Please help...my burgers are tasteless

[Noel]

Not the buns or condiments...but the beef itself. It is quality beef, fresh ground, 20% fat. I use a charcoal grill or sometimes pan fry in a cast iron pan on high heat.

Do you folks out there add anything to your beef?

Or do you leave it alone, pretty much, maybe S &P only?

My burgers do not taste like they do at a GOOD burger joint.

Thanks

[Golden_HVAC]

Jay Leno recommends a ice chip in the center of a hamburger, and it retains moisture inside. I have not tried it yet.

I like to sprinkle some Lawyers season salt on the hamburgers, chicken or whatever I am frying. Sometimes I use garlic salt.

Reason some take out food tastes so good? They salt the heck out of it, and that adds taste. But not so healthy.

Many times I chop up a onion and put that into the hamburger, however my new kids don't like onion that much, so I hardly ever have any in the house anymore.

I was watching great hamburger places, and one guy was using bread crumbs, and other things (including a egg) and the host was thinking "You are making meatloaf" but it was really 1/3 pound hamburgers.

Fred.

[jfkmk]

20%fat is a pretty fatty burger. Fat makes it taste good, but I don't want my burger to kill me. We use 93% lean beef, and usually make them with sautéed onions and jalapeño peppers. We make them in advance, freeze and vacuum pack them, and they're ready to go when we are!

[AH64ID]

Murphsmom wrote:
If I am going to serve beef burgers, I almost always buy the frozen sirloin patties from Costco. Best "store bought" burgers we have had. I use Montreal and garlic on those, also.

Same here, with those it's normally just a little seasoning or S&P.

[Murphsmom]

We usually have elk burger, too, with just Montreal and garlic powder. If I am going to serve beef burgers, I almost always buy the frozen sirloin patties from Costco. Best "store bought" burgers we have had. I use Montreal and garlic on those, also.

[naturist]

Bacon.

Our favorite hamburger is made at a local meat shop, where their secret is to throw the butt end of a freshly sliced slab of bacon into the grinder along with the beef. Not much bacon, just a little bit, ground up right along with the cow.

[4aSong]

I usually add Worchester Sauce, Diced Onion and S&P and mix it thoroughly before making the patties. This works for us.

[AH64ID]

For beef or elk burgers I mix them closer to a meatloaf than burgers, it gives a lot of flavor and you still can taste the meat. We generally make elk burgers, they just taste better... but it does mean I have to have a successful hunting season.

This is for 1-1.5lbs. 1 or 2 tbsp Italian Bread Crumbs, 1 egg, tsp minced garlic, tsp dried onion or more fresh onion, couple splashes of Chipotle Tabasco, few splashed of Worcestershire sauce, and a little seasons. The seasoning varies from Spice Hunter "The Zip", Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning, Johnnies, Cabela's Venison Seasoning, Spice Hunter BBQ Seasoning, etc.. I will also on occasion mix in blue cheese crumbles prior to forming the patties.

At home I smoke them on the Traeger for 30-45 minutes and finish them off at 275-300°.

When we are camping I cook them over the fire with a fire-top grill. I get a nice fire going and then let it die down to mostly coals with a few flames.

[donn0128]

Johnnies seasoning is about all I use for almost everything. If you cant find it locally in places like Costco go inline for Johnnies Dock Tacoma WA.

[rockhillmanor]

I used to add a SMALL amount of Open Pit BBQ sauce to the ground beef b
BEFORE forming the patties and cooking it. You can't taste the sauce it just adds a layer of flavor to the beef

Everyone loved the taste of my burgers and couldn't believe that is what I added. I also use ground sirloin which actually has a flavor to it!

I've also used a SMALL amount of Worcestershire sauce or A-1 to the ground beef instead of the Open Pit when that disappeared off the shelves. It adds a nice under tone of flavor also.

I never add salt, pepper or seasonings to my burgers.

[Escargot]

My standard adds are: Worchester Sauce and S&P.
Beyond those, whatever strikes my fancy at the time of preparation.

[coolbreeze01]

Not that difficult http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/emerils-simple-seasoned-just-right-beef-burgers-recipe.htm

[Halmfamily]

We use garlic and pepper and slow cook them. Cook them too fast and they dry out. If campfire is going cook over that, gives a nice wood smoke flavor. Happy camping.

[edm3rd]

Are you possibly over-cooking them? Are they juicy? Do you have some crust? Otherwise I agree with the other posters on seasonings.

[Rolling_Condo]

We add Lipton's Beefy Onion dry soup mix and Worcestershire sauce. Makes a very tasty burger.

[rexlion]

You might not want to know what your burger joint is putting into their burgers! LOL. Hopefully not MSG or something even worse.

When cooking with charcoal, try soaking some hickory chips in water for 10-15 minutes and throwing them on the coals just before you put the burgers on the grate. Then close the lid. The hickory (or any wood chips, but I like hickory best) will smoke the meat with far better flavor than the charcoal alone.