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

[rollingslow]

pappys is what i use

[jfkmk]

Super_Dave wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:
Google "Juicy Lucy" Burgers.

Ron, lots of hits on porn sites!!! LOL!

I sure hope you didn't google this from work then!

[GraciesDaddy]

For Pan Frying: (1tsp of each to 1# beef) Garlic Powder, Worcestershire, Black Pepper, Old Bay (which has LOTS of salt in it).

For Grilling (i.e., over charcoal), the aforementioned hickory chips soaked for a couple of hours in beer (I know... for a lot of you, a waste of a good beer!) and everything but the Old Bay. For me, ANY salt overpowers the flavor left behind from the charcoal.

Oh... And something else that hasn't been mentioned: Make sure the beef is either completely fresh or COMPLETELY thawed! "Cold spots" in the beef do not a) cook well or b) taste good.

[Super_Dave]

Ron3rd wrote:
Google "Juicy Lucy" Burgers.

Ron, lots of hits on porn sites!!! LOL!

[Ron3rd]

Google "Juicy Lucy" Burgers.

[Noel]

Thanks to all for all your suggestions. I will be busy for years.

[Oldme]

We noticed the same thing recently.
The found the answer.

The health food people will scream,
however you need some FAT for taste.

Too lean is tasteless.
95% lean is tasteless.
85% lean is better.

We like 80-85% on the grill and let it flame up.
The flame up shows the fat milting out.

Enjoy.

[Super_Dave]

I don't believe in adding a lot to my hamburger patties. If I wanted meat loaf, I'd make meat loaf.

[wbwood]

We normally used Lawry's seasoning salt, but recently have turned to Dizzy Pig's Cow Lick seasoning...

[littlemo]

As another poster said make 2 thin patties, put choice of grated cheese in the middle, a little chopped onion and jalapeno pepper and slap them together, pinch edges and grill. You can also add Worcestershire sauce, Tonys, liquid smoke, Cavendars greek seasoning to burgers while forming. Don't use all just experiment on which taste you like.

[Big_Katuna]

I use ground sirloin and cook them sous vide for a few hours 126 degrees then sear them 1-2 minute per side in a smoking hot iron skillet. So juicy. Publix sells ground Kobe but it was too greasy for us. Some day Ill grind brisket and chuck together with some pork.

[NYCgrrl]

Since I home grind my meat for burgers, sausages and pates I control most of the process and it makes me happier. So many tasty ways to season burgers and many of them have been discussed above. Another possibility is to finely grate an onion and pour the juice into the meat before forming the patties. Finely minced garlic can be nice as well.

SWMO wrote:

Never pack a patty, shape it. Don't make it too thin. Make a small indention with your thumb in the center. Flip it once and don't overcook. It must be a little loose and be packed to just hold together.
As far as flavor goes,good burger doesn't have to have anything else. The flavor is in the fat and if its its there.

X2

[fchammer1]

I can agree with almost all of the suggestions so far. Another one? Prepare a good FALAFEL mix and combine it with your ground beef! Start with 1/4 falafel to 3/4 burger and experiment. Hey, it's one more flavor sensation.

[ridingfamily4]

SWMO wrote:

If you buy from a market that has a loose ground burger, preferably with a little pork in it, and it is 80/20 you're 75% of the way there.
Never pack a patty, shape it. Don't make it too thin. Make a small indention with your thumb in the center. Flip it once and don't overcook. It must be a little loose and be packed to just hold together.
As far as flavor goes,good burger doesn't have to have anything else. The flavor is in the fat and if its its there.

I was going to say the same ^^^. I would add that for me, the best burger is med rare to med.

I do season with garlic salt and pepper. I like my burger to taste like beef, not all the other additives - I add those on top of the bun.