Juicy Smoked Burgers - The Stay At Home Chef

Let our pitmaster train you how one can simply take your burger to the subsequent stage through the use of your yard pellet smoker. Utilizing an 80/20 mix of floor beef ensures that every patty stays juicy. Get able to wow your loved ones and buddies with these next-level smoked burgers which can be juicy, flavorful, and oh-so-delicious.

Attempt utilizing bang bang sauce or our crazy good comeback sauce as your foremost condiment. Holy yum!

Why Our Recipe

Our pitmaster will train you how one can simply take your burger to the subsequent stage through the use of a pellet smoker.
This methodology can be utilized with any of your private favourite burger blends, or make some enjoyable additions to our recipe.

A close up view of a smoked burger on a black plate.

Chef Cayt is our resident pitmaster smoking knowledgeable. Her love of grilling and smoking is aware of no bounds with a complete assortment of people who smoke in her yard. Together with her directions, you’ll be cooking up the juiciest, most flavorful smoked burgers very quickly. Her years of expertise reaching the right smoke make this recipe downright foolproof.

Ingredient Notes

An overhead view of the ingredients needed to make smoked burgers.

Floor Beef: Go for an 80/20 mix. The fats is taste, and it helps preserve the burger juicy. In case you’re utilizing leaner beef, like 90/10, add a tablespoon of shredded cheese or a tablespoon of softened butter to maintain it moist.
Egg: helps bind every thing collectively to ensure your patty holds it’s form on the grill.
Worcestershire Sauce: is all about including a splash of taste.
Salt and Black Pepper: important for taste. You’ve acquired to salt that beef!
Garlic Powder and Onion Powder: much more taste. Don’t be bland!

Enjoyable Add-Ins

Finely chopped jalapenos, inexperienced chiles, bacon bits, or minced recent garlic can take your smoked burgers to the subsequent stage. Simply watch out to not overdo it! Intention for about 1/4 cup of add-ins per pound of floor beef. An excessive amount of could make the patties collapse, so preserve it balanced to keep up that excellent burger form and texture.

Pellet Suggestions

Hickory: A traditional selection that gives a powerful, smoky taste. Good for many who love that deep campfire taste.

Cherry: Provides a barely candy and fruity taste to your burgers. It additionally offers the meat an exquisite mahogany colour.

Pecan: Provides nutty taste that pairs splendidly with beef. It’s a bit milder than hickory however nonetheless filled with character.

Oak: A flexible wooden that gives a medium smoky taste. It’s an excellent all-around selection that enhances the meat with out overpowering it.

An overhead view of smoked burger patties before and after cooking.

The Pink Coloration

Don’t fret in case your smoked burgers come out with a reddish hue, particularly when utilizing cherry wooden. This isn’t an indication that they’re undercooked. It’s how they’re purported to be! The crimson colour comes from the smoking course of, the place the wooden imparts its colour to the meat by way of the smoke. It’s the gorgeous indicator of a well-smoked burger.

Patty Sizing

Shrinkage occurs! To make sure your burgers match completely in your buns, intention to make your patties about 1/2 inch wider than the buns throughout. This accounts for the inevitable shrinkage that occurs throughout cooking, providing you with a superbly sized patty that fills the bun from edge to edge. A bit further width now means an ideal match later!

A smoked burger patty sitting atop a bun on a plate ready to be sandwiched into a smoked burger.

Smoking Time and Temps

For the juiciest smoked burgers, it’s all about hitting the suitable inner temperature. Within the US, it’s secure to prepare dinner burgers to medium, however needless to say suggestions might differ in different areas. Since we are able to’t give precise cooking instances resulting from variations in smoker fashions and climate circumstances, it’s essential to make use of a temperature probe or an instant-read thermometer to make sure accuracy.

Medium: This provides you the right juicy middle that’s barely pink. For the perfect outcomes, take away the burgers from the smoker once they attain 140°F and allow them to relaxation for five minutes. Throughout this time, the temperature will rise to 145°F.

Medium Effectively: For individuals who choose only a trace of pink, intention for an inner temperature of 150°F and let the burgers relaxation till they attain 155°F. It will usually require an additional 1 to 2 minutes per facet in comparison with medium.

Effectively Completed: For a completely cooked burger with no hint of pink, prepare dinner to an inner temperature of 160°F or greater. Remember that well-done burgers may be much less juicy and a bit drier, but when that’s your choice, go for it! This normally means about 8 minutes per facet.