When to salt your burger patties.

[RonB]

Most here probably know when to salt beef patties, but Kenji did a comparison of putting salt in the patty or on it.

https://aht.seriouseats.com/2009/12/the-burger-lab-salting-ground-beef.html

I'm with Kenji on this. I tried adding the salt before forming the patties once and did not like the results.

[smokin fool]

I stopped using salt on my burgers years ago.
Its an interesting article but I don't think I'll change at this point, stay salt less.

[Jfrosty27]

Interesting article. But I will not change my method. I am a "season right before cooking" guy. I love my burgers. Others love my burgers. To me this is one of those things that can be debated forever. Bottom line is if you and your family like your burgers, why change?

[smokin fool]

10-4 I season right before too, even on the grill.
Pepper, garlic/onion powder or my rub, just no salt.

[Mr. Bones]

Yup, I season right afore they hit th grill/smoker/griddle, etc., usw...I do use SPOG though...sometimes Montreal, not always...kinda depends on what my burgers are gonna be paired up with...sides? bevvies? desserts? can all have an influence on how I both season, an cook em...

[Attjack]

Wasn't that Kenji's preference?

[Mr. Bones]

Round these parts, we generally jus put out a salt lick fer th cattle, an wait a spell

[smokin fool]

Yup....pre-brining so to speak

[Mr. Bones]

Precisely, Brother!!!! If ya start em early enough, don't even haveta pay th packin house a kill fee; we jus wait til they keel over from high blood pressure smokin fool

[FireMan]

I tried the S & P in the mixin of burgers a few years back. Agree, juiciness wasn’t there as well as taste. I do it just before. An exception is smash burgers. When I get goin on my "assembly line" after the first couple I get so involved workin em, I forget. But since I’m puttin cheese on every patti, matters not about the salt.

[jfmorris]

Do you mix the spices into your meat for the smash burgers? I've been doing that per the recipe over on the free side for the "Wimpy" burgers, mixing in pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, and salting on the grill after smashing. Been pretty pleased with the results, but it is a pain to mix stuff in, and would be easier to skip that step...

[Huskee]

I treat burger patties like steaks- salt beforehand an hour or three, but NEVER mix it in.

[mnavarre]

Thick steakhouse style burgers get salted in advance, but usually no more than an hour. Diner style burgers get seasoned on the first side right before they go on the flat top and then the second side gets seasoned. Same with smash burgers.

[Mr. Bones]

This work fine fer me?/\ /\ /\

[rickgregory]

Ridiculous article. I respect Kenji, but the issue isn't how he salted. It's how MUCH. To quote:

1 teaspoon kosher salt (the equivalent of 1/2 teaspoon table salt, or 2% by weight) per 5-ounce patty.

Come on. Not only will that alter the texture, I'd expect it to be incredibly salty.

[RonB]

I'm with smokin fool on FG's burgers - very bland. I normally get a cheese dog on the rare occasions I visit. Oh - and fries of course.

[Pobeque]

Gotta salt them so it looks like a fresh coat of snow...yes the exterior will be salty, but isn't that the whole point? Plus a lot comes off with the juices

5 Guys burgers are good for the toppings, but the pattys not great. Get Shake Shack for a properly seasoned chain burger

[barelfly]

As for Five Guys - here in New Mexico, you don’t get a burger without green chile and cheese. And Five Guys doesn’t offer green chile, so for that, I rarely visit. To me, its just not a burger unless you call it a green chile cheese burger!

But they are bland now that I read this. Didn’t realize they don’t salt the burgers.

[MBMorgan]

I season burgers when it’s time to cook’em ... never before and NEVER mixed in.

[rickgregory]

I season burgers when it’s time to cook’em ... never before and NEVER mixed in.

I salt right before and mix it in. I don't use anything close to what Kenji lists.

[Bill P]

Tried salting burgers in advance once...didn’t like what it did to the texture.

[rickgregory]

Tried salting burgers in advance once...didn’t like what it did to the texture.

Again, amount of salt and when you do it is key. A full tsp per patty is fricking insane (see above). Of course that will alter texture... 1/4 tsp? Probably not.

What Kenji should have done once he saw what 1tsp/patty did was do a comparison from zero salt, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1tsp. And then right before, 4 hours before, 24 hours.

Ideally, try all of that in the meat before grinding and after too. But at the least, do after grind and right before cooking since that covers what most people would do.

[Mr. Bones]

I've cooked a few burgers, an in my experience, mixin salt in th beef (especially way too much salt) makes a smushy, oozy, gummy, snotlike mixture that sticks tenaciously to everthing it comes into contact with: yer hands, mixin bowl, spatula, skillet, especially a hot grill grate, even CI pans, or a griddle. But at least it has lousy texture an mouth feel goin fer it...

I most generally season right afore they go onto/into th cooker.

Which begs th question: So, what makes a Lipton Onion Soup Burger so dang magical @730mg sodium per burger (Reckon th mayo an bread crumbs might help?)

[texastweeter]

On the grill

[JoeSousa]

I take the salt out to the grill with me and salt the patties right before putting them on. When I put them on I go salt side down and then sprinkle more on the other side.