Well, I have some of the guys coming over tonight to watch a movie, and I am going to try out my new grill. Since this will be my first time cooking with it, I thought that I would still to something simple, like good ol' hamburgers.
So, I got thinking. I like to put some seasonings in my meat prior to grilling (not just putting stuff on top), but I wonder what things do you folks like to put into your hamburgers when making them?
Some of my favorite things to put in (not all in the same burger, but various combinations)...
This is NOT a recipe... Do NOT mix this all into your meat.
Worcestershire
Soy (In moderation only. Too salty otherwise)
BBQ sauce (We have something called Sweet Baby Ray's that is good. Just a little added to other ingredients.)
Fresh ground black pepper
Lawry's season salt
Minced garlic
Shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
Fresh parmesan or romano cheese (not with the cheeses above)
Montreal steak seasoning
Garlic powder and/or onion powder (if not doing fresh garlic, or for a "smoother" burger. My youngest doesn't like "chunks" in her burgers.)
I've tried a bit of red drinking (not cooking) wine, but wasn't overly impressed.
What are some other ingredients that people like in their burgers? I am one of those guys that can mix up a variety of ingredients without a recipe and make it taste good, but I am just looking for ideas that I haven't come across yet.
I like to bake some garlic, then chop and add to burgers. Just don't overwork the beef or you get tough burgers.
That is another thing. I see some people lightly shape their burgers, and others that work the meat a little to mix things in. The lightly shaped burgers tend to shrink up a lot. I like to "massage the meat" (line from one of the Lethal Weapon movies)... but I don't over work it. I like burgers that don't turn into Wendy's "where's the beef" burgers where they are so much more bun than burger.
Maybe good meat makes a difference. We have access to some pretty good beef (I do live in the midwest after all)...
The only good beef is farm raised like we get from the inlaws.
Enjoy the show.
We add a little Dijon Mustard into our mixture.
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The only good beef is farm raised like we get from the inlaws. Enjoy the show.
Fresh kill is the best.
Does anyone use the essence of pure flavor like in Futurama?
Tonight, we did a simple combination of a bit of soy sauce, Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb, and fresh ground black pepper (for that "warm" in your mouth feel even when the heat is gone)...
Topped with a slice of Velveta cheese, some white onions, pickles, regular yellow mustard, and ketchup.
It was actually pretty darn good.
The family drove over to Altoona tonight to hit Lowes and Menards. On the way around the bypass, I rolled down the windows and I swear I could smell the Angus beef cooking as well as some Axiom 60's rockin Pleasant Hill.
Nick, I simply mix pepper, salt and parmesan in. What I don't understand is why Peter hasn't commented on how he likes to "massage the meat".
That's because nobody beats Pete's meat.
Rich
I think he only massages his meat while playing the skin flute...
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That's because nobody beats Pete's meat.
Damn straight. Pour a little sauce on it, rub it a few times for an even coating, then put it in the box to get good and hot. Take it out before it's completely done and transfer it between a pair of nice, fluffy buns. It'll be so good you won't care that the juice runs down your face as you finish it off.
LOL! Time to clean the coffee off my monitor. . .
I knew he couldn't resist an invitation like that.
WOW!!!!
What's left for dessert???
Good quality meat, worschester, black pepper, and Lawry's Seasoned Salt. That's all you need.
A good trick my father taught me was to shape the patties like blood vesels; that is, a fatter lip and a thinner middle. That way they cook up flat and even.
Did someone say they put Velveeta on a burger? Why would you ruin a lovely hamburger with plastic cheese?
Sharp english cheddar, maybe jarlsburg (sorta like swiss) or some nice tangy blue and I'm set.
Damn... That sounds like a dinner plan!
I put some, straight from a small Wisconsin farm, colbyjack on mine. Velveta melts well, but I wouldn't call it cheese either. Oh well, catering to my "guests"....
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The only good beef is farm raised like we get from the inlaws.
Randy, isn't all beef farm-raised? Or do you know something i don't? 
The price is right though, isn't it!?!
I don't know if I'd call the feed lots along I-5 farms... Farms generally have green stuff, right?
nahh, they are all just different points in a chain that eventually leads to Bovine University.
99% of cattle will go through similar feed lots for fattening before shipping to slaughter.
