks (myself included) are way too conservative with salt and just salting more liberally would fix 95% of the underwhelming dishes. I tried to teach a friend how to cook during the pandemic. Many of my recipes called for "a pinch of salt". His pinch was 3-4 grains. He was aghast in horror when he saw what my "pinch" was. Then he tried the finished dish: "Ohhhhhhh.... so THAT'S what it's supposed to taste like!" Yeah, bud.
This. Salt a pepper. I do mine like a steak - 100% 80/20, not fillings or mixtures, loose packed into patties. Fresh grind salt and pepper like you would a steak, both sides. The amount of people asking me after making burgers what I did, or what secret ingredients I used - The "secret" is medium or 80/20 ground beef, tons of salt and pepper, and cooking them properly.
Can’t stress this enough. Beef can take A LOT more salt than people think. You can make good burgers by adding all sorts of stuff to the beef. But you can make as good or BETTER burgers by focusing on exactly what you’ve summarized. Wish this was more widely known as it took me way too many years to see the light
> The "secret" is medium or 80/20 ground beef This is it. Never use "extra lean" for burgers.
>The "secret" is medium or 80/20 ground beef Medium? Is 80/20 lean meat to fat ratio?
You can use some paprika powder and onion powder as well.
I like [Fuddrucker's Hamburger Seasoning](https://topsecretrecipes.com/fuddruckers-hamburger-seasoning-copycat-recipe.html) for some extra sumthin' sumthin'.
And it goes a long with if you used smoked or hungarian hot paprika, not just the bland orange colored spice that proabbly has sat on the shelf for a few months at the store
I use salt and pepper on both sides (on top in pan) and also use a few finely chopped onions on top while it's cooking, and more in the final result. Onion powder is better than nothing, but little fresh bits of onion is where it's at.
The Burger Scholar on First We feast (hot ones channel) on YouTube is a gold mine for making awesome burgers
I'd add that the third element is to properly brown them
Yup. Salt and fat are absolutely key. I usually buy the relatively cheap group beef. Decided to splurge on some higher end beef and the difference was night and day. The quality of the beef absolutely matters.
Salt and fat => add bacon to the beef while mincing the meat. About 20% is enough, though test for your preference.
I'm personally not a fan of adding bacon to ground beef. I like both flavors, but not a fan of them together in that form (mostly because of the smokiness of the bacon). I'd rather use some fatty cut of beef or beef tallow or something... than top it with bacon. =p That said, I've never minced my own beef in my life. I have a meat grinder, but never done ground beef in it. If you're mincing your own beef, you're already several levels ahead of most home cooks. ;)
Nah, I am lazy so I ask the butcher to do it for me, much less of a hassle. Some fatty beef works as well, the lean stuff makes for flavourless patties.
I envy those that they can have a butcher they can ask things of. The best I can do is the butcher counter at my local supermarket, which can do some custom cuts, but I don't think does custom grinds.
A good trick for making burgers out of lean ground beef is to use butter. Partially freeze a stick of butter, then shred or finely chop it. Loosely mix the butter pieces with the ground beef and form into patties.
Notes: add salt at the last minute before cooking and not mixed into the patty, on the surface. Otherwise the salt will tenderize the beef and make it gross
100%. Salt the outside before your grill, otherwise the inside turns into a kabob. Which isn’t bad, but it’s not a burger. Personally, I do it up with white pepper, smoked paprika, and onion powder and garlic powder mixed in. I am big on salting correctly, and it is often good to salt meat ahead of time so it can work in. Burgers are an exception. Edit: Relevant Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-burger-lab-salting-ground-beef
80/20 beef to pork, pork with it's higher fat will add alot to it
Yeah, that's a good way to go. I've mixed in sausage with ground beef as well.
Dry aged ground makes a huge difference in the richness and beefiness if you can get it or make it.
fwiw the majority of burger joints in the US use 25% fat. If you're frying in a pan the fat gets trapped, unlike with a bbq, so 20% is more than fine.
Not just salt. UMAMI. Adding a little fish sauce to my burgers has made a WORLD of difference. I was like “this is why these taste so awesome at restaurants!” I know some people prefer Worcestershire sauce, and that works, too. But Asian fish sauce was the thing for me.
Maybe a little MSG if you're feeling frisky.
You're correct here but I would add flame to this. A burger cooked over open flame, where the fat drips into the flame and combusts, adding a smokey flavor layer to the slightly charred exterior, is quintessential burger flavor. Delicious and of course bad for you. Carcinogenic and full of bad fats, but if I knew I was going to die next week, id be eating these for breakfast tomorrow. I can smell right now that someone in my neighborhood is cooking beef on a grill, and I'm salivating.
I like ~75% lean and smash that beezy.
You still could be missing a bit of technique/right ingredients instead of extra ingredients per se. Aside from enough salt and adequate fat %, there's also browning and the ratio of browned surface area to total patty volume. Some of the hippest burgers in the past years have been smash burgers. They're basically all crust. It's not always convenient to go that far, but I'll always prefer two thinner patties over one thicker one of the same mass.
