Marinating your hamburgers will saturate them in flavor-enhancing seasonings, making them more tender and delicious!
Take your hamburgers from so-so to so scrumptious with a burger marinade.
This burger marinade simply packs ground beef (or ground turkey, chicken, or lamb) with a host of flavors that spell one amazing burger. Featuring soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, a bit of sesame oil, mustard, garlic, and red pepper flakes, this marinade will hit all your taste buds and then some.
You’ve heard of marinating steak to enrich its flavors. So why not enhance the flavor of other meat entrees with a bit of marinade? After all, marinades are super-easy to whip together, taking only seconds to spin around with a whisk, chopper, or blender.
You can adjust the seasonings a bit, tweaking them to suit your tastes for the day. Feeling like an especially spicy burger? Then add a bit more red pepper flakes. Can’t do spicy? Then, leave them out. With marinades, you want a certain ratio of all flavors present, but it is up to you which flavors you want to be the most prominent. And you’ll still bring a flavor infusion to this burger with or without the spiciness.
Why You Will Be Amazed At The Flavor Marinating Brings To Burgers
A burger is a pretty delicious treat in and of itself—if it’s seasoned properly. After all, meat doesn’t bring a ton of flavor to the table without some seasonings, right? And when creating a rub or marinade, what you want to do is include seasonings that complement the savory, beefy deliciousness that is hamburger meat.
Adding a bit of soy helps provide savory, umami flavors. Meanwhile, Worcestershire is a curious blend of anchovies, sugar, molasses, and all kinds of flavors. Then, the sesame oil brings a bit of a deep, nutty taste. Liquid smoke brings a hint of grill flavor here that helps you comfortably bring outdoor flavors indoors, and garlic—well, garlic makes everything pop, from a good marinara to a good marinade.
But what’s to love most about a hamburger marinade is the tender, juicy interior you bite into when you’ve marinated your hamburgers in a sweet, bitter, salty, umami, and sour blend of oils, liquids, and seasonings. Burger marinades layer flavor upon flavor, creating one swoon-worthy, tender, luscious, intensely-flavored kind of burger.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
The best way to keep marinated burgers all moist and full of juicy tenderness is to wrap a stack of leftover patties in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze these cooked, marinated burgers separated with parchment or wax paper, stacked into gallon freezer bags up to 3 months. To reheat, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and then heat them in the microwave in 30-second blasts right in that gallon freezer bag or heat individual patties alone for a quick burger.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these deliciously flavorful burgers on a great pretzel roll for a really delicious sandwich, or, for a really tender overall eating experience created by combining these burgers with an equally tender bun, try brioche hamburger buns. I love serving these with equally flavorful sides like this Cheesy Corn on the Cob, these yummy Stuffed Zucchini Boats, some Easy Oven Fries or Air-Fryer Onion Rings (which really bring the CRUNCH!), and, for dessert, my new favorite and super-easy stunner: Banana Cream Pie.
Burger Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 drops liquid smoke
- 3 drops sesame oil
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- Yellow mustard to taste
- Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, liquid smoke, sesame oil, minced garlic, cracked black pepper, and yellow mustard. Add red pepper flakes if using. Stir until well mixed.
- Pour the marinade over your burgers or steaks and let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour before grilling.
Leave a Comment