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A smoked burger on a wooden surface with fries and a beer in the background.
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Smoked Burgers

When warmer weather comes calling, you need to whip up a batch of these super easy smoked burgers, piled high with your favorite toppings! This recipe makes for some ultra juicy burgers with the perfect smoky flavor that will be the highlight of your summer barbecue parties. Plus, these delicious smoked burgers only require about 10 minutes of hands-on preparation time, and even a beginner cook can master this recipe.
Course Burgers and Sandwiches
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 768kcal

Equipment

  • Smoker
  • Wood chips or pellets I prefer mesquite but hickory works well too
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef 80 percent fat, 20 percent lean
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 4 cheese slices
  • 4 burger buns
  • Desired toppings such as lettuce, tomato, red onion, bacon, avocado, condiments, etc.

Instructions

  • Prepare the smoker with a water pan and set it to 225 degrees with mesquite or hickory wood pellets or chips. Divide the ground beef into four evenly sized balls of meat (8 ounces each) and form into patties. The patties should be about ½-inch thick and just slightly larger than your serving buns. Press your thumb in the middle of the patties to make an indention.
  • Stir together the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. Sprinkle the burgers on both sides with the spice mix.
  • Place the patties on the smoker and close the lid. Smoke until the meat reaches about 10 degrees under the final desired internal temperature. (For this stage, that's about 115 degrees for rare, 125 degrees for medium rare, 135 degrees for medium, 145 degrees for medium-well and 150 degrees for well.)
  • Add a slice of your favorite cheese. Continue smoking until the burgers reach your desired internal temperature. (For this final stage, that's about 125 degrees for rare, 135 degrees for medium rare, 145 degrees for medium, 155 degrees for medium-well and 160 degrees for well.) Judge by internal temperature, not appearance, because the smoking process causes a chemical reaction that turns the meat pink even for well done. Remove the burgers from the smoker and let rest for five minutes. Add them to the burger buns with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Even if you love a medium-rare or rare burger on the grill, you may prefer medium for smoked burgers because they're still super juicy and get more time for the smoke infusion.
  • This recipe calls for 8-ounce thick patties to make big steakhouse burgers, but you could go with 5 to 6 ounces per patty for smaller servings. It will also stretch your meat if you’re serving a large crowd.
  • Insert the meat thermometer through the side. This makes for a more accurate reading because it’s much easier to get it in the right spot.
  • Save the seasoning step right before cooking. If we add the salt too long before cooking, it will start to draw out the moisture of the meat.
  • Don't overwork the meat. Handle it just enough to form into patties. Some people prefer to use a burger press to shape, but your hands will work just fine.
  • Don't press down on the burger patties while cooking. 
  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1burger | Calories: 768kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 1085mg | Potassium: 712mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 251mg | Iron: 6mg