There aren’t many things more American than a great hamburger. But knowing how to actually create the perfect burger has bewildered many a cook for more than 100 years. We love a great food debate and the hamburger is an ideal subject with strong differing points of view - everything from which type of bun is best, how cooked should the meat be, what are the ideal burger toppings, is it better to cook on the grill or on the griddle and of course my favorite, what type of seasoning to use?

I won’t go too deep into most of these subjects as making the ideal burger is such a personal thing and is really open to interpretation (for the most part there is no right answer). With that said I will weigh in on seasoning your burger. There are some burger "purists" who are of the opinion that the only seasoning your burger needs is some freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt. Here I do disagree. Although you certainly can’t be surprised by that!

History of the American Burger

The first hamburgers weren’t actually served on buns but between two pieces of bread. There are multiple tales about who really created the first hamburger. The most credible story is of two brothers from Akron, Ohio who "invented" the burger while working the fair circuit in 1885. They introduced this at the Hamburg, New York fair as a necessity only after they ran out of pork for their hot sausage patty sandwiches. The local butcher was out of pork at the time but he did have some beef that he could grind up for them…  

The hamburger was first served on a bun in 1891 at a large family gathering on a farm just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. These first "burgers on a bun" were ground Angus.
 

Burger Basics

Now while there are numerous "grey areas" of what constitutes the best burger there are some things that the pros do that they feel are not really negotiable. First is the type of meat. Ground Chuck that’s 80/20 or 70/30 is widely considered to be ideal as it has enough fat to give that juiciness that an awesome burger needs. We like to pick up fresh ground chuck from our local butcher and while it might be a bit more physiological than factual, I think it tastes better than ground chuck purchased at the local supermarket.

According to Hamburger America, the best burgers in the country tend to be cooked on griddles (81 out of the top 100). Tremendous burgers tend to fall into one of two unmistakable categories. There’s the tavern or pub style that’s juicy and plump with the outside being a bit charred while the inside tends to be cooked rare to medium rare. Then you have the traditional griddled hamburger of diners which are much thinner with the edges crisply cooked. The tavern hamburger has a precooked weight of 7 to 8 ounces while the diner style burger is much lighter coming in at 3 to 4 ounces precooked weight.

Those that cook the nation’s best burgers for a living prefer to cook on griddles or in heavy, cast-iron skillets. Cooking in this manner allows the beef fat to collect around the patties as they cook which keeps the burgers from drying out or shriveling up like they tend to do on the grill. This doesn’t mean that you can't cook your burgers outside (another American pastime) but if you do you might want to think about using your cast iron skillet to do so.

The Story Behind Our Chop House Burger Seasoning

There aren’t many things better than finally getting to cook outside once the weather warms up. As I've mentioned more than once or twice before I tend to grill a lot of chicken but lately I’ve been in the mood for some burgers.

This has led to lots of experimenting with everything from what medium to cook on, different types of meat to use and of course using a variety of seasonings. After lots of research and testing I’ve pretty much settled in on ground chuck as providing the most flavorful burgers (for my tastes). For several of the test runs with our new Chop House Burger Seasoning I did some testing using our cast iron skillet on the grill. Even after everything I had read I was still a bit skeptical but that quickly changed after I took the first bite… simply amazing! I’m now sold on this as being a method that I'll be using on a very regular basis.

After our more recent burger addition, Diablo Burger Seasoning, I was in the mood to have this next burger seasoning to have more of an onion and garlic base. Since I am constantly researching and developing new seasonings to test I’ve naturally become a bit biased to having some favorite spices. I absolutely love using roasted granulated garlic and toasted granulated onion. Roasted garlic has a bold, aromatic and almost sweet flavor profile with caramel undertones. While toasted onion seals in the lively, deep onion flavor while replacing the sharpness of traditional granulated onion with a warm, delicate aroma.

Also while I tend to shy away from salt as a primary ingredient in most of our blends I tested several versions of this blend during development with different salt amounts until I felt that I hit on the ideal combination.

Flavor Profile

You’ll first pick up a saltiness followed by the bold onion flavor and then hints of garlic and even a touch of sweetness.

What’s In It

Hand blended from sea salt, toasted onion, roasted garlic, paprika and chives.

How to Use It

For our Chop House Burger Seasoning I’ve tended to season more liberally than my general recommendation of 1 tablespoon of seasoning per lb of meat. For the first several times that you use this seasoning I suggest that you go with less than you think that you need as our blends tend to be quite potent. You can always add more flavor after tasting.

Helpful Hints

Add the seasoning after the burgers have already been formed instead of mixing it into the meat as this helps keep the meat from being overworked. Season your burgers just before cooking otherwise the hamburger tends to dry out a bit.

Keep your burgers in the fridge right up to the time you’re ready to season and cook them. This helps keep the fat from “melting” and provides optimum burger flavor.

If you’re a fan of burger seasonings then you might want to check out our Diablo Burger Seasoning, Burger Blast and Fort Worth Burger Seasoning.

Related Blog Posts

What Spices Go With What Meat
The Difference Between Smoking, Barbecuing and Grilling
The Best Vegetables for Grilling
Our 5 Favorite Types of Burgers

Nutritional Information
Serving Size 1 Teaspoon, Amount Per Serving: Calories 2.8, Fat Cal. 0.9, Total Fat 0.0 (0% DV), Sat. Fat 0g (0% DV), Trans Fat 0g (0% DV), Cholest. 0mg (0% DV), Sodium 404.7mg (17% DV), Total Carb. 0.6g (0% DV), Dietary Fiber 0.1g (0% DV), Sugars 0g, Protein 0.1g (0%DV), Vitamin A (3% DV), Vitamin C (1.1% DV), Calcium (0.3% DV), Iron (0.5% DV), Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.