steak and side dishes on table at Texas Roadhouse restaurant

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If you've ever wondered what makes Texas Roadhouse steaks so good, rest assured that the restaurant is quite meticulous about quality. Along with its top-tier beef selection and in-house butchers, the chain's steak seasoning blend is also worthy of praise. This seasoning accompanies every hand-cut steak served at the establishment and, at one point, it was available for purchase outside of restaurants (and other Texas Roadhouse seasoning blends can still be found on Amazon). Diners seem to enjoy the chain's proprietary seasoning, with one customer stating on Yelp, "I love the seasoning ... the steak is always seasoned well and cooked perfectly."

Based on how well Sirloin Seasoning enhances the chain's steaks, what could it do for other dishes? In our collection of the best Texas Roadhouse ordering tips, we encourage diners to request extra Sirloin Seasoning on the side. According to a Redditor who claimed to have a lengthy work history with Texas Roadhouse, customers aren't charged for this extra. The person also said that combining the seasoning with Texas Roadhouse's famous fresh-baked rolls is "oddly really good." Customers can also try the seasoning with sides like steak fries, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and other vegetables, as well as appetizers like fried pickles, Cactus Blossoms, and potato skins.

What's so special about Texas Roadhouse's steak seasoning?

As you might imagine, Texas Roadhouse keeps a tight lid on its transformative seasoning blend. The restaurant hasn't officially shared the ingredients in its steak seasoning, but the Sirloin Seasoning that appeared on Amazon listed sugar, salt, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, monosodium glutamate, spices, paprika, turmeric, and soybean oil. Monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG, is particularly noteworthy, as it's heavily associated with umami (which is one of the five basic flavors and said to have a mouthwatering, meaty taste). While taste is highly subjective, this controversial ingredient may be the reason Texas Roadhouse's steak seasoning is so appealing.

Over the years, MSG has been unfairly maligned and blamed for a whole host of health issues, from headaches and nausea to heart palpitations and achy muscles. However, there doesn't appear to be any basis for these claims, as researchers have exhaustively evaluated MSG and found nothing harmful about the seasoning. On the other hand, science may explain why MSG has such a substantial impact on the tastebuds, as illustrated by Texas Roadhouse's beloved seasoning. An amino acid, the glutamate in MSG indicates that a food is wholesome and capable of sustaining bodily functions. As a result, the body craves more of the substance, which would have behooved early humans in need of nutrients to thrive.