It takes a little time, but I like to "stuff" my meat (hehe). I don't actually stuff them, I just make 2 patties and press the edges together around bleu cheese and bacon or cheddar and bacon or roasted garlic and grilled onions or whatever. Then I dust the burger with a little kosher salt and ground pepper and grill away. I do like to mix a little garlic powder and onion powder in sometimes. My butcher will grind top round and chuck together for me to get a 12% or so fat content burger which I like, just enough fat to keep them juicy but lots of beef flavor. Nice to have a real old fashioned butcher shop 2 blocks away. Grain and grass fed, no steroids or antibiotics.
-Grain-fed farm beef (generally "lean")
-Montreal steak spice
-Lipton's onion soup mix (mostly the powder)
-Worstershire
-Whole egg
-Bread crumbs
-Crushed garlic
-Fresh ground pepper
That's pretty much my 'burger recipe. I (personally) top with ketchup, mustard, diced onions, dill pickles (spears, not rounds) on the heel, Ranch dressing on the crown, old cheddar melted onto the burger.
Green (hot dog) relish on a burger is heresy... and "hamburger relish" is an abomination.
Looking at the recipe, it seems like a lot of different flavours, and it is... if you like to taste meat, then don't eat at my place. I don't drink vodka either... I'm a smoker, I like my flavour.
Bren R.
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I'm a smoker, I like my flavour.
I suppose you need all that junk in there to overpower the layer of tar-infused phlegm, eh? <poke, poke> Actually, that recipe looks pretty tasty.
(The juxtaposition of 'phlegm' and 'tasty' was intentional, yes.)
I add
Peter Luger sauce to the ground beef and make 1/2 lb patties. Perfection!
All good ideas, here.
Virtually all of the time, we have 4-6 oz burgers with just garlic salt and fresh pepper. I make them quite thin (with the indentation in the middle) and cook for only about 2 minutes per side. Straight from the grill to the real mayo spread on the bun.
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-Grain-fed farm beef (generally "lean")
-Montreal steak spice
-Lipton's onion soup mix (mostly the powder)
-Worstershire
-Whole egg
-Bread crumbs
-Crushed garlic
-Fresh ground pepper
Must be a canadian thing, as I put the same stuff into my burgers, sometimnes only the onion soup mix and other times just a few of the extras. Other times just mix in BBQ sauce right into the beef or all of the above to really make the taste buds go crazy. I have also just used beer as flavouring over nonspiced burgers, its also really good for wild meat - deer, moose, etc.
More of the "Canadian things" need to make their way south. I had poutine (w/sausage) for the first time in Whistler and loved it. Anything other tasty treats I should look for?
Wild meat, now you are talkin.
I mostly do moose burgers and the odd venison burger (when I don't manage to bring home a moose in the fall). I add a bit of regular ground beef to give it a little fat as the moose meat is nearly fat free and just a little too lean on its own. To that I add some minced onion, some worshester, egg, pepper and bread crumbs.
We're big on pork burgers here. Like em just as well as beef. Ketchup, mustard, 3 (three) dill slices, and a little ongion if it's on the table. If we're puttin' on the dog for company there might be some cheese. We grill year-round, ever grill in the snow? At night?
Follow that up with homemade ice cream and you've got my birthday dinner.
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-Grain-fed farm beef (generally "lean")
-Montreal steak spice
-Lipton's onion soup mix (mostly the powder)
-Worstershire
-Whole egg
-Bread crumbs
-Crushed garlic
-Fresh ground pepper
Must be a canadian thing, as I put the same stuff into my burgers, sometimnes only the onion soup mix and other times just a few of the extras. Other times just mix in BBQ sauce right into the beef or all of the above to really make the taste buds go crazy. I have also just used beer as flavouring over nonspiced burgers, its also really good for wild meat - deer, moose, etc.
I'll vouch for the dry Onion soup mix here in Ontario as well. It's weird, because I don't remember anyone ever showing me or telling me the "big secret". Must just be in our DNA.
jakewash, you're right - mixing the BBQ sauce right in with the raw meat is an amazing burst of flavour as well.
I've been fortunate enough to have attended this mans classes and demonstrations numerous times. His trick is to aggressively work the meat to get as much air out as possible. And he makes them very thick. There wasn't one person there who didn't have juices running down their face.
