Good Spices for Hamburgers: What to Mix In, What to Sprinkle On, and When to Salt

Ground beef already has plenty of flavor, so a burger needs only a few seasonings: salt, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, and often a splash of Worcestershire sauce. What matters more is when the salt goes in. In America’s Test Kitchen’s test, salt mixed into the meat made burgers so dense and snappy they were like sausage. And for doneness, trust a thermometer, not the color.

At a glance

Salt: on the outside, at the last minute

America’s Test Kitchen seasoned burger meat three ways: salt worked in before shaping, salt on the surface 30 minutes ahead, and salt on the surface right before cooking. The longer the meat sat with salt, the firmer and springier the burgers got. The batch with salt mixed in was so dense and snappy it was like sausage. ATK explains that salt makes the meat protein myosin more soluble so it forms a gel, which cooks up springy. Only the patties salted at the last minute were tender and juicy all the way through, so ATK’s advice is to salt burgers right before cooking.¹

The same goes for salty blends like seasoned salt, garlic salt or Montreal steak seasoning. ATK’s test was on plain salt, but the logic carries over: put them on the outside just before the patties hit the heat. The salt-free powders below can be mixed in.

Black pepper

ATK says to grind peppercorns just before you use them.² Press a coarse grind onto the outside of the patty for a peppery crust. See cracked vs. ground black pepper.

Garlic powder and onion powder

Powders blend evenly into ground meat without the bits or juice of fresh aromatics, so they’re a natural fit for burgers. A University of Idaho burger recipe uses 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder per pound of ground beef.³ ATK found that garlic powder straight from the jar hasn’t developed its full flavor and recommends mixing it with a little water first.⁷ Stirring it into the Worcestershire before mixing does the same job.

Onion powder is almost dry. USDA lists 5.39 g of water per 100 g, against 89.1 g in raw onion.⁴⁵ Grated fresh onion works too, but it adds liquid and loosens the mix. No source gives an onion powder amount for burgers, so start with 1/2 teaspoon per pound, matching the garlic powder. See onion powder vs. onion and garlic powder vs. garlic.

Worcestershire sauce

Worcestershire sauce in its original form included tamarind, soy, garlic, onions, anchovies and spices. In a burger it comes across as a tangy, savory background note. The University of Idaho’s Greek burger uses 1/2 teaspoon per pound.³ You’ll often read that Worcestershire keeps burgers from drying out. At half a teaspoon per pound it adds very little liquid, and we found no test showing it makes any difference to juiciness. For a dry form, see Worcestershire powder.

Montreal steak seasoning

Sources list different ingredients. McCormick’s Grill Mates label names coarse salt, spices including black pepper and red pepper, garlic, onion, sunflower oil, natural flavor and paprika extractives.⁶ CBC News lists coriander seed, mustard seed, peppercorns, dried garlic and onion, paprika and salt,⁸ and Atlas Obscura names coriander and dill alongside pepper and garlic.⁹ McCormick’s label doesn’t name dill or coriander.⁶

McCormick’s directions call for 1 tablespoon per pound of beef before grilling, and say the blend is for steaks, burgers and pork. Each 1/4-teaspoon serving carries 250 mg of sodium,⁶ so treat it as your salt. Given ATK’s finding, sprinkle it on the outside just before cooking instead of kneading it in.¹ See best spices for steak.

Herbs and other blends

• Rosemary. The University of Idaho’s Greek burger uses 1 teaspoon of fresh or dried rosemary per pound, with garlic powder, Worcestershire and feta.³ See rosemary uses.
• Basil. It’s not a usual burger seasoning, but fresh basil works in a beef patty or on top. The LSU AgCenter counts basil among the delicate herbs that lose flavor with long cooking,¹⁰ so a quick-cooking burger suits it. See cooking with basil.
• Taco seasoning. The Idaho Mexican burger mixes a whole packet into a pound of beef.³ One McCormick packet carries about 2,280 mg of sodium (six servings of 380 mg),¹¹ so skip any other salt. See taco seasoning.
• Smoked salt and seasoned salt. See smoked sea salt uses and seasoned salt.

Doneness: 160°F, and don’t trust the color

Federal guidance is to cook ground meat to 160°F.¹² FSIS says to check with a food thermometer, because research has shown that color and texture aren’t reliable signs of doneness.¹³ The University of Idaho’s recipe card says to push the thermometer into the side of the patty.³ Ground poultry burgers need 165°F.¹²

Related

• Good spices for meatloaf and good spices for meatballs
• Spices for taco meat
• BBQ spices
• Garlic salt and onion salt
• The master list of herbs and spices