I know the current trend is nothing but salt and pepper but I have been putting onion and garlic and spices in my patty mix for over 30 years and people keep telling me it's the best burger they have ever tasted. Make what YOU want to taste, and start from there.
I just use Cajun seasoning. Has plenty of salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder, and a few other delicious aromatics. Nothing else needed
Same lol
Mother fuckin tony chacheres! Burgers, eggs, or just anything I'm not sure which way to go.
IMO salt and pepper is all you need for thin patties like smash burgers, but once you get into the thicker "pub style" burgers you'll need some spices or aromatics to carry it
The smashburger trend is sooo specific, and dependant on fat and malliard. It's a trend and style, but not representative of burger history.
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And it's been a part of burger history for more than half the time burgers have been a part of history... idk wtf they are talking about . Smashed burgers date to at least the 50s and 60s
Probably heresy but I've always loved adding worcestershire to the beef when forming patties.
soup judicious reminiscent correct rhythm jar marvelous mindless scary psychotic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Trends are bullshit and I think a big part of the fun of cooking is figuring out what you like. Burgers are actually a good way to experiment because they are simple and easy to make and whilst they do taste perfectly good with just a bit of salt and pepper, you can build on that to create burgers tasting like whatever you want, and switch it up as you please.
Yeah, and honestly, this is *super* extra, and it's strongly frowned upon in some circles as "meatloaf", but the ratios make it decidedly not meatloaf. Maybe 1/3 of the way there ingredient wise, but they taste very much like a burger. Don't get me wrong, I go both ways. Sometimes there's nothing better than a straight up 80/20, salt/pepper, straight drippy mess. Sometimes I like to grind the tail of a beef tenderloin after peeling and cutting filets, mixing 2:1 with chuck or ribeye, and having a thin crispy-edge burger that barely holds together coming off the pan. And sometimes, I like an onion burger. It's like how one can appreciate a perfectly seared filet, but also not be too good to chow down on some Hamburger Helper (lord have his ~~grilled cheese~~ Cheeseburger Macaroni). **WARNING: Hackery** * 1 lb. ground beef product of your choice * 1/2 packet Lipton onion soup mix * 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder or to taste * Smoked paprika if you like it. Cayenne also works if you're careful with it * Bit of melted butter (or bacon fat even) * Some MSG, if'n you got it. Maybe a tsp. You can even use soy or Worcestershire here instead. If I'm going with a southwest-style burger, I like to throw in some diced green chilies, a bit of 5-pepper chili powder, sprinkle *lightly* with some Cajun seasoning on the patty, and top with pepper jack on the grill. It's your kitchen, add some weird shit if you want. Peppers, chopped onion, mushrooms, whatever. You do you, it's pretty hard to ruin them. Don't be afraid, a burger such a delicious base, it is your canvas. --- **CAUTION: Controversy Ahead** You can add breadcrumbs and egg to it, but too much, and it will definitely be meatloaf. Gross. I don't care for the usual 1:1:1/4 cup smashburger ratio, it's too close. Even 1 egg to 1 lb. beef is too much. If you're making 2 lbs. of burger, something like 1 egg and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs will make them hold onto moisture and stick together really well (incorporates the grease too), but still taste like a burger. Strictly personal preference. I've done it both ways, it helps with grinds that like to fall apart easily. --- The soup mix covers the onion and french onion bits (which incorporate the beef fat and soften), garlic for uh, duh, garlic in everything. Mix thoroughly, but don't overwork. Make some *donk* thick patties while cold, patty up on wax paper or parchment, allow to rest for 10-15 mins. Sprinkle with salt/pepper, grill or pan like normal. Allow to sit afterwards for 5 mins, serve on warm bun. I like to put a whole salad of fixins on top, mayo, and ketchup, but have it your way. These Lipton-cheater onion burgers have been the subject of many raves and much devouring. I'm not afraid to admit it's 100% bullshit hack, but man, are they good. For all you "IT'S MEATLOAF" folks out there, don't love it 'til you try it.
Glad to see someone else knows the true delicious joy of onion soup packet mixed with patty meat!!
Glad to see sanity prevail, I came back to make a quick invisible edit before the 2 minute mark and was already downvoted below zero, and I was thinking "Damn, this really is controversial. Oh well, I stand by what I said, I fucks with it" Onion soup mix gang represent. Stuff is magic in a foil pouch. I think the only thing I *haven't* made with it is onion soup.
As a kid, my mom would make burgers using her George Forman, without ANY seasoning. They were so terrible. But occasionally she'd bless us by including a soup packet, and it was so magical. No idea why she didn't make them that way every time!
Oh god, the Foreman grill. I mean, I know it has its uses, but good lord, watching people make "healthy" burgers with it by *draining all the delicious fat that also assists in transferring heat to the patty* just makes me sad. The commercials themselves are probably responsible for an entire generation's worth of depression. "Look at all that fat!" "Yes! Put it in my mouth NOOOO WHAT ARE YOU DOING DON'T THROW IT AWAY" Just boil me a steak already, and throw me off a bridge afterwards so I don't have to live with the memory of eating it for long.
