What are your go-to hamburger spices?

[SaltyNuts]

Salt and pepper of course, but what else? Now, I'm not looking to have a curry burger or a red hot chili burger or anything funky like that. But I'm trying to make the burger taste even meatier and better. Thoughts?

 

[Chaotic42]

Onion/Garlic salt or actually minced up and put in the meat
Worcestershire sauce
A1
Ranch dressing mix
MSG
Soy Sauce

 

[highland145]

Liptons onion soup mix, A-1...so the wife says.

 

[SaltyNuts]

Soup mix and ranch dressing mix - do you just add the packages (without water, etc.) to the meat and grind/twist it in? Interesting!

 

[highland145]

Yep, no water. Maybe 1/3 package for 1lb. An egg too because the wife says to.

 

[Anubis]

salt and pepper

 

[SaltyNuts]

Interesting highland. Would you say a 1-serving package of soup mix for 2 hamburgers? Or a smaller or larger amount?

Thanks so far everyone!

 

[highland145]

Maybe 1/3 package for 1lb.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

If you're making a burger salt and pepper, nothing else. All you're going to do with garbage like onion soup mix, Worcestershire or garlic is hide the taste of the meat.

 

[OutHouse]

Jalapeno powder. Sprinkle a little on the meat after cooking MMMMM so damn good.

 

[OutHouse]

Yep, no water. Maybe 1/3 package for 1lb. An egg too because the wife says to.

so meatloaf.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Yep, no water. Maybe 1/3 package for 1lb. An egg too because the wife says to.

That's pretty much the recipe for meatloaf...

 

[highland145]

Dis all you want but...the wife says so.

 

[Zeze]

I'm surprised at the responses. Freshly cracked coarse pepper & kosher/sea salt alone produce amazing results. Like mouth watering results.

 

[nakedfrog]

Salt and pepper of course, but what else? Now, I'm not looking to have a curry burger or a red hot chili burger or anything funky like that. But I'm trying to make the burger taste even meatier and better. Thoughts?

Meatier? What kind of meat are you using currently? You're not going to get a meatier taste by adding other stuff, you'll get a less meaty taste. One of my grocery stores has pre-formed ground brisket patties, they've got great flavor.

 

[SaltyNuts]

nakedfrog, I use the fattiest ground beef I can find, typically the ones in those packets that are wrapped at the factory rather than at the grocery store, I heard those are better.

"Meatier" is probably not the right word. I just mean I'm not trying to create some totally different animal, like a pineapple burger or something silly. More of something to improve the flavor (which is already good) if possible.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Bartman39]

Any thing else...?

 

[monkeydelmagico]

You're not going to get a meatier taste by adding other stuff, you'll get a less meaty taste.

Buffalo or Elk will give you mighty meatier meats. MMmmmm

 

[TheGardener]

I like to mix in some bbq sauce for flavor. My favorite is Stubbs' sauce. It has no high fructose corn syrup or artificial preservatives, flavors or colors. I skip the salt and pepper, as it is already in the sauce. I also add a tsp of bread crumbs per burger, not as filler, but to help the burger stick better. With that little, you'll never taste it. Depending on my mood, I might finely chop some onions or mushrooms. The main thing is to minimize the extras. Enhancing the flavor can be good. Overwhelming it is bad.

I agree with the meatloaf comments. That is just a different category of food. No eggs, no water if you want a burger.

 

[slag]

Kosher salt and copious amounts of dried minced onion. Basically onion soup mix but just the two ingredients, salt and onion.

Then afterwards, much more fresh onion (not sauteed, ick), fresh tomato, ketchup and mustard. Sometimes sauteed mushrooms....

Bacon...

etc

 

[TheGardener]

If you think that McDonalds is the standard bearer of fine dining, then yes douse your burger with ketchup and mustard. Silly me. I thought that they did that to kill the taste of the burger.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I like to mix in some bbq sauce for flavor. My favorite is Stubbs' sauce. It has no high fructose corn syrup or artificial preservatives, flavors or colors. I skip the salt and pepper, as it is already in the sauce. I also add a tsp of bread crumbs per burger, not as filler, but to help the burger stick better. With that little, you'll never taste it. Depending on my mood, I might finely chop some onions or mushrooms. The main thing is to minimize the extras. Enhancing the flavor can be good. Overwhelming it is bad.

I agree with the meatloaf comments. That is just a different category of food. No eggs, no water if you want a burger.

I'd point out the hilarious irony of mixing in BBQ sauce, bread crumbs, mushrooms and onions while trying to pass yourself off as a burger purist by turning up your nose at water and eggs, but alas anyone who could type that paragraph without his head exploding would not be capable of grasping how it all went so horribly wrong.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

If you think that McDonalds is the standard bearer of fine dining, then yes douse your burger with ketchup and mustard. Silly me. I thought that they did that to kill the taste of the burger.

Said the guy who mixes in BBQ sauce, mushrooms, onions and breadcrumbs? ROFL!!!

 

[Ruptga]

Put some low key but rich cheese on top, like gouda. It will buff the savor of the meat without making it taste like something else.

 

[Homerboy]