Normally mine are pretty basic, but this thread inspired me to experiment a bit last night. I mixed in some BBQ sauce, some pepper, and used taco cheese on top (that or American was all I had, thought that would go better). Since it was a BBQ burger, I used more BBQ instead of ketchup on top. I had a tomato on it as well.
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-Grain-fed farm beef (generally "lean")
-Montreal steak spice
-Lipton's onion soup mix (mostly the powder)
-Worstershire
-Whole egg
-Bread crumbs
-Crushed garlic
-Fresh ground pepper
Here in the (Midwest) United States, that's called meatloaf, not a hamburger.
Then again, we also make 'horeshoes' around here, which are as follows, top-down:
lots of cheese sauce
lots of French Fries
Hamburger patties (or fried chicken tenders!, or fried pork tenderloin!!)
Toasted bread
Plate
I can handle about one per year. 
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that's called meatloaf, not a hamburger
Amen.
Variety is the spice of life in my book. I run the gamut from straight up beef to a more "meatloaf" concoction. It depends on mood, and the type/quality of the meat.
I tend to add more things when I use a drier meat (like Bison), instead of adding another meat with more fat. Those additions help add/keep moisture in the final product.
For those who like Worcestershire sauce, I've substituted
Pickapeppa sauce with great success. Similar flavor profile, but just a tinge of heat.
Vidalia Onion Steak Sauce has also been a winner.
To get a "cowboy burger" flavor, take some crispy bacon, and crumble it up into the burger meat. Works really well with Montreal seasoning.
Perhaps the oddest thing I've sprinkled on that has been a winner is some
Old Bay Seasoning. Seems odd, but it really works.
Rich
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-Grain-fed farm beef (generally "lean")
-Montreal steak spice
-Lipton's onion soup mix (mostly the powder)
-Worstershire
-Whole egg
-Bread crumbs
-Crushed garlic
-Fresh ground pepper
Here in the (Midwest) United States, that's called meatloaf, not a hamburger.
Then again, we also make 'horeshoes' around here, which are as follows, top-down:
lots of cheese sauce
lots of French Fries
Hamburger patties (or fried chicken tenders!, or fried pork tenderloin!!)
Toasted bread
Plate
I can handle about one per year.
How does the plate taste?
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we also make 'horeshoes' around here
Like these?
Wow... how outstandingly tacky.
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How does the plate taste?
It totally depends on the restaurant. If it's a super cheap hole-in-the-wall place that uses paper plates, there's so much grease soaked into the plate that you can't tell the difference between plate and bread. Kind of a neat space-age compound.
Otherwise, no, I wouldn't recommend eating the plate.
Google, don't fail me now!!
....
Ding! Horseshoe!
Ah, yes.
Otherwise known as "Heart Attack on a Plate".
Cheesey Pleasey...
WhatFurrer
>>Google, don't fail me now!! .... Ding! Horseshoe!
Wow... that puts poutine to shame.
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-Grain-fed farm beef (generally "lean")
-Montreal steak spice
-Lipton's onion soup mix (mostly the powder)
-Worstershire
-Whole egg
-Bread crumbs
-Crushed garlic
-Fresh ground pepper
Must be a canadian thing, as I put the same stuff into my burgers, sometimnes only the onion soup mix and other times just a few of the extras. Other times just mix in BBQ sauce right into the beef or all of the above to really make the taste buds go crazy. I have also just used beer as flavouring over nonspiced burgers, its also really good for wild meat - deer, moose, etc.
And brown gravy on the fries? Or is that a BC thing only?
Mark, where can I buy those shoes? Shoot me a PM, big boy!!!
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Mark, where can I buy those shoes? Shoot me a PM, big boy!!!
Mark, only do it if she promises to post a photo of her in them!!
Hey Speakergrrl...
Long time no-post!
And, what Bu-Wheet said!
I was surprised that Speakergrrl didn't make her presence be known a little sooner in this thread.
You be knowing her presence, too?
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Here in the (Midwest) United States, that's called meatloaf, not a hamburger.
You guys also ask how people want ground beef cooked.
Which relates to me as (most to least) : Well done, E. Coli, Campylobacteria, and Tapeworm-the-size-of-an-anaconda.
Bren R.
Amen, Brother Bren. I did a term paper in medical school on Campylobacter jejuni and have been extra careful ever since, especially with chicken and turkey.
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You be knowing her presence, too?
You be funny!