Cooking Burgers? One Packet Of This Cheap Seasoning Gives Them 10x The Flavor

As the summer heats up, burger season is upon us. Whether you're throwing patties on the grill or the skillet, you can upgrade the flavor of any drool-worthy burger recipe with one packet of au jus seasoning. Au jus seasoning is a cheap ingredient that you can pick up at any grocery store, consisting of beef bouillon, salt, pepper, dried aromatics, and a thickener like cornstarch. Of course you can make your own and add in other ingredients like dehydrated onions and parsley. 

While it's usually mixed with water and served with a French dip sandwich or slice of leftover prime rib, au jus is a flavorful seasoning mix that can bring a wealth of complexity to your next batch of burgers. The savory richness of the beef bouillon enhances the umami of the ground beef while the herbs, seasonings, and aromatics add earthy and savory flavors that you would have probably added in anyway — the au jus is basically a one-stop shop for flavorful burgers that saves you the trouble of prepping and adding in separate seasonings. The packet will also easily disperse and infuse into the ground meat because it's naturally moist. 

Simply add a tablespoon or two to a pound of ground beef, massaging the mix into the meat before forming burger patties. Once they're fried or grilled, the au jus seasoned burgers will have an especially umami-forward taste with extra aromatic depth from the dried onions, garlic powder, and other additions in the powdered mix.

Adding au jus seasoning to beef is not a novel practice. In fact, it's part of a longstanding practice in Mississippi. The Mississippi pot roast is a slow cooked slab of beef seasoned with au jus seasoning, ranch seasoning, and pickled peppers. You could take a lesson from Mississippi pot roast by also adding a tablespoon of ranch mix and a splash of pepperoncini brine to the ground beef to layer in even more tangy, spicy, and decadent flavors. You could also incorporate these ingredients into burger toppings by slathering ranch dressing on the bun or blending ranch seasoning into mayo, and adding sliced pepperoncini to your burger along with the standard veggies.

Au jus seasoning will also enhance the flavors of other types of burgers from turkey to lamb patties without overpowering their natural savoriness. Since it includes a thickening agent, you can combine a packet with some melted butter to create a decadent sauce for your next cut of steak or roast chicken dinner, too. You could even sprinkle a teaspoon of au jus seasoning over the french fries you serve alongside your burgers to amplify depth and make them extra savory. No recipe will benefit more from au jus mix than the classic Hawaiian staple of loco moco, which features both a savory, beefy gravy and a hamburger patty over white rice. A packet of au jus will easily add flavor to the burger and serve as the base for the accompanying gravy.