I’m obsessed with crafting the perfect smash burger, and I’ve found that the key to a truly mouth-watering patty lies in the seasoning.
The best seasoning for smash burgers is a blend of classic flavors, including salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. This combination enhances the natural flavor of the beef without overpowering it, creating a juicy and savory patty that’s sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
But what makes these seasonings so special, and how can you use them to take your smash burgers to the next level? I’ll share my top picks for the best seasonings to use, along with some expert tips for getting the most out of your burger game.
1. Salt and pepper
The foundation of good seasoning is important for a flavorful burger. For the best optimal flavor and texture for salt and pepper, use coarse-ground black pepper and Kosher salt or sea salt for an even distribution.
The mature pepper berries will be dried under the sun for seven to ten days and then ground to prepare coarsely ground black pepper.
The reason for choosing is, that it maintains the balance between the strong-flavor and taste. Using this pepper as seasoning gives the best aroma, flavor, and taste to the smashburgers.
The reason for choosing kosher salt is that it is a pure rock salt that doesn’t contain any additives or iodine. It is a large-sized salt that undergoes a koshering process to attain purity. Compared to table salt, kosher salt is larger, so one can easily observe the difference in visibility.
The koshering process is also like the common process of making salt but under the guidelines of Jewish tradition. Adding preservatives or chemicals is against tradition.
The most common and preferable seasoning for people is salt and pepper. Saying just salt and pepper is simple doesn’t mean it tastes simple.
Sometimes simple things give more happiness, and likewise, simple seasoning gives a more adorable taste and flavor to the burger. It is also a health-preferred seasoning.
2. SPOG
SPOG means salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Some people are enthusiasts of the Smashburger.
For them, SPOG is considered a holy grail. The simple blending of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder together to make the best savory base for Smashburger is called SPOG.
- Salt: As we said for the salt and pepper seasoning, using kosher salt or sea salt is best for this seasoning as well.
- Pepper: coarsely ground black pepper is best for the SPOG, which adds more flavor to the seasoning.
- Onion powder: Onion powder is prepared from dehydrated onions, which are finely ground. The onions must be carefully dried before being ground. The first step in the process of dehydrating or drying the onions is slicing. Slice the onions and line them as a single layer on the dehydrated tray. Dry onion slices at 150 degrees F for up to 8 hours, or dry them until onion pieces can snap easily. Then grind the dried onion into a fine powder.
- Garlic Powder: The garlic cloves are dried and finely ground to make garlic powder. The fine consistency of garlic powder helps to integrate quickly with a recipe. Garlic powder contains fiber, which helps with gut health and digestion. It has anti-inflammatory properties because it contains compounds that help reduce body inflammation and alleviate symptoms of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
The integration of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in the correct proportion by blending or grounding into a fine powder is called SPOG seasoning.
Use it as a seasoning, goes well with meat to enrich the Smashburger flavor because it contains a savory and slightly garlicky flavor. Do you like a burger with a beef patty? The SPOG seasoning goes well with it.
3. Paprika
Paprika is a spice made from red peppers. Paprika gives sweetness and a peppery taste. It is a warm ingredient that gives a bright and beautiful red color.
There are different varieties of paprika available.
- Regular paprika
- Smoked Paprika
- Sweet Paprika
Each and every one gives a unique flavor to the smash burgers. People who give equal importance to both sweet and spicy tastes prefer paprika seasoning on the Smashburger to enrich the flavor and taste.
Regular Paprika
Compared to other flavors of paprika, regular paprika is less assertive. It provides low intensity in color and doesn’t offer much heat or sweetness.
A person who prefers some mild sweetness and spiciness in their Smashburgers chooses regular paprika as their seasoning. It much suits kids; they love mild spiciness and some sweetness with less heat or smoky flavor in their burgers.
Smoked Paprika
Smoked paprika has a richer and heavier flavor than regular paprika. Regular paprika is prepared from normally crushed dried chili peppers, but smoked paprika is prepared from chili that is dried using oak fire. It gives a rich, smoky, and intense flavor to the dish.
Smoked paprika is all about its smoky flavor, which gives it the dish without smoking it. Some people like the smoky smell of their food. People who prefer a burger with a smoky flavor choose smoked paprika as a seasoning.
It is the best of all paprika varieties due to its smoky flavor. The smash burgers with smoked paprika seasoning make your mouth watery before tasting due to the enriched and flavorful smoky smell.
Sweet paprika
Sweet paprika has some sweetness and spiciness without the heat of chili. It gives some flavor and color, like regular paprika, without heat.
Among the three varieties of paprika, smoked paprika is the best. It gives the best aroma, flavor, taste, and heat to enrich the taste of Smashburger. It gives pleasure to taste buds by its flavor and to the nose by its smoky aroma.
4. Worcestershire Sauce
The fermented sauce gives a wholesome, balanced flavor to the meat. It has a savory, sweet, salty, and tangy taste.
The base of vinegar, which is flavored by molasses, tamarind, onion, sugar, garlic, and anchovies, is used to prepare Worcestershire sauce. Based on the preference, some other flavors, like lemon or soy sauce, can be added.
Used in small amounts directly in the meat, it adds a subtle umami richness that complements the beef. Umami means a pleasant, savory taste. It gives a depth of savory taste to the Smashburger for satisfying flavor.Â
Worcestershire sauce has a balance of sweet, salty, savory, and tangy flavors, making it the perfect condiment.
Worcestershire sauce mixes many ingredients in a balanced proportion to enrich the flavor. It is a complex process. It needs perfection to make this sauce perfect. It takes more care than preparing other ingredients.
People prefer to taste different flavors at one time, and their favorite Smashburgers prefer Worcestershire sauce as seasoning.
5. Mustard Powder
The mustard powder adds a kick to your meat along with a savory taste. It is a versatile spice popular in French tradition and used in most English and Indian cuisines.
The mustard powder has an intense aroma with a hot and mildly bitter taste. The mustard is ground into a fine powder called mustard powder. It enriches the Smashburger flavor by adding a kick of mild bitterness and heat.
The mustard powder goes well with meat. It complements the richness of the meat with its flavor. Choosing it as a seasoning provides adorable flavor to your smash burgers.
6. Montreal Steak Seasoning
Montreal Steak Seasoning is a spice mixed with meat or steak to add flavor. It is made with spices like garlic, paprika, and coarse ground pepper to add rich or bold flavor to the meat.
The Montreal Steak Seasoning flavor is beyond the SPOG seasoning flavor. In Montreal, steak seasoning is prepared with the basic ingredients used in SPOG, and along with that, dill is added, which gives a fresh, citrus-like taste to the meat.
The dill gives a unique taste to your burger. It goes well with the meat. It turns your normal smash burger into a mouthwatering one with its bold flavor.
People prefer richness in taste to induce their taste buds to choose Montreal Steak Seasoning for their burgers.
7. Custom Blend Seasoning
Above all, some of the basic seasonings are already prepared and used based on common preferences. Some people have unique tastes on their own, and some experiment with different seasonings to induce their taste buds.
Taste preferences can be changed according to the people.
- Some people use brown sugar as a seasoning to add sweetness to their burgers.
- People who like more heat or spiciness in their burgers choose cayenne pepper seasoning.
- Some people prefer sweet and warming flavors with a nutty element to be added to their spice, while others prefer cumin seasoning. It can be used along with chili flakes.
Preferences or choices of seasoning may change based on people’s tastes. Some people like more spice and heat, while others prefer less spiciness in their food. So, they choose their level of heat and spice in seasoning.
Even dried herbs like oregano and rosemary can be used as seasonings for a flavorful touch. For a fresh twist, lemon zest can be used.