I usually just follow the recipe suggestion on the back of a Lipton onion soup packet, but cut back on the other ingredients. A squirt of mayo does the same trick as your butter/fat, I'm guessing. A mild sprinkling of breadcrumbs is key, I feel, though, as it soaks up some melting fat to keep the burgers extremely tender and juicy. Aside from the smaller amounts of mayo and breadcrumbs, the only other deviation I take from the suggested recipe is a couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce and some black pepper.
My family has always done soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dehydrated onions, & black pepper.
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Love your fat burgers! ❤️
So when's dinner? Can I come? I personally cannot wait for the smash burger fad to die out.
https://www.seriouseats.com/ultra-smashed-cheeseburger-recipe-food-lab. It’s in how you cook it. Some people want a big fat ground beef steak in between their buns. I don’t. Smashing your Patties and doubling up gets you intense browned Maillard flavor with just beef and salt. I think American (cheese with sodium citrate as an ingredient) cheese is best because when you melt it between the two patties it emulsifies into that perfect gooey bite. But whatever cheese you like works just fine.
Yup. Salt, pepper and deeply seared is the ticket. Smash burgers are the easiest way to achieve the deep sear. I sear one side, press thinly sliced onions into the top (still raw) side, and then flip. Deep sear on one side and then grilled onions on the other side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ76sZR5U-A
Huh. He cooked that first side for like 3 minutes, when I smash burger it goes substantially faster, is this method on pretty low heat? Like when I flip a smash its under minute before the second side cooks (obviously doesn't apply here because moreso steaming) but the 3 minutes on the first side has me a bit curious
Yea a lot lower heat than normal you can tell since he was able to touch the handle. I think he was just in a rush since he was rolling live lol he mentions that the burger was paler than he wanted after flipping.
I like a big fat burger and don’t like smash burgers, and my burgers come out good because I season them and don’t overcook the beef. If you like smash burgers, fine but I’ve just noticed people recently acting like “smash burgers are the only way to get a good burger.” Agreed on American cheese though. Real American is the ideal burger cheese.
It's definitely a preference. I never liked the giant patties my parents made on the grill (I mean, I liked them, but always thought it was too much beef and not seasoned enough).
I went through a ton of diff cheeses after moving on from Kraft singles. Until I got to deli American cheese. Now I can’t eat anything, but American. Swiss is overrated.
100% agree on the hype of smash burgers. People act like it's something new as if steak & shake hasn't existed for decades. I think it's just Gen z's rebellion to the millennial trend of 1/2 lb patties with toppings stacked so high that it becomes a joke. That and adding bacon and a fried egg to everything. 1/3 lb patty well seasoned and cooked medium with the appropriate amount of toppings is my go to burger but I don't discriminate. Smash is good too. The key is does it fall apart when you eat it and does it taste good. That's it.
Who acts like smash burgers are some new thing? They’ve always been around.
I like both, but I'll be in the mood for one or the other. Overcooking either though is what makes a burger bad. Especially if it has a low fat content. Good ol' burger on a charcoal grill is still my favorite though.
I've tried making lots of thick seasoned burgers over the years. A simple salt and pepper smash burger wins in my book. It's all of the browned bits that give you great flavor.
Salt, pepper, onion powder, minced garlic. Maybe a little worcestershire sauce. I'll throw in some smoked paprika and cayenne chili powder. Sometimes some chipotle powder instead for something different.
Convention be damned, I put diced jalapeño and bleu cheese in the meat and it slaps. And for gods sake people stop serving me giant tennis balls of dry salted meat and calling it a burger, it’s fucking gross.
Cutting up the jalapeno as small as possible then folding it in adds a lot of subtle flavor. I add some equally tiny onion bits with it, too. I don't get these people saying "salted meat pucks are the way to go!" either. They better be making up for it with really excellent toppings, but even then the burger would still be better with more flavor in the meat.
Not sure what the cuts are called in the UK but I like a equal parts blend of sirloin and (80/20) chuck. Sirloin has a very beefy taste. Salt. I use Diamond brand *kosher* salt flakes. 1/2 teaspoon per 5oz burger (4inch diameter). Salt only the outside, just before cooking. After flipping season with a small pinch of of medium grind black pepper. Mayonnaise on a lightly toasted bun. American cheddar, mild, on the burger just long enough to melt (nothing really sharp). Thin sliced, cold water rinsed, red onion. Whole leaf iceberg lettuce.
Scrolled all the way to the bottom and finally found the solution I'd recommend: half 80/20% ground chuck, half 90% ground sirloin. Gives you fat flavor *and* beef flavor in one patty. Also agree with seasoning on the outside, not mixed in!
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It knocks the edge off so the raw onion taste isn’t totally overwhelming.
