Smoked Hamburgers

Smoked hamburgers are the best, quickest, and easiest way to satisfy any of your bold and flavorful burger cravings! Seasoned with my delicious, savory burger seasoning and dressed with BBQ sauce and loads of toppings, these burgers are truly next level! Not to mention, using a smoker makes them practically effortless!

Traeger Smoked Hamburgers

Just because summer is coming to an end doesn’t mean that you can’t keep using your grill or smoker! These smoked hamburgers are the perfect way to get that summertime flavor all year long.

I love using a good quality smoker like a Traeger smoker for this recipe because it cooks the patties low and slow to infuse them with smoky deliciousness without drying them out!

These incredible Smoked Burgers are savory, saucy, and juicy treats that are going to be a new favorite!

Jump to:

• Traeger Smoked Hamburgers
• 🥘 Smoked Hamburgers Ingredients, Notes, & Substitutions
• 🔪 How To Make Smoked Hamburgers
• 🍽️ What To Serve With Hamburgers
• 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
• 🥄 Make Ahead Options
• 🥡 Storing & Reheating
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments & Reviews

🥘 Smoked Hamburgers Ingredients, Notes, & Substitutions

Shake up the humble hamburger with this smoked version! It’s such a unique way to make a tasty burger!

Burger Ingredients

• Ground Beef – 2 pounds of ground beef. I like to use ground chuck, around 80% lean and 20% fat, to keep the burgers juicy!
• Bacon (optional) – Who doesn’t love a bacon cheeseburger? Fry up a couple of strips of your preferred bacon to top these delicious burgers.
• BBQ Sauce (optional) – 6 tablespoons of BBQ sauce. you can use whatever your favorite condiment is, like ketchup or mustard. I like to use a sweet & spicy style BBQ sauce.
• Red Onion – ½ of a red onion. You’ll want to thinly slice the onions for this recipe. Red onions have crunch and a fresh, bold bite!
• Dill Pickles – 4 dill pickles, sliced. I love crunchy, zippy dill pickle slices for this burger to add some extra flavor!
• Cheddar Cheese – 6 slices of cheddar cheese. You can use your preferred cheddar cheese here, but I love sharp cheddar for these burgers.
• Burger Buns – 6 burger buns. Use whatever buns you like! Brioche, potato, or classic sesame are perfect options. (Optionally, you can try my pretzel buns or Kaiser rolls; they are fantastic and better than store-bought.)

Burger Seasoning

• Paprika – 1 tablespoon of paprika or a paprika substitute. Paprika is a perfect base for this seasoning. It adds a subtle, sweet flavor and beautiful color to the seasoning.
• Kosher Salt – 1¼ teaspoons of Kosher salt. Kosher salt is perfect for this recipe because the flakes of salt evenly cover the meat.
• Black Pepper – 1 teaspoon of black pepper. I love freshly ground black pepper for this recipe, but use whatever you have on hand.
• Brown Sugar – ½ teaspoon of brown sugar or a brown sugar substitute. Brown sugar gives a touch of sweetness to the seasoning. You can use light or dark brown sugar –whatever you prefer!
• Garlic Powder – ½ teaspoon of garlic powder for an awesome savory flavor to the seasoning.
• Onion Powder – ½ teaspoon of onion powder or an onion powder substitute.
• Cayenne Pepper – ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper adds a touch of spice! There isn’t much in this recipe, but you can skip it if you are intolerant to this spice.

*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*

🔪 How To Make Smoked Hamburgers

Smoking these delicious burgers really elevates them to something new and exciting for dinner! Make sure to preheat your smoker so the burgers don’t take any extra time to cook.

You will need your smoker, measuring spoons, a small bowl, and a knife.

This recipe will make 6 burgers.

Step 1: Mix the burger seasoning. In a small bowl add 1 tablespoon (7 grams) of paprika, 1¼ teaspoon (7.5 grams) of Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon (2 grams) of black pepper, ½ teaspoon (2 grams) of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon (1 gram) of onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon (0.5 grams) of cayenne pepper. Mix well.

Step 2: Preheat the smoker. Preheat the smoker to 180°F (82°C). You can use any smoker here or even a grill with a smoking function.

Step 3: Form the patties. Using 2 pounds (907 grams) of ground beef, form nice ⅓-pound burger patties, about ½ inch bigger than your burger buns (burgers will shrink a little while smoking). Sprinkle generously with the burger seasoning.

Step 4: Smoke the burgers. Place patties on the smoker or grill and smoke at 180°F (82°C) for approximately 2 hours or until the desired level of doneness.

Step 5: Finish the burgers and toppings. (Optional) While burgers are smoking, fry enough bacon to top your burgers. If a sear is desired, sear the burgers in the smoker or on a frying pan. (See notes below.)

Step 6: Melt cheese. (Optional) Then, if you wish, add 6 cheese slices to the burgers in the last 15 minutes of cooking time or after searing.

Step 7: Rest the burgers. Remove burgers and allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.

Step 8: Finish. While the burgers are resting, add BBQ sauce or desired condiments to the buns. Then, add the burgers, sliced red onions, bacon, and pickles. Add the top buns, and serve!

🍽️ What To Serve With Hamburgers

These amazing smoked hamburgers are perfect with my air fryer French fries, air-fried pickles, or onion rings! You can also serve these with potato salad, pasta salad, or any other classic barbecue side.

Check out my post on what to serve with burgers for more recipes and ideas! Enjoy!

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes

• When looking for burger meat, look for the fat content of at least 15%. Having a fat content of 15 to 20% in your burger meat keeps the burgers moist and juicy while still having a good amount of lean protein!
• You can give your burgers an optional sear at the end of cooking! Reverse sear the burgers by increasing the temperature of your smoker to 400°F (204°C) when the burgers are within 10°F (-12°C) of your desired temperature. When the burgers have reached the desired temp, they’re done!
• You can also remove the burgers when they’re within 10°F (-12°C) of your desired temperature and then sear quickly in a frying pan.
• While the FDA recommends burgers be cooked to 165°F (74°C), some might prefer their burgers cooked to medium or medium-rare.
  • For medium-rare, cook to 130°F (54°C) to 135°F (57°C), and for medium or medium-well, cook to 150°F (65°C) to 155°F (68°C).

🥄 Make Ahead Options

You can always prepare your burger seasoning ahead of time and store it for when you're ready. After combining the seasonings, it can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months in a dark, cool place.

Freezing Hamburgers

You can also keep the smoked patties wrapped tightly in plastic cling film, then place them in an airtight container or in a freezer Ziploc bag for about 4 months! The more well-wrapped they are, the better the quality will be.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

These juicy beauties can be kept as leftovers if you have extra! Store the cooled patties in an airtight container, and they’ll keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Reheating Hamburgers

To reheat these wonderful burgers to keep them juicy, I recommend using the stovetop or an air fryer. Let the burgers come up to room temp for 20 minutes for the best results.

For the stovetop, fry the burgers for about 3 minutes on each side over medium heat until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

If you have an air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C). Place the burgers in the air fryer basket and air fry for about 5-10 minutes or until the burgers reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

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📖 Recipe Card