It may seem like a waste of time to smoke hamburgers, especially if you have hungry kids who lack patience when they smell burgers being grilled in just a few minutes. But, it is worth the extra cook time and a minimal amount of planning ahead. These are great in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker that can hold a lot of burgers at once.
For the 2 recipes here we’ll use ground chuck because of its 20% fat content to keep the burgers juicy. You can certainly use ground brisket or a mixture of marbled Wagyu and lean sirloin. Just try to get close to an 80/20 mix of lean to fat.
The first recipe is for basic hamburgers that you can top with cheese. The second one is for stuffed burgers that are then glazed with barbeque sauce. You can use either hickory or mesquite wood chips for a really smoky flavor. Serve your burgers on soft or Kaiser rolls topped with your favorite condiments and vegetables with chips and pickles on the side.
Basic Smoked Burgers Recipe
Insanely Good Basic Smoked Hamburgers
Smoking hamburgers may seem like a waste of time but trust me, it is worth the extra cook time and a minimal amount of planning ahead.
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs. ground beef chuck
- Sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Slices of provolone, cheddar, or American cheese (optional)
- Rolls for serving
Instructions
- Remove 2 racks from the smoker to place the burgers on. Prepare your smoker by adding wood chips to the tray and water to the bowl. Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Open the top vent.
- Form the ground beef into 1/2″ thick patties that are approximately 5 to 6 ounces of meat each. Place the patties on the racks and generously season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place the racks into the preheated smoker. Smoke the burgers for 60 to 90 minutes until they reach on internal temperature of 150 to 160°F. Check the burgers at 60 minutes. Add more wood chips and water if needed.
- If you want cheese on your hamburgers, place it on top of each patty when there is approximately 10 to 15 minutes of smoking time remaining. Smoke for the remaining minutes with the cheese on top.
- Serve the burgers with toppings, such as sliced onions, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, or mustard.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 707Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 218mgSodium: 565mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 66g
Smoked Stuffed and BBQ Glazed Hamburgers Recipe
Smoked Stuffed and BBQ Glazed Hamburgers
These smoked stuffed and BBQ glazed hamburgers are my personal favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground chuck
- 2-1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 3/4 cup diced mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- Sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Barbeque sauce of your choice
- Sturdy rolls for serving
Instructions
- In a sauté pan, heat the EVOO to medium-high. Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until wilted stirring occasionally, approximately 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Remove 2 racks from the smoker to place the burgers on. Prepare your smoker by adding wood chips to the tray and water to the bowl. Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Open the top vent.
- Take approximately 3 TBS of ground beef and form into a 1/4″ thick circular patty. Do this to make 10 to 12 patties.
- Spoon equal amounts of the onion and mushroom mixture onto half of the patties. Top with some crumbled blue cheese. Place the other patties on top and close the edges of the burgers to surround the stuffing. Use your hands to do this. Place the hamburgers on the racks and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place the racks into the preheated smoker. Smoke the burgers for 60 to 90 minutes until they reach on internal temperature of 150 to 160°F. Check the burgers at 60 minutes. Add more wood chips and water if needed. When there is 10 minutes remaining of smoking time, brush some barbeque sauce on the tops of the burgers and continue to smoke.
- Serve the burgers on thick rolls with fresh green toppings, such as shredded iceberg lettuce, baby arugula, or frisée leaves.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 890Total Fat: 59gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 234mgSodium: 965mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 72g
Other Smoked Burger Ideas
Hamburgers don’t have to be beef, especially when it comes to smoking them. Here are a couple of ideas you can experiment with. Season with salt and pepper before placing in the smoker.
Smoked Lamb Burgers with Feta: Lamb burgers will smoke in the same time as beef. I like to mix some crumbled feta and dried rosemary into the lamb before making the patties. Smoke as you would the basic beef patties to an internal temperature of approximately 155°F. Serve with lettuce, tomato, and thousand islands dressing or a yogurt sauce, such as tzatziki.
Smoked Turkey Burgers with Veggies: Turkey burgers can be dry because of the low fat content of the ground meat. It is best to use ground turkey thigh meat. Add in some thinly sliced scallions, diced roasted red peppers, garlic powder, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, and a couple of tablespoons of EVOO to the minced meat. Smoke for approximately 15 to 45 minutes longer than beef burgers to an internal temperature of 165°F. Do not undercook poultry. Serve these with a mildly spicy chutney and some crunchy potato chips on top. Yes, chips on a burger are good and add a little fat. Just push the top bun down to smash them. Even BBQ chips are good.
Sounds like this would be a good burger. Looking forward to trying these recipes.
Made the stuffed version, without mushrooms (since I didn’t have any at the time.) Very pleased with the result. However, even now after having made them once, count on at least 30 minutes prep time.
Made two separate batches of the basic smoked burgers. The first using your suggestions, the second I added 2 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs for binding. Both were excellent burgers. Greatest Father’s Day gift ever. I’ve done Ribs, Chops and now burgers, my next plan is a ham or brisket.
Made the smoked Burgers last night. Added a little garlic power to the seasoning. Came out great, some of the best hamburgers I’ve ever made at home.
actually, no need to smoke at 225. They cook just as well at 275 and are done in 35 minutes.
Try a 50/50 blend of pork sausage and ground beef. The flavor is just awesome. My family and friends keep asking when I’m going to make smoked burgers again..
made the smoked burgers. followed the instructions and the burgers were still a little raw in the middle with a 165 degree internal temp. ??????
Never figured out most of these recipes. Why does everyone add salt to everything; I add salt to NOTHING, they put so much salt in every rub and seasoning it seems like drinking sea water. Even if I don’t season something I don’t salt it. Don’t understand the problem with rare/raw hamburger either. We snack on raw hamburger while making the patties, they’re as raw in the middle as we can make them. And yes, I hear all the cries of “you’re going to die of food poisoning”, well, I’ve been doing it for 75 years and I ain’t dead yet. Steaks the same way, don’t kill it, just insult it.
Agreed
Exactly John!! I make my burgers/steaks the same way. The juicier the better.
I made this with ground venison 80/20 mix. I added worchestershire and a little onion, garlic powder and Tony’s seasoning. Oh my gosh they were so good!!! Next time I’m adding chorizo 😋 thank you for sharing
I stuffed mine with 1 Tbsp of chive cream cheese, and used smoked Gouda cheese. Delicious!