Chop House Burger Seasoning Recipe

There are a number of different restaurants that consider themselves a "chop house." They're all pretty meat-centric, as one would expect, and even fast food chains such as Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers and Whataburger have featured chop house burgers on the menu. Recipe developer Feta Topalu tells us that this seasoning is kind of a mashup, saying, "it's inspired from a few chop houses I've eaten at such as, Franklin Chop House in Franklin, Tennessee, and Halls Chop House Nashville."

Topalu makes this seasoning with a sweet/salty blend of brown sugar and various spices. As she tells us, "what I love most about this Chop House burger seasoning is that it's versatile for other cuts of meat." You don't have to restrict its use to meat, though, as other possible uses include sprinkling it onto baked potatoes, french fries, scrambled eggs, or popcorn. If you really want to get fancy, you could even use this seasoning to flavor a compound butter or rim the glass of a Bloody Mary.

Topalu makes this burger seasoning with a mixture of paprika, light brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, black pepper, and salt. If you like, you can tweak the blend to suit your own personal preferences. Topalu says "cayenne or red pepper flakes can be added to incorporate heat," adding that you can "swap out regular paprika with a smoked paprika to add a smoky flavor." Don't have celery salt? Try ground celery seeds and just add a bit more salt.

Simply mix all the ingredients: sugar, paprika, garlic, onion powder, celery salt, black pepper, and salt. You can either stir the ingredients together in a bowl or use a lidded jar to shake them, but either way, make sure they're thoroughly blended before you use the seasoning.

An airtight container is best for storing this spice blend, though a standard plastic or glass one should work just fine. In fact, if you have any empty spice shakers, one of these would work perfectly as you'll then have a built-in sprinkler top. Topalu advises that you should "store [the] seasoning in a cool, dry place away from heat and sunlight," and she also feels that it will be at its best within the first 6 months, since the spices may go a bit stale after that point.

"It will work great for seasoning a New York strip or pork chops before they hit the grill," Topalu advises, but you can feel free to use it on chicken, shrimp, or sautéed vegetables as well. If you're making burgers, you'll want to stir in about a tablespoon of seasoning per each pound of meat, although with other cuts of meat where you're sprinkling it over the surface, you may just want to eyeball the amount instead. This recipe makes about 3 tablespoons, although it's very easy to double or triple the batch if you want a larger quantity.