Ways to Spice up your Hamburger Patty Seasonings

Posted in Meal Ideas on June 6, 2012

Tired of the same ole hamburger seasoning? We’re here to help.

Below are several examples of seasonings, ideas, tips and more for your next grilling experience!

 

According to Big Dan’s Rambling:

The first, and most important, step is to allow the patties to come up to room temperature.  Letting the patties come to room temperature allows any additional seasoning you add to be pressed into the meat.  It also allows for better grilling performance due to the fact that the grill heat is only being used to cook the hamburger patty, not to defrost it first.

The second step is to add herbs and seasoning.  A good place to start is with a simple mixture of salt, pepper and chopped parsley.  Apply liberal amounts of each seasoning item to each side of the patties and press in.  When possible, fresh parsley is best, but the chopped parsley flakes you can buy in your supermarket spice aisle will do in a pinch.  Salt, pepper and parsley are trusty standbys, but you can also use many different variations.  If you want a bit of a spicy concoction, try our dry rub recipe.  You might also want to try placing diced onions and peppers along with small bits of bacon into the patties.  The key with the last few items is to make sure they are small amount and that they aren’t overdone.  Remember, you are looking to enhance the flavor of the hamburger patty, not overbear it with too much of anything.

Source: Big Dan’s Rambling

 

Get the Best Flavor

Meat with a higher fat content will be juicier but will also shrink more when it cooks. If you shop at a grocery store or a butcher that grinds their own beef, choose coarsely ground beef for juicier burgers with a more pleasing texture.

Add just about anything you like to your burger mixture. Here are a few flavoring suggestions:

  • Fresh or dried herbs and spices
  • Dehydrated or fresh minced onion and garlic
  • Seasoning mixes for soups or salad dressings
  • Your favorite cheese, such as Blue cheese, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, Feta, Stilton, Cheddar, or pepperjack
  • Prepared sauces including Barbeque sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, Hoisin sauce, plum sauce, oyster sauce, salsa, or salad dressing
  • Other tidbits like olives, capers, chopped tomatoes, diced chiles, crumbled bacon, or minced ham

***Tips—

Save the Salt

Here’s one common ingredient to leave out. Wait on the salt! Don’t combine it into the mixture, especially if you’re not going to grill the patties right away. Salt will extract moisture from the meat, leaving you with bone-dry burgers. Instead, sprinkle each burger with salt right before you put it on the grill.

Don’t Mix Too Much

Use a light touch when combining seasonings with the ground beef. If you mix it too much, your burgers will be dense and heavy.

Let the Flavors Mingle

Leave the meat mixture (or patties) in the refrigerator for several hours to allow all the flavors to mingle. To form patties, wet your hands a little to keep the meat from sticking to them. If you’ve patties ahead of time, stack them on a plate separated by waxed paper and cover with plastic wrap before you put it in the refrigerator.

Turn Once

And it’s hard to resist, but try not to flatten your burgers with the spatula. It squeezes out flavorful juices.

 

Want to check out 20 burger recipes? Click here

Source: All Recipes.