It’s officially summer and time to fix some great tasting burgers.
This seasoning is great to shake on your burgers and french fries and also tastes amazing on chicken, fish, pork and vegetables. It seems lots of foods taste salty to me, so I reduce the salt to 2 Tbsp. when I make it. You could start using a little bit of the seasoning and season to your liking so it doesn’t taste too salty.
Best Burger And French Fry Seasoning
¼ cup salt
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
1/2 Tbsp. cumin
½ Tbsp. pepper
½ Tbsp. dried basil
½ Tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. celery salt
Pour all ingredients into a jar. Seal the jar and shake to combine the spices. Use in 4-6 months. Enough for 50-70 servings.
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This sauce is easy to make and tastes delicious on your burger and you could also dip your fries in it. It is similar to Thousand Island dressing.
Best Burger Sauce Recipe
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. sweet pickle relish
½ to 1 tsp. white sugar
1 tsp. finely grated onion
½ tsp. salt
dash of black pepper
dash of ground cayenne pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together all your sauce ingredients. If you like a sweeter sauce, add 1 tsp. sugar or use ½ tsp. to cut the sweetness. Refrigerate the sauce until your burgers are ready to assemble. This may be made a day ahead. 6 servings
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You can make a fun burger using a beer can or soda/pop can to shape the patty. Use a slice of bacon to hold the ground beef together. They can be grilled or baked but there is no top on burger so you don’t flip them. Cook to internal temperature of 160 degrees. You can stuff with peppers, mushrooms or onions for a flavorful summertime meal. Use any good melting cheese. It makes a super huge, filling burger that can easily be shared. You could also shape smaller burgers to serve 4.
Beer Can Burgers
1 pound ground beef
2 slices bacon
14 ounce can sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
4 slices provolone cheese or cheese of preference
salt and pepper to taste
2 large hamburger buns
If you are baking, turn oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ground beef with your spices. Take a little less than half your mixture and flatten to a circle. Place a beer can in the enter and shape burger up sides of can. Remove can from burger. Repeat with the remaining ground beef. Wrap a slice of bacon around each patty to hold together. Sauté mushrooms and onions in butter until tender. Take one piece of provolone cheese and tear to fit the bottom of hamburger patty, repeat with other patty. To each burger with equal portions of onion and mushroom mixture. Top with remaining 2 slices of cheese (you could wait until more done to add cheese). Place patties in baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear and internal temp is 160 degrees.
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Juicy Lucy burgers are popular and said to have originated in a bar in Minneapolis. The huge burger has the cheese cooked inside instead of on top. It results in a juicier burger. You can skip the condiments as it has a great flavor without adding anything.
Juicy Lucy Burgers
1 ½ pounds 85% lean ground beef
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
4 slices (3-ounces) deli style sharp cheddar cheese
Sautéed Onions-1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1/4 tsp. salt
Burger fixings-4 potato sandwich rolls
4 lettuce leaves
4 large slices tomatoes
To make the burger patties: In a large skillet, gently mix the beef, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into eight thin patties 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide. Stack the cheese and cut a total of 16 equal sized pieces. Place four of the patties on your work surface and top with four pieces of cheddar cheese, making sure to leave a border clear of cheese all the way around. Top with remaining pattie and firmly pinch the edges together to seal in the cheese.
Sauté the onions: In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown-9 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Assemble the burger: Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove any moisture, return it to medium heat and add the patties. Cook, turning once, until they are browned and cooked through 9 to 10 minutes. Place the bottom half of the roll on a serving plate. Top each with a lettuce leaf, tomato slice, patty and some of the onion; close the sandwiches. Let the burgers cool for 2-3 minutes before serving as cheese will be very hot. It makes 4 very large servings.
