Smoked Burgers Recipe: How to Smoke Hamburgers

A smoked burger is a ground beef patty cooked using indirect heat and smoke. Seasoning the meat with a simple blend of salt, pepper, and garlic allows the flavor of the woodsmoke to shine. Add more flavor by serving your favorite condiments, cheeses, and burger toppings alongside the smoked hamburger patties.

Serve your juicy burgers with veggie side dishes like potato salad, grilled corn, or smoked asparagus for an easy summer cookout.

Smoking is an easy way to infuse ground meat with big flavor. Here are the basic steps for smoking burgers at home.

1. 1. Prepare your smoker. Heat the smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit using the wood chips or pellets recommended by the manufacturer.
2. 2. Form the patties. Portion the beef and shape it into round patties.
3. 3. Season the patties. Season the ground meat generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder or your favorite seasonings.
4. 4. Smoke the burgers. Transfer the patties to the smoker and cook to your liking, or about 15 degrees less than the desired doneness if using the reverse-sear method.
5. 5. Reverse-sear the burgers. Heat the smoker fitted with a sear plate, or a gas or pellet grill to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, then crisp the patties up on each side and serve them alongside your favorite toppings and burger buns.

Here’s how to make a juicy burger with a balanced smoke flavor.

1. 1. Use 80/20 ground beef. Ground meat gets sold by the ratio of fat to muscle, typically 75–93 percent muscle and 7–25 percent fat. An 80-percent-muscle-to-20-percent-fat blend has the ideal amount of fat for smoked burgers, as leaner mixtures dry out during the smoking process. Ground chuck or brisket are great options if you can find them, but any ground beef with this fat content will work well for burgers.
2. 2. Try hickory wood. Smoking experts have preferred specific types of wood for different cuts and meat preparations. Hickory provides just the right amount of BBQ flavor without overpowering the flavor of the beef. If you can’t find hickory, mesquite wood is a comparable option. Learn more about selecting wood for smoking.
3. 3. Use a meat thermometer. To track the internal temperature of the burgers, use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the burger. Cooking time and temperature will vary from smoker to smoker, so a thermometer is the most accurate measure of doneness. Well-done burgers will register at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, while medium-rare burgers will register at 130 degrees. Learn how to use a meat thermometer properly.
4. 4. Finish with a reverse-sear. Smoking is a low-and-slow technique that cooks food and adds flavor, but it doesn’t create crispy edges or a charred exterior. Searing the burgers afterward ensures a juicy interior and a crisp, browned exterior for the ultimate combination of smoky and caramelized flavors. Remove the burgers from the smoker when they reach a temperature slightly below the desired final temperature, and finish the cooking process on a cast-iron skillet, grill, or sear plates in your smoker.