Seasoning hamburger patties - put it inside of them or outside?

[Stephen Tashiro]

A quick survey of internet pages about seasoning hamburgers shows that most recommend seasoning the outside of the burger. Fewer recommend mixing spices into the ground beef as the patty is formed. Are both methods satisfactory?

Years ago, packets of "hamburger helper" contained directions to mix it into the raw ground beef for making burgers. Today, the videos I find about hamburger helper are not about hamburgers, but rather about mixtures of ground beef with other ingredients like macaroni and rice where the ground beef is cooked loose, not formed into a patty.

[Christopher Herzog]

There used to be a local restaurant that the old lady who did all the cooking swore by mixing her secret blend into the burger. I think she would still salt and pepper on the griddle. It was very good, miss that place....

Just a memory, thanks for the post!
Chris

[Stan Calow]

The Hamburger Helper I knew in my youth always had pasta in it, not just spices. So cooking procedures would be different. I dont see any advantages in mixing seasoning into the meat for hamburger patties, over just sprinkling on top.

I prefer using 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joes, but I think just plain garlic salt is OK too. BIL likes to chop up onions and mix that in the burger so it cooks at same time.

[Jim Koepke]

IMO, it depends on what herbs and spices you are using. Some might burn on the grill or in the pan.

I remember the burgers at Original Joe's in SF. The cook would slam the burger into chopped onions on a chopping block.

I've also had burgers stuffed with many things including bacon and green olives.

Some things are good on the outside for a crunchy coating. Other things are good on the inside (like oregano or basil) so they do not burn while cooking. They also spread their flavor through the juices while cooking.

Cooking is as much an art as it is a science.

jtk

[Jim Becker]

I season "outside" liberally, but several hours before use....or...just before I put them into a "suckie" bag (vacuum bag) for either sous vid or freezing for sous vid later. The time resting with the seasoning allows the salt in particular to get into the meat if they are pre-formed as I most often use. Now if you are mixing up your own mixture of "stuff", you can certainly season internally if you prefer.

[Edward Weber]

One reason they say to only season the outside, is that overworking the meat can make for a tougher burger.
I season mine throughout being careful not to over do it.

[John Ziebron]

I agree with Edward. Adding spices in the mixture means you have to work them in for even distribution and any good chef will tell you that the more you work your ground beef the tougher it will be. You can merinate your patties for extra flavor with liquids like a mixture of soy sauce and the W sauce that no one can pronounce correctly, including me. And although you can add spices on top even hours before cooking salt should only be added just before grilling or any other method of cooking.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

A quick survey of internet pages about seasoning hamburgers shows that most recommend seasoning the outside of the burger. Fewer recommend mixing spices into the ground beef as the patty is formed. Are both methods satisfactory?

Years ago, packets of "hamburger helper" contained directions to mix it into the raw ground beef for making burgers. Today, the videos I find about hamburger helper are not about hamburgers, but rather about mixtures of ground beef with other ingredients like macaroni and rice where the ground beef is cooked loose, not formed into a patty.

I made enough sausage over the last 40 years to know that you can't put the sausage seasoning on the outside, whether beef, pork or something else. When making sausage, we usually mix the seasoning with the chunks of meat before it is ground. Mix the chunks and seasoning and let them sit over night in the cold for the seasoning to be absorbed into the meat. Then run through coarse grind and depending on what type, run it through again with fine chop. Sometimes we add stuff to the sausage before running through the stuffer, cheese chunks, apple bits, (one buddy likes spinach added) Our Beef sausage is always cold smoked until fairly hard.

My mother always mixed spices with the burger before making patties. The only reason I don't is because much of the ground beef comes back from the butcher shop already in frozen patties. We raise our own grass fed beef and the ground beef is usually close to 90% lean. (When frying there is barely enough fat to fry and none to pour off.) Higher fat content makes adding seasoning easier and higher fat content normally tastes a bit better to an extent. Just freezing changes the character of the meat. I know people who will never buy beef that has been frozen.

As for taste, Mrs and I buy Bison meat (london broil or sirloins) for special dinners a few times a year. It is always very lean and is frozen and cryovac ed when we buy it at the market. Thawed, marinated and grilled over a wood fire, seared with high heat first and then slow cooked to rare. It is always great. (BTW, tonight's salmon has already been sprinkled lightly with old bay and the apple wood is stacked next to the grill. goes with roast corn on the cob and grilled summer squash and tomatoes)

[George Yetka]

I find with seasoning the outside of burgers and cooking with direct flame burns the seasoning and doesnt taste good. If you are cooking on a griddle/foreman/cast iron/etc that will work fine. I actually do no seasoning anymore I buy Brisket burgers and enjoy. If I end up with ground beef I need to use up I will either use a little chopped onion and Stubbs beef marinade.

[Rich Engelhardt]

In/out - makes little difference to me - as long as it's done prior to or while the burger is cooked.

I keep trying to make my wife understand that food seasoned after it's been cooked doesn't taste right......she just hands me the salt shaker and walks away.

[Ole Anderson]

I season mine on the outside and, frankly, I'm lazy and clank a couple of Vidalia Bubba burgers on the grill and season one side, still frozen, with Montreal steak seasoning or one of the Bearded Butcher blends. Better than any restaurant burger I have had.

[Brian Runau]

I cut fresh herbs, oregano, chives chopped fine then add munched garlic salt pepper into the meat, mixed it up then make patties.

[Pat Germain]

Years ago I tried to the expensive and time-consuming method of making burgers by chopping cuts of beef in my food processor and delicately forming it into patties. I recall I added salt and pepper to the mix before forming the patties. Oh, good golly. Best. Burgers. Ever.

I you're up for it, you can find instructional videos for this on the Brian Lagerstrom and America's Test Kitchen channels on YouTube.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Years ago I tried to the expensive and time-consuming method of making burgers by chopping cuts of beef in my food processor and delicately forming it into patties.

I've tried that too - as described by an Alton Brown video. I didn't like the texture. There were tiny chewy bits in the burger.

[John Ziebron]

I've tried that too - as described by an Alton Brown video. I didn't like the texture. There were tiny chewy bits in the burger.

If the bits were tiny you likely chopped the meat too long. I think the cuts of meat you use is also very important. Over decades of trying different methods to get the best hamburger pattie I think this one is the best. You need to check out the America's Test Kitchen version which explains it very well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMy97MNliTA