Burger and Skillet Rub

Makes About 1/2 cup — enough for roughly 4 lb of ground beef or six steaks

This site has a history with burgers, so it seems right to have a rub built for one.

Everything about this is the opposite of the pork rub. No sugar to speak of, coarse grind, and built to survive a screaming hot skillet or a grill over direct coals without turning black in ninety seconds. If you have ever put a sweet barbecue rub on a burger and watched it carbonise before the patty was cooked through, this is the answer to that.

For steak

Same rub, different timing. Season a thick steak at least forty minutes ahead, or the night before if you’re organised — long enough for the salt to draw moisture out and then be reabsorbed. Anything between five and thirty minutes is the worst window: wet surface, no crust.

On the cinnamon and coriander

A teaspoon of each in half a cup. Coriander has a citrus note that cuts beef fat; cinnamon adds a warmth underneath that stops the rub tasting like nothing but salt, pepper and garlic.

Neither should be identifiable in the finished burger. If you can taste cinnamon on a burger, something has gone wrong — and cassia at this quantity on a thin patty over direct heat will absolutely announce itself, which is why Ceylon is the right call. More on that in Ceylon vs Cassia in a BBQ Rub.

Storage

This one keeps. No sugar, no coffee, nothing volatile enough to fade fast. A sealed jar away from the stove will be good for six months, though the paprika loses colour before it loses flavour, so don’t judge it by how it looks.

Notes

• Grind matters: 80/20 chuck. Leaner than that and there isn’t enough fat to build a crust with.
• Smash burgers: works well. Season the ball before you smash, then again on the flip side.
• Onion rings, fries, roast potatoes: a pinch of this straight out of the fryer is better than plain salt.
• Scaling up: the ratio is equal salt and pepper, half as much of the alliums, and a whisper of everything else. Easy to make by eye once you’ve done it twice.

Method

1. Mix

   Everything in a jar, lid on, shake. No sugar means no clumps and nothing to break down first.

2. Season the outside only

   Don't mix the rub through the ground beef. Salt worked into ground meat gives you a springy, sausage-textured patty. Form the patties first, season just before they hit the heat.

3. Be heavier than feels right

   Only the surface is seasoned, so the surface has to carry the whole burger. A visible, even coat on both sides.

4. Don't press

   Once it's down, leave it. Every time you press the patty you squeeze the fat out into the fire.