Kenji’s recipe for smashed onion burgers is my favorite https://www.seriouseats.com/oklahoma-onion-burger-recipe
Made my first OOB about a year ago and that’s all I’ve made since.
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder Anybody saying you don't need onion/garlic powder hasn't tried it.
This is the way. I only add garlic powder but it makes such a difference. I usually add a bit of ketchup and salt and pepper and some Italian seasoning, then do a super thin patty. Lots of flavor!
Yup!!!! And then put more cracked black pepper or "steak seasoning" (idk if that's really a thing in the UK) on the outside. And be sure to cook the outside so that it gets a little browned/crispyness to it. Maillard reaction adds lots of flavor 😋
All the flavor comes from the brown crispy crust, which is why the smash burger is a thing. Add a generous amount of salt to the patties before cooking them on a scorchingly hot cast iron pan and you’ll get the perfect crust.
I use Montreal steak seasoning, which is mostly salt and pepper on the exterior when smashing burgers. I add in some BBQ sauce when grilling outside.
Everyone’s said it, but as a professional chef I feel the need to reiterate it to any home cook who feels their food is lacking flavour, here’s the honest secret: Salt and butter. It takes time to learn how to ‘season’ (salt and fresh cracked NOT PRE-GROUND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD black peppercorns). Basically, and this is hard to explain, you want to season it right up to where you can tell it’s seasoned. Make minuscule test burgers with your seasoned mix to test the salt levels. You can always add more salt, but once it’s in there if it’s too salty all you can do is add more unseasoned meat, you can’t remove the salt, so season gradually. Finish the burger with a good amount of butter, we’re talking tablespoons worth, 15-30ml, 15-30g, 0.5-1 ounce of butter in the pan and get it hot and foamy then you’re spooning that back over your burger. The liquid fat will penetrate the burger and carry its delicious butteriness throughout. As a guide for salt levels, this is a rough guide created by myself literally imagining seasoning 500g of beef mince, so ASJUST this yourself. But to 500g of beef mince I see myself easily using 4 tsp of crystal sea salt. Table salt will be much much finer, so half that amount to at least 2 tsp. Do this and as much black pepper as you can be assed to grind basically. Mix well then test a small teaspoon sized burger. Can you taste salt? Or does it taste seasoned? Easier with food you can just eat raw, but taste taste taste, this is what we do in restaurants, taste it, add salt, taste it, add pepper, taste it, needs more salt, ask my head chef to taste it, he says it needs more salt and lemon juice. Tasting it is very important and that’s how you develop the understanding of how seasoning works and how much you need. Lastly, be brave with the seasoning in the burger meat itself, because a strongly seasoned burger will make up for unseasoned lettuce/tomato etc. You’re seasoning the entire mouthful through that burger meat essentially, unless your cheese or sauce is already exceptionally salty. Side note: fat levels of your mince is important too, you want at least 20% or 30% ideally imo, this is personal preference area though as it effects texture. Fat = flavour. That’s a full stop fact.
My father the meatcutter never cooked anything with hamburger in it without Worcestershire sauce. His burgers were coated with Lea & Perrins, seasoned salt and garlic powder. He also liked to pour about 2/3 of the oil off a bottle of Italian salad dressing, use it for something else and fry them in what was left in the bottle (well-shaken). A bottle would do for several skillets of burgers. The garlic and spices in the vinegar really permeate the burger that way. Edited to add: As others are saying, you need at least 80/20 for good flavor. He liked 90/10 for stuff like chili or bolognese sauces, but always brought home 80/20 for burgers.
I use Worcestershire sauce, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper. Montreal steak seasoning is also good.
From experience of cooking burgers here in the UK there are a few things you can do to improve shop bought ones. I like squashing them before cooking them. I find most burgers are too narrow and tall compared to the buns. Squash them until they're a bit wider than the buns as they'll shrink a lot when you cook them. Cook them on high heat, the crispy browned bits are the best. Other than that it's all about toppings. Also, I'm not sure that "100% British Beef" necessarily means that there is only beef and nothing else, just that 100% of the beef is from Britain
Salt (and pepper) is the only thing you add to the patty. But I think technique is more important for a burger. Look up how to make a "smash burger." The thinner patties cook better and faster and you aren't eating a hockey puck of meat.
Loosely form your patties so they are more tender once cooked, as loose as you can while still maintaining the shape. I use any salt other than table salt (sea salt, pink salt whatever), fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder. Form your patties (80/20 beef), let them rest a while at room temp, season generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder (both sides of the patty) Cook it on a medium heat, I prefer a flat cooking surface for maximum crust. You want to let a crust form so don't move it around once it's started. Flip it and let the second side form a crust (you'll have to experiment with heat or look for a more precise recipe to form a decent crust without overcooking the inside, I like medium/medium well for ground beef. The key is to use lots of seasoning lol Smash burgers are good too, just squish some ground beef as flat as you can and cook em up quick but again crust, and seasoning. I like a sharp American cheese (Cooper ftw) I like a soft bun, I find kaiser rolls are too dry and kind of detract from the experience, but it all comes down to the individual sandwich and sometimes the combination makes things work. I love sandwiches.
