That’s right, what do you put * in * your hamburger? I’m not talking about what fixings go one top like lettuce or tomatos etc… I mean when you make the patties from raw hamburger what else to put in there to add a little flavor?
I’ll typically add some or all of the following to my patties:
finely chopeed red onion
garlic (powder if I’m lazy, freshly minced if I’m not)
crushed red pepper
fine ground cayenne pepper
salt
corse ground black pepper
paprika
In cases when I’m stuck with low-fat beef, which doesn’t like to stay in patty shape while cooking I use a trick I was taught for making Italian meatballs with low-fat ground beef - I add some plain breadcrumbs and one or two tablespoons of milk when I’m mixing everything together. This makes the patties sticky enough to survive being cooked, either on the grill or frying pan.
So how bout the rest of you? What goes in your home made burgers?
Pretty much the same thing. I also like to add bits of chedder cheese into the meat even before I cook it. It adds an extra dimension to the hamburger I guess. I dont typically use low-fat hamburger meat, but I learned that trick when I was working in a restuarant last summer.
Everything from the above two posts except the paprika, and I usually use fresh red peppers if I’ve got them. My gf bought some “cajun spice” that I’ll toss in too sometimes. Yum. What does the paprika do for you?
some garlic (salt or powder usually, cause I’m lazy)
onion (same as before)
cayanne pepper
kosher salt
black pepper
and, if I have them, some chopped jalepeno peppers.
Grill a la the George Forman method (cause it’s lickity split and I am a college student with no grill.) Sometimes a slice or two of cheese (flip up the top half of the grill to get it to melt just right.)
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2 - any expense above the standard execution cost is paid for by him.
I put nothing in my burger. I like it plain and rare, with an occasional onion slice on top. Adding spices, herbs, eggs, etc. turns beef into meatloaf.
I stayed in an Atlanta hotel that catered to German businessmen. It had German-language magazines on the desk & a large selection of German imported beers in their bar (Yum! Bitpilsner). I ate in their resturant and it had German burgers. Much more meatloafy that a regular burger. Something was hiding inside.
As for my burgers, I like to put that steak seasoning sold as Canada Seasoning or Montreal Spice or similar. Failing that, a little onion powder, pepper, & garlic powder.
I once tried mixing in cheddar cheese and jalapeño peppers. This was back in the dorms, so I threw together what was left in the fridge and threw it on my George Foreman Grill. All the cheese oozed out of it.
Another time, I add egg, crackers, milk, onions, and a little bit of nutmeg. Basically, I made fried meatloaf.
I’m always experimenting, but I usually prefer just plain hamburger.
Paprika is like a milder, sweeter form of regular chili peppers, it adds more of that good pepper flavor without overpowering the other spices, or adding more “hottness” to the flavor. That’s what the cayenne is for
I noticed someone mentioned khosher salt, that’s my salt of choice too.
Worcestershire and onion - take half your meat and make a dent in the middle, add a few generous drops of W and a tsp of dehydrated onion, top with more meat and fry - yummy!
Soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic or ginger - for an Oriental flavour
Kanicbird I use eggs too… along with garlic, onion, parmesean cheese, and shredded pizza cheese. Sometimes I will also add montreal steak seasoning or a little barbecue sauce depending on my mood.
I take the packet of ground beef, take the plastic wrap off the top, slice a burger-shaped piece out of the meat, and throw it into the frying pan. It makes for a well textured burger, instead of the rubbery things you get when you have to moosh them into patties. Actually mixing stuff in will certainly destroy the texture. I figure if I want meatloaf (which I never do) I’ll make meatloaf, not a burger.
