Smoked Hamburgers with Caramelized Onions and Cheddar Cheese
Treat yourself to a BBQ experience with our flavor-packed smoked hamburgers, topped with caramelized onions, crispy bacon, and melted cheddar cheese. Master the art of the perfect smoky, juicy burger with this easy-to-follow recipe that'll become a cookout favorite.
Gently form the ground beef into even portions and roll it into balls. Working with your hands, gently press to form 4 quarter-pound burger patties, using your fingers to pinch the edges together.
Arrange the patties onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Prep the grill
When ready to grill, prep the smoker for indirect heat at a temperature of 225 degrees f, adding wood chips or a wood chunk for a true smoked flavor.
Place a drip pan under the grill grate, and cover the lid, adjusting the air vents as needed to maintain the temperature.
Smoke the burgers
When the grill has reached an even 225 degrees, and the smoke is clean, clean the grill grate and season the patties on both sides with salt and a little pepper.
Place the burgers on the cooler side of the grill on the grill grates and cover the grill, allowing the burgers to smoke for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Use a digital meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the patties and adjust the air vents as needed to make sure the grill maintains an even temperature.
Caramelize the onions
Meanwhile, use a cast iron skillet over indirect heat on the grill or stovetop. Add the onions, oil and butter to the pan and stir occasionally as the onions soften and turn golden brown on the edges, about 10 minutes.
Sear the burgers
When the burgers are about 10 degrees below your desired finished temperature, transfer them to the hot side of the grill, and sear quickly to form a good crust.
Add the cheddar cheese just to melt and toast the buns.
Serve
Carefully remove the smoked burgers from the grill and transfer them to a clean platter.
Build your burgers with the lettuce and smoked burger patty topped with caramelized onions, bacon, tomato, ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Serve immediately.
Notes
According to the USDA, ground beef should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F. For a charcoal grill:
Set up your charcoal grill for a 2-zone fire by infighting coals in a charcoal chimney. When the coals are about 70% ashed over, 10 - 15 minutes, pour them to one side of the grill. Add wood chips directly to the coals and cover the grill, adjusting the air vents on the cover to allow the grill to preheat to 220-225 degrees F. When ready to grill the burgers, follow the directions in the recipe card below.
We use Cowboy All Natural Hardwood Briquets and Jack Daniel's smoking wood chips when grilling burgers. For even more good smoke flavor, try Cowboy's Garlic and Onion briquets.For a gas grill:
Prep your gas grill for indirect heat by turning 2 of the 3 burners on high. Allow the grill to preheat and then turn off all but one burner, set to low or adjust as needed to maintain an ambient temperature of 220-225 degrees F on the grill. After the burgers have smoked to your desired internal temperature, quickly sear them over the hot side to finish.
To add extra smoked flavor, we use a smoker box filled with wood chips or a foil packet (like we show in how to smoke on a gas grill). For a pellet grill:
For a Traeger grill, prep the smoker as directed for the smoke setting, around 225 degrees. Smoke the burgers as directed. When ready to finish, remove the burgers from the pellet grill and adjust the heat to the sear setting. Quickly sear the thick patties, if desired, and add the cheese on top to melt just to finish.
We use Jack Daniel’s charcoal pellets in our pellet smoker and add a few chunks of hickory wood to the hottest part of the grill grate for added smoke flavor.
We don’t recommend mesquite wood for burgers. It burns hot and can be acrid tasting on the patties. Stick to hickory, post oak, or Jack Daniel’s wood chips for a good smoke flavor.