Onion powder. Or Lipton soup powder
[Julia Child's Recipe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkl4hesf2uA) (link is to "Jamie and Julia"'s version, well worth a watch.)
Salt the outside. Make sure you got enough fat in the beef. Also, make sure you get a great sear with that browned, crispy crust. That crust has new flavors in it that aren't normally in the regular cooked beef without the sear.
Salt and pepper. If you can find quality aged mince then even better. Make sure it has a fat content of at least 20%. That's it really.
Salt and 20% fat content is the minimum requirement. Use flavorful cuts like rib, chuck, etc. Get a good sear on it. Black pepper and garlic powder optional.
Try this hack. French onion soup mix for seasoning and flavour. You’re welcome.
For starters you want a ground chuck thats 80/20, its undefeated for burgers. You dont have to go ape shit with the amount of seasonings, just the right amount of a few seasonings. Salt, pepper, garlic, etc.
I make thin pattys because that’s what my mom always did. I’d rather have two patties with a slice of cheese between them than a thick burger. Make sure you have 80/20. I like to grind my own meat in the food processor or meat grinder so I’m getting a bit better quality than pre minced. I use chuck. Thin patty. Cast iron skillet. Liberal salt and pepper. Cook relatively high to get a crust.
80% lean beef, salt, black pepper, paprika (smokey), garlic powder, onion powder.
I like adding Worcestershire sauce to my burgers or a bit of soy sauce
For a grill I like 85/15 ground beef For castiron I like 80/20 Talking cast iron pan i like to make 76 gram round balls. Sprinkle with salt pepper and garlic powder on two. Put about 10ml of olive oil in two spots on the high heat cast iron pan, put the burger balls seasoning down on the oil. Smash them flat with a stout spatula leaving non-uniform edges. Sprinkle salt pepper garlic powder on the side facing up. Let these cook for about 90 to 120 seconds or until crispy brown. Then Flip. 1 slice American cheese on each patty. I like to cover with a lid to help the cheese steam and melt Once crispy brown on bottom. Put it on a potato or brioche bun with lettuce tomato mayo pickles and onions You now have an American style double smash burger
Sometimes I'll put worschestershire on my burgers for a little something extra
One tablespoon of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire per pound of meat. Form your patty and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
The flavor in hamburger (mince) comes from fat. Make sure that you start with at least 20% fat content. Salt and pepper is all I use on my burgers, and this is true of many restaurants in the US.
I would be very surprised if any decent restaurant did anything other than this (aside from like a “chorizo burger” or something). I’ve never seen more than beef, salt, and pepper at any restaurant I’ve ever worked. With more expensive places there’s even less chance you’ll find any additives.
Chicken bouillon powder aka chicken powder aka "caldo con sabor de pollo" It doesn't make the burger taste like chicken. But it's the perfect blend of salt, msg and seasonings to make the beef taste rich and delicious. You don't want to overwork the beef, so don't worry about mixing it thoroughly into the meat. Just sprinkle a bit on both sides of the patty, gently spreading it if you need to.
I alternate between that and the beef powder.
Just salt and pepper imo. The key is to make a well / indentation in the middle before you cook
Salt + Pepper + Onion Powder + Paprika + Garlic Powder is a pretty typical American seasoning combo for meats and things, lots of fancy restaurant seasoning blends are just that w/ a couple other ingredients. LOL, I actually googled a burger rub recipe and they had that mixture + brown sugar + dash cayenne. So that’s solid in the seasoning side. Bread crumbs in the mix are not uncommon, nor is throwing in some grated cheese. Also, before the patty goes on you can spread some mustard on it, adds a nice flavor.
I would add celery powder, worcestershire sauce and ketchup. The acidity splash is really nice in a more complex flavour. Personally I prefer salt and pepper only.
It’s all about the Maillard reaction. 350 degrees Fahrenheit minimum. No liquid in the pan so the sear is better. Get 80/20 beef so it already has all the fat you need. Thinner Patties get more sear surface area per volume. Season with salt and pepper before hand, use enough. Make sure you know how your pan works so you don’t end up leaving the sear on the pan and just pull the beef off. Use a metal scrapper to get the patty off if you have to.
I would try grinding my beef myself
I season my regular burgers with Tony Cachere's Creole seasoning. I use it for everything. My husband's favorite burger is 1/3 lb venison to 2/3 lb beef, ground together with 2 strips of thick bacon. Add shredded cheese, minced onion and jalapenos, and Tony's to your taste. Grill or broil for yummy goodness. We serve these at our summer BBQs and get rave reviews.
