Add This Budget-Friendly Ingredient To Ground Beef For Tender, Juicy Burgers

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When you're seasoning burgers, whether to be cooked on the grill or in a hot pan on the stovetop, there are a number of opinions on how to get optimum flavor. You can go simple to let the beef itself shine. Bobby Flay, for example, is a proponent of using just salt and pepper to season his burgers. You can add mayo to your ground beef for more fat that will permeate the patty as it cooks. But you may want to think about using a regular, inexpensive kitchen staple to give it a blast of extra savoriness: beef bouillon paste. It's cheap, it's easy, and it can blend pretty seamlessly with any other flavors you may be adding.

At its most basic, beef bouillon is concentrated beef stock with added salt and seasonings, so it makes sense that it would help a burger reach that next level of flavor. While regular crumbled beef bouillon cubes will work, a jarred paste, like the Premium Roasted Beef Base from Better Than Bouillon, might be the way to go. At under $5 a jar, you can use it to season dozens of patties. Because it contains added salt, you should probably cut back a bit on the amount you'd usually use, but it also offers a more complex depth of flavor. Plus, plenty of brands offer lower-sodium options if you'd prefer. The paste blends easily into the meat, helping distribute that savory flavor throughout the patty without compromising its tender, juicy texture.

When you're adding bouillon paste to your burger meat, about 2 teaspoons per pound of ground beef should be good. And you should mix it in gently. Overworked ground beef can lead to a tough, overly dense burger. You want it relatively airy, rather than something like a rolled meatball, so the patty stays tender. As the bouillon dissolves into the meat, it will fill every bite with more flavor. But if you want to up the taste even more, there are more secret ingredients you can add to your patties.

For more umami, try a little tomato paste or soy sauce. If you don't have bouillon paste in the fridge, a powdered beef soup mix and a little olive oil for added moisture can do the trick — even a packet of beef ramen seasoning. But the thick, creamy paste is probably best for infusing flavor directly into the meat. Onion-based or vegetable bouillons can also add some killer nuance and take your burger in a slightly different direction.

Regardless of what you may be adding, whether you're making a smash burger or a chunky fella on the grill, you're going to want to go with about an 80/20 mixture of ground beef (meaning 20% fat). It's considered one of the best blends because there's plenty of fat to keep the whole patty nice and juicy. You can try the recipe with whatever else you'd normally use — a bit of grated carrot and freshly minced garlic go well and can add more moisture. But for a simple way to upgrade your next homemade burger, add a couple of teaspoons of beef bouillon paste.