- April 25, 2023
- Beef
Smoked Burgers Recipe
Get ready for a flavor explosion with our mouth-watering smoked burgers recipe! Perfectly seasoned and slow-smoked to juicy, smoky perfection, these burgers are a game-changer for any barbecue or grilling occasion.
Why This Recipe Works:
Juicy Perfection: There is honestly nothing better than a juicy burger with perfectly crispy and charred edges. My smoked burger recipe does just that. It takes wonderfully seasoned beef and slow cooks it until you reach burger heaven! Plus, smoking the burgers adds a whole other level of flavor!
Great for BBQ Lovers: Every BBQ season, hamburgers on the grill are a staple. So if you are a BBQ lover, you might just want to try making smoked burgers this season! Because these are cooked low and slow, they retain all that juicy goodness without getting overcooked but still get a beautiful crust around the edges. Looking for something easier to make indoors? Try this patty melt recipe too!
Choosing The Right Meat For Smoked Burgers:
Believe it or not, the meat you choose to make your burgers with makes a pretty big difference. For my smoked burgers recipe, I prefer ground chuck that has at least 15% fat, but 20% fat is the sweet spot. Chuck roast has more marbling of fat and therefore more flavor than traditional ground beef. So look out for ground chuck that is 80/20 for the best results!
Ingredients:
My smoked burgers recipe uses simple, high quality ingredients for the best burger ever! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground Chuck: You will need ground chuck that is at least 15% fat, but preferably 20%!
- BBQ Seasoning: You can use any seasoning of your choice here, but I like to use a BBQ seasoning in my smoked burgers.
- Beef Tallow: This is optional, but will increase the flavor and help the smoky flavor from the smoker stick to the burgers.
- Toppings: You can use all of your favorite burger toppings here. I like to use buns, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and my very favorite burger sauce or this Guthrie’s sauce recipe that works well too.
How To Smoke Burgers (On Any Grill):
My smoked burgers recipe outlines how to cook these burgers in a traditional smoker, but you can also use indirect heat on a gas grill and follow the same instructions below! Using indirect heat and a low temperature on a gas grill will achieve the same juicy hamburgers with a less smoky flavor.
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat the smoker to 225 F and set it for indirect heat. In a bowl, add the ground chuck and add in 2 tbsp of the BBQ seasoning to the meat and gently mix. Don’t over mix or the meat might become tough!
- Measure: Measure out the patties into 5.3 ox each approximately to get equal burgers. These should be thicker burgers for smoking. Once equally divided, gently shape them into patties and press down into the center. Coat the top of each burger with the remainder of the seasoning.
- Smoke: Place each patty onto the grill grate and smoke over indirect heat. Smoke the burgers for 25 minutes and brush with melted beef tallow (optional) over the top of the burgers to help adhere more smoke flavor to the beef. Smoke an additional 15-25 minutes depending on your level of desired doneness. Cook to 125 F for rare, 135 F for medium-rare, 145 F for medium.
- Optional Sear: While the burgers can be smoked, you can add a sear to the outside if you desire, remove it from the smoker early and revert to high heat searing if desired.
- Enjoy: Once the burgers are done, add your favorite toppings to a toasted bun, serve and enjoy!
Topping Suggestions:
To allow these smoked burgers to shine, let’s talk toppings. I recommend the classics like cheese, red onion, tomato, lettuce, and pickles. But you can also top these burgers off with my burger sauce or for more BBQ flavor, try my homemade honey chipotle BBQ Sauce!
My smoked burgers recipe would go amazingly with caramelized onions and mushrooms or try it with a fried egg and crispy bacon! The possibilities are truly endless.
Serve your burgers along with some fries or a simple side salad!
Frequently Asked Questions:
It is not necessary to flip the burgers when they are being cooked in a smoker. You can if you would like to, but avoid flipping too much in order to get those juicy results!
That is up to you. I wouldn’t recommend cooking these until they are well done, otherwise all of the juices might be gone. Since you are using high quality meat like ground chuck, you can feel safe cooking these between rare and medium well. Keep a meat thermometer near by to check them and take them out when they are cooked to your liking.
Store any leftover smoked burgers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through.
More Burger Recipes To Try:
Smoked Burgers Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Chuck 80/20 works best
- 3 tbsp. BBQ Seasoning or seasoning blend of choice
- 1/4 cup Beef Tallow optional
Toppings:
- 6 Buns
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Red Onion
- Pickles
- Burger Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 225 F. and set it for indirect heat.
- In a bowl, add the ground chuck and add in 2 tbsp. of the BBQ seasoning to the meat and gently mix it in (do not over mix or the meat will become tough).
- Measure out the patties into 5.3 oz. each approximately to get equal burgers. These should be thicker burgers for smoking.
- Once equally divided, gently shape them into patties and press down into the center.
- Coat the top of each burger with the remainder of the seasoning.
- Place each patty onto the grill grate and smoke over indirect heat. Smoke the burgers for 25 minutes and brush melted beef tallow (optional) over the top of the burgers to help adhere more smoke flavor to the beef.
- Smoke an additional 15-25 minutes depending on your level of desired doneness (125 F. for rare, 135 F. for medium-rare, 145 F. medium).
- Optional- While the burgers can be smoked, you can add a sear to the outside if you desired, remove it from the smoker early and revert to high heat searing if desired.
- Once the burgers are done, add your favorite toppings to a toasted bun, serve and enjoy!