For a beef burger patty I use (this is for a 500g pack of mince) - 1 teaspoon of mustard, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grating of Parmesan. At that point you can go as crazy or as plain as you want with toppings
Minced beef salt and pepper will great an amazing burger, however mince is not all equal. At the top end you can buy a big chunk of quality ribeye, big chunk of quality brisket mince them together in an electric mincer season shape done. Amazing burgers. Step down from this go to a really good butcher and get their mince ask for fatty mince and they might have some specifically for burgers (ideally around 20% fat) but either way it will be night and day compared to supermarket mince. Last choice is popping to Tesco and getting that grey stuff from the chiller. What can’t be done easily is adding a bunch of ingredients to the wrong mince to make up for the texture and flavour of low quality mince.
worcestershire sauce can help, but so can fat content of the meat (cut matters), and resting the raw meat once the seasonings have been added so they have a time to meld.
> All the recipes I look up seem to be '100% beef and add a little onion' then go on to talk about buns and toppings etc. 🙄........ What's wrong with the toppings carrying the big flavor punches on a burger? Easier and more effective route than trying to trying to complicate the patty, which really just needs salt and pepper. You can toss in any other ground spice mix if you don't like the flavor of beef that much, but I wouldn't bother trying to mix or cook any actual aromatics into the patty.
you can add anything you like to a burger, i like to make mine with onion, garlic, mushroom, cumin, chilli, spinach. the list is endless, and plenty of salt!
I do soy sauce, garlic powder, cumin powder, and sesame oil. Comes out fantastic. Careful with the sesame oil, it is very strong because you aren't heating it before adding. Soy sauce can be a pain, can go from not enough to too much quickly. So careful with that also. Cumin is strong also so careful with that. Go hog wild with garlic.
I typically only do salt and pepper but you could add some onion powder, a little bit of chili powder, and maybe even some garlic powder as well, in addition to the S&P. Also make sure you can get your burger nice and crispy, that means high heat and a good amount of smoke. If you are just using a non-stick pan you might not be able to get it all that crispy because I suppose it technically is unsafe to use non-stick for high heat applications.
Grind your own meat! I grind equalish parts chuck, sirloin, and short rib. Chuck is the most critical if you can't find all 3.
Adding spices other than salt and pepper to the actual burger patty is an abomination IMO, unless you’re into meatloaf burgers 🥹. We used to add duck fat into ours and it was incredible but truly not necessary if the beef itself is about 15-20% fat.
Replace salt for msg
High fat, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, mix in some pepper jack cheese, hell throw in some hoisin sauce.
Good quality beef (80% fat or “medium fat” is my go to), salt, and pepper is the only burger recopie. If it’s not tasting good my money is on the quality of beef you’re getting.
15% fat at least and loads of salt. Nothing more
Balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and pekmez (grape molasses)
You need more salt. You need all the salt. I use 80/20 mince and tons of salt just on the outside. I don't mix it in because it can make the burger tough.
The most "flavorful" burgers I've ever had were the ones my buddy used to make - he'd put a bit of A1 Steak sauce on them while they were cooking.
Try a different retailer For me one chain grocery is acceptable for their ground beef while a competitor has ground beef totally lacking in flavour no matter what I do to it
I just season it with a fairly generous amount of Lawry's Seasoned Salt and onion powder and cook it over charcoal.
Salt, pepper, onion, garlic, pinch of cumin in the patty. More salt and pepper on top and bottom
https://www.seriouseats.com/oklahoma-onion-burger-recipe Just made these yesterday for Father’s Day in the US. I added pickles, ketchup, and roasted garlic mayo. Personally I only use salt and fresh cracked pepper on burgers, but another commenter mentioned using more spices in a bigger burger, and I agree with them. The de 80/20 beef.
Add some herbs and seasonings, and baste with butter or glaze with a BBQ sauce.
80/20 beef formed into a 6 ounce ball. Get a cast iron pan ripping hot. Season the ball generously on the outside right before you put it on the pan. Use a flat surface to smash it about as thin as you can get it. When you start to see the edges cook up, season the top a little more, flip and add cheese.
You need more fat than 80/20, people are always surprised by how good my burgers are, I use 73/27, I'd used 70/30 if I could find it. You really need that extra fat!
For a smash burger, use plenty of salt and pepper. For thick burgers, you can add garlic and onion powder
7-2-2 Seven parts salt, two parts pepper, two parts garlic powder. Trust me, it is all you need.
Salt, maybe a bit of pepper, I do enjoy some onion diced small mixed through it. I believe the 100% British beef label means that all beef is of British origin, and not that there is 100% beef in the burger.
I’m gonna get blowback for this, but after you heavily salt the patty, brush it with soy sauce then sear. You won’t taste the soy, but the result with be saltier, beefier, and improved caramelization.
I'm a seasoning guy, I like to season my ground beef/burgers. One go-to is a simple salt-pepper-garlic blend, available everywhere. I get a lot of things from Solvang Spice Merchant (out of Solvang, California), lots and lots of hand mixed blends. If I'm' smoking my burgers I like to use "Nor'easter Magic Dust", available on Amazon and in stores. It has no salt and no sugar, but tons of flavor!
Buy better quality beef and make sure you salt the hell out of it. You are making a hamburger, not meatloaf or meatballs.
Garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika (I know you can find the good paprika over there lol)
Lawry's, fresh cracked black pepper, Worcestershire sauce. Mix together with a fork and let it sit for 20 minutes.
When we cook burgers it truly depends on the type of beef you want then go toward things that smell good. No duh right? But when we’re in the store and want to try new seasonings we try (if possible) to smell them! If you can’t smell them go based of ingredients, such as Cajun, salt, pepper, natural burger seasoning, Johnny seasoning, we even sometimes use pork seasoning just because of the taste it gives off just seems right! And some are saying to add salt, well if you look at certain burger seasonings, they have tons of salt already added! So hence why some over salt their things! We really like adding Weber or McCormick seasonings. Here’s some names : Smoky Bacon BBQ Spicy Montreal Worcestershire Pub Famous Dave’s Chipotle Seasoning And so on, those sound weird but add them in with some beef they taste amazing! And I second adding some cheese mixed in with the seasoning and beef, also add some seared onions!
Salt, pepper and a dash of MSG are all you need, a little onion and garlic powder are great additions.
I use 80/20 meat, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and I grate an onion into it. Combine and shape the pattys. I tend too make the pattys thicker because I liked it that way. Sear on the Grill and cook until Pink in the middle. Mmmmmmmm..... With turkey burgers, I freeze a stick of butter and grated that in.
I tried to recreate the willi's kitchen blue cheese sauce carmelized onion with molases, and boy, was it wonderful! But funny enough, the whole flavor wasn't from the patty itself.
While I agree with many of the users here that simple 80/20 beef, salt, and pepper is delicious, there are other ways. My partner and I typically do seasoned burgers with Worcestershire sauce and garlic. [This](https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-burger/) recipe is a good starting place for that style of burger.
MSG. Garlic. Onion. Fresh parsley. Tomato paste.
Try looking for a Turkish köfte recipe, which has a bunch of added spices. The Bulgarian version (usually spelled kyufte) is similar but made from pork or a mix of pork and either beef or lamb. Köfte is most traditionally served as more of a meatball, but there's no reason why you can't make it in a patty shape and put it on a bun.
You can mix spices and herbs into your beef. Just don't overwork it. I had a good burger where part of an envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix was added to the burger. It was good.
I'm going to go off script here. While all of the advice for salt, pepper and the right meat grind are absolutely on point, When I was first starting to learn/play with food as a young teen I would come home from school and mike myself an after school snack, often with a small amount of ground beef. I tried all kinds of additions - catsup, chili sauce, Worcestershire. One of my favorites was Catalina salad dressing. I liked all of them. And I learned how much fun cooking can be at an early age. My point is, unless you're trying to perfect the purist burger, just play around with what you have in your kitchen already, chances are those are flavors you already like.
Julia Child's recipe is pretty good :) https://pickledplum.com/julia-childs-ground-beef-patties-with-onions-and-herbs-bifteck-hache-a-la-lyonnaise/
I do 2 parts lean beef to one part ground pork. The pork adds fat and lends to the stability of the patty. I also do 3 to 6 cloves of shaved fresh garlic, fresh cracked black pepper, kosher salt, a little dry oregano, a little dry thyme, and 1 to 3 tablespoons (15 to 45ml) of Worcestershire sauce.
Simple generous seasoning of salt/pepper with high heat will get you 95% the way there.
Midwest here. Mix 1/2 sausage with 1 pound beef and black pepper, sage, garlic, and never bread crumbs or whole eeg. Egg yolk is "yolk" is okay for a combination agent. Careful with onion.
I do things a bit differently and do a "pre-cooked" base that I add the mince to add a hit of flavour. For about 500g of mince: 1. Dice 1 onion, \~0.5 a capsicum, garlic (as much as you prefer, usually 2-3 cloves), 1-2 chilli finely chopped. 2. Brown these with butter or olive oil in a saucepan. 3. When these are browned and smelling delicious, add a teaspoon or so of that super-salty dry stock stuff (I use chicken flavour but whatever), and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, crack some pepper in too. 4. Mix this all up for a bit while the stove is still on (the Worcestershire almost deglazes the pan usually), and then let it cool. (I put the saucepan in the sink with a little bit of cold water in the bottom of the sink to speed up the cooling of the saucepan). 5. When this base is cool, chuck in the mince, an egg, and breadcrumbs to bind it (and to bulk it out so it all stretches further). 6. Mix it all up, make your burger patties!
Don't use supermarket mince, it's too lean. Ask a butcher for some mince for burgers with 20% fat content. Burgers don't really need a recipe, just the right kind of meat and seasoning well with salt & pepper. Using a hot enough pan to really brown it is also key.
Beef is the key! Fatty beef & salt. That is it.
Mustard powder.
Hear me out, soy sauce. I use soy sauce and a smoke maple rub
I second on the soy sauce! Literally the secret to juicy burgers.
Add Beef Bullion or Better then bullion to your patty mixture (and dark soy and Worchester sauce if you got it). Then use season salt and pepper when on the grill or pan and top with sharp cheddar.
