Alright my fellow grillmasters, I’m back and here to provide y’all with some more pointers when standing behind the grill.

By now, I expect that y’all have mastered the simple task of grilling burgers that we discussed in my first blog. If you haven’t read that or need a refresher, you can read that blog here: BBQ With Beau: Burgers

For those of you who are ready, I’d like to teach y’all some ways that you can spice up your burgers with some more flavor and draw some attention when grilling for your guests. In this blog, I’m going to review some of my favorite seasonings and favorite sauce to give y’all an idea of what kind of flavor and different style burgers each one will produce.

Before we get started, it is important to note that you are now shifting from beginner level to intermediate level when it comes to burgers. So be aware that you will begin to impress some people and may be subject to some slight interrogation. Feel free to share your tricks or keep them secret: the choice is yours.

The Basics of Seasoning

Up until now, you’ve probably been seasoning your patties with salt and pepper before you throw them on the grill. This, of course, is a great way to flavor burgers for beginners. But now that y’all are no longer beginners, I’m going to tell y’all about the new ingredients we are going to be adding to our burgers. Just about every burger seasoning you can find is going to have these same ingredients: salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. From there, what makes each seasoning unique and tasty is the spice ratio along with the addition of other herbs and spices such as paprika and brown sugar.

Side note: One thing some expert grill enthusiasts do is make their own blend of herbs and spices that they have perfected over years of experience. We won’t be tackling this today because this takes lots of experience and trial and error. But we are going to begin to spice up our pallets with my favorite spices and sauce. Enough beating around the bush, let’s get spicy.

McCormick’s Hamburger Seasoning

First up is McCormick’s Hamburger Seasoning. This seasoning is a go-to. If you’re ever in a pinch and don’t know what flavor burger you want to make, this is a safe option to add some base flavoring that is more than just salt and pepper. This seasoning provides a good hint of sweet and salty, and the toasted onion really pushes some flavor. Using this seasoning will make for a flavorful burger that doesn’t go too strong in any direction. Essentially, it’s safe.

Ingredients: Salt, toasted onion, black pepper, chili pepper, red bell pepper, sugar, garlic, & sunflower oil

Kinder’s The Blend

Next is The Blend by Kinder’s. This seasoning is a great one if you want to try something new that could turn into a favorite. The use of dehydrated garlic and garlic powder creates a little more of a sweet, herbal flavor. It makes a burger that tastes a little more like a meatloaf-style burger because of its smoothness. It makes a very ranchy burger, if you will. I would definitely recommend trying it out. I don’t use this seasoning most frequently, though I love to use it when grilling outdoors on a nice, warm, spring evening.

Ingredients: Sea salt, dehydrated garlic, black pepper, & garlic oil

Moo Moo Magic by Southbound Barbeque

This final blend is my overall favorite seasoning to throw on my burgers. This seasoning draws the strongest flavor of the three we’ve covered. Using this seasoning will emphasize the grilling flavor, especially if grilling with charcoal. The coffee and paprika add a very small but effective kick of heat (don’t be scared, it’s nothing that will hurt you). This small heat really draws out the savory flavor of the flames from the grill. This is my favorite seasoning to bring out whenever I am hosting for the roommates or any other guests I may be entertaining for.

Ingredients: Salt, pepper, coffee, garlic, onion, paprika

Worcestershire Sauce

Before I send y’all on your way, I want to give y’all one more tip, and it’s Worcestershire Sauce. This sauce may very well have descended straight from the heavens on a cloud of angels. Think of this sauce as a general all-around flavor boost. This sauce is perfect, nay, essential for pushing flavor. You can either put this sauce on your patties before you start grilling or while the patties are on the grill. This is a matter of preference, but I prefer to sauce them up while they are on the grill, before the first flip. I would strongly recommend keeping a bottle of this in your fridge, always ready to flavor your beef.

Now you all should have a base understanding of the ingredients used in burger blends and hopefully some good suggestions to try out next time y’all grill. I hope y’all can use some of these suggestions to begin building your seasoning pallet and burger-making toolbox. I’ll write y’all again soon to cover some more BBQ tips and tricks!

Be Well, Auburn.