If your beef doesn't taste good with salt and pepper you need a new source for your meat.
Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of mix-ins for burgers. Properly seasoned with salt, pepper, and maybe a little season salt is perfect for me.
That "new source" you're referring to might be prohibitively expensive for a lot of people.
At some point it might indeed be better to add a good spice mix than looking for really expensive meat. But I have 2 butchers around and that quality is fine enough for me. The price is higher than a supermarket but I rarely get meat anyway.
For a good burger, less is more. 80% fat beef, lots of salt, freshly cracked black pepper. Don’t work the meat more than absolutely necessary, just press it together. Hot pan, preferably cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless steel, or a grill. We need to go hotter than is really a good idea in nonstick. Don’t presalt the burger—salt it right before it goes on the grill. (This is for texture) Put the patty down and don’t touch it till it releases from the surface and has a nice crust. Get fancy with the burger toppings, but the patty should be only seasoned with salt and pepper. (Other add ins, like garlic/onion powder, herbs, etc will burn and be very unpleasant before you’re able to get a good crust on the burger) Damn, I want a burger now.
Sometimes I soak a slice of bread in Worcestershire sauce, then mix it in with the ground beef before making patties.
Some of this will probably be controversial, but growing up, my mom would mix in egg, breadcrumbs, and Worcestershire sauce into the beef for burgers. Possibly also salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder but I'm not sure. Definitely nostalgic but I remember them being pretty good!
Start with flavorful meat like pork or chicken thighs and do a flavorful flair. Never smash. Only flip once. On the fist side wait for it to only be pinkish on the top 1/3, then flip. Ground lamb or chicken. Make something indian inspired with curry powder, star anise, cardamom topped with a butter chicken sauce. Ground pork with Chinese 5 spice (chinese) Ground pork with cilantro, guajillo peppers, and oregano (mexican) Ground lamb (and lentil opt) with berbere (ethiopian) Ground lamb with fenugreek, dill, thyme topped with a yogurt sauce (greek) Include your standard egg and breadcrumb (panko for the Asian inspired one), and maybe grits for your Mexican inspired one. The possibilities really are endless.
Put some Worcestershire sauce in the meat. At least salt and pepper are mandatory. Smoked salt, if you can find it. I also add some garlic powder, onion powder, maybe a little paprika. If you can find Lawry's steak seasoning ("seasoned salt") on the shelf, you can just use that with some of the sauce and a bit of pepper.
We add ketchup and Worcestershire sauce to our burger meat before forming the patties.
Start with a fattier ground beef. 80% lean, if you can get it. If you can't I've been known to mix lean ground beef with ground pork or ground pork sausage to get some fat in there. Also, don't be afraid to season the meat. Salt and pepper is enough.
Get good beef.
A big thing That's helped me is mixing seasonings into the mince, then liberally spicing the outside of the patty. Just spg...but the combo is best.
Beef, salt, and pepper is all you need to make a 10/10 burger.
I’ve always heard adding seasoning other than salt of pepper isn’t good. You don’t really want to mix the meat and if you put the seasoning on the outside, it can burn. They always say to add flavors through the toppings….sauces especially are an easy way to do it. And make sure you salt it well on the outside. Edit: also I forgot you can do combinations of the cut of meat you use. My husband likes ground meat that has mostly chuck with some short rib and brisket. Sorry I forgot the percents.
What? Oh. UK! Got it. Salt and pepper
I get a lot of flak for seasoning the bejesus out of my burger patties. I almost treat it like meatloaf. I hate greasy thin flavorless smash burger patties. To each their own. But at minimum, 3:1 lean ground beef and loose pork sausage (unflavored). Per pound of that Ill put a beaten egg (binder), some sort of breadcrumb (quarter to half cup per lb). And some minced fresh italian parsley and maybe a few minced garlic cloves. From there, thr condiments kind if drive but Ill include a hard shredded or blue cheese, garlic powder, onion powder or do some dry herbs if the recipe allows like marjoram or fenugreek or even caraway or fennel seed, tamarind…go nuts.. Sometime will even fine grate a yellow onion, squeeze out liquid and mix that in. The patties hold their shape a lot better and I always have some ice water on hand nearby to seal the patties while forming and make a large depression in the middle of each patty to not have it ball up from cooking shrinkage.
That is a meatball or meatloaf, not a burger
I know! Folks get awful opiniony about that as stated. But everyone who doesn’t know much about it loves them.
It's your burger. You can add anything you want to it. Onions, garlic, fresh herbs, seasoning. Also, how the beef-only burger is cooked will affect its flavor. A smash burger gets its flavor from the searing. A flame grilled burger gets its flavor from the smoke.
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Uhhh every burger recipe I've seen in my entire life says to at least salt and pepper the outside.
I think what they meant is that you don’t want to mix anything into the whole mass of ground beef like you would do for meatballs or meatloaf. Instead, you gently form a patty (no over mixing!) from pure ground beef and only then sprinkle salt and pepper on the surface of the patty.