Smoked hamburgers are quick and easy to prepare on your backyard grill—no smoker needed. They're thick, juicy burgers like those you’d find at a smokehouse, featuring a smoky char and topped to your preference—all in about 30 minutes at home using a gas grill or another type.
🐄Ingredients
Ground beef—usually 80/20
BBQ sauce
Spices—garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper
Wood chips
Toppings and buns
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This is the type of burger you would expect when you walk into a smokehouse, pub, or brewery dining room. It is big, thick, and juicy, infused with great spicy taste and smoke to make a memorable meal.
Smoking burgers on a grill is easy with a smoke box or an aluminum foil pouch. Preheat your grill and start the smoke while you mix the burger patties for a few minutes. Then, grill over high heat while smoking until done.
👨🍳How to Smoke Burgers on the Grill—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Preheat the grill to high, clean, and oil the grates.
2. Get the smoke going on your grill using a foil pouch or smoker box.
3. Mix seasoning of coarse salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
4. Mix ground beef with BBQ sauce, salt and pepper. Form the burger into ⅓ to ½ pound patties and dimple the center.
5. Give both sides a good sprinkle of the spice mixture.
6. Start grilling when you have good smoke.
7. Flip every 4-5 minutes until nicely brown and 160°.
8. Allow to rest for 5 minutes; add topping, and serve.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏲️How long to smoke burgers on the grill
The total smoking/cooking time is 8 to 12 minutes. Start grilling as soon as you have good smoke, and it will usually last the entire cooking time. According to the USDA, cook to an internal temperature of 160°, which is the minimum safe temperature for ground beef.
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😊Make it your way—options and variations
Start with a good burger. I usually use ground chuck or sirloin. 80 to 85% fat will generally stay moist, but leaner will be drier. This is not the time for a substitute for ground beef. Ground turkey and chicken, by their lean nature, will tend to dry much more with thicker burger patties and should be cooked to 165°.
This type of burger is usually bigger. I suggest making them ⅓ to ½ pound.
Use a BBQ sauce you like. I used my favorite Gates of Kansas City, but American Test Kitchen likes Bull's Eye.
I suggest using hickory wood chips, but apple is my second favorite. Use any wood chips you want.
If you don't have a way to smoke, a teaspoon of good-quality liquid smoke may be added to each pound of meat. Be sure you use good-quality liquid smoke. It's not as good as real smoke for this recipe, but it's acceptable.
Use any seasonings you like. Montreal steak seasoning is a good choice.
Almost any grill will work. You need a grill where you can add smoke.
This is not a recipe for low and slow smoking on a smoker. There are many of these elsewhere
🔥How to smoke on a gas grill
One of the main features of this recipe is smoking the burger. I like to use hickory or other hardwoods like cherry, but you can use the wood chips you like.
Many people like to soak wood chips. Most experts no longer do this, and I have stopped soaking, also.
Many grills have an attached smoker box, or you can use a cast-iron smoking box or an aluminum pouch. You only need about 10 minutes of smoke—For more details, please see How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking.
📖Other Burger Recipes
Check out these other burger recipes. Start with a Midwest favorite, Grilled Juicy Lucy Burger. Or go healthier with Low Fat Burgers and Moist Grilled Chicken Burgers.
How to Grill Hamburgers
Grilling hamburgers on your backyard gas (or charcoal) grill is fast and easy using store-bought ground beef and simple seasonings. All in 20 minutes.
🍽️Serving Grilled Smokehouse Burgers
A great burger deserves a great bun. Make sure the bun fits the burger and brown it on the grill (turn it down first). Top with ketchup or BBQ sauce, spicy mustard, bacon, cheese, onion, tomato, and anything else you want.
Serve with potatoes of some type, like easy stovetop French fries, potato salad, and traditional picnic dishes like coleslaw or macaroni salad.
❓FAQs
A good quality ground beef that is 80 to 85% lean. I prefer ground chuck or sirloin. This is not a recipe for ground turkey or chicken.
Yes. While real hardwood smoke is preferred, you can get excellent results at home with good-quality liquid smoke—it should only contain water and smoke—no chemicals. Use 1 teaspoon per pound of meat.
As hot, over 550°, on either your gas or charcoal grill. You should keep one area of the grill at a lower heat to use to finish if needed when the outside is done, but you haven't reached the minimum safe internal temperature.
According to the USDA, the minimum safe internal temperature for ground beef is 160°. Rare or medium-rare burgers are not safe.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Smoked Hamburgers
Ingredients
- 2 pound hamburger - 80-85% lean
- 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
Smoking
- wood chips
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the grill to the maximum and leave a cooler area that may be needed near the end of cooking. Of course, clean and oil grates.
- Get the smoke going on your grill. You can also use a cast-iron smoking box or an aluminum foil pouch. You only need about 10 minutes of smoke.
- Mix the seasoning of 1 teaspoon each of coarse salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix 2 pounds of a good burger (80-85%) with three tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce, one teaspoon of coarse salt, and one teaspoon pepper.
- Form the burger into ⅓ to ½ pound patties. That will be about 3½ to 4 inches in diameter—dimple the center 1 ½ inch by about ¼ inch deep.
- Give both sides a good sprinkle of the spice mixture. You don't need to use all of it, just to your taste.
- Place over on the preheated grill when there is good smoke.
- Flip every 4-5 minutes until nicely brown and 160° internal temperature. The total time was about 8-12 minutes, but it will vary by the thickness and your grill. If your burger is getting done on the outside before reaching 160°, move it to the cooler area of the grill until done.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- You can adjust the recipe by changing the number of servings for more or fewer burgers. Use the amounts in the ingredient list, not the instructions.
- These are large burgers, ⅓ to ½ pound, and 1-inch thick.
- Use ground beef that is 80-85% lean.
- Be sure to dimple the center of the burger before cooking. This prevents it from puffing up and helps even out cooking.
- Use the BBQ sauce you like. And the wood chips you like (I like hickory.)
- If you can't smoke, you can mix in 1 teaspoon per pound of good-quality liquid smoke.
- You only need about 10 minutes of smoke. I no longer soak wood chips.
- Heat the grill to high. Be sure to leave an area of the grill cooler, so if the outside is done but the center is not, you can move the burgers there to finish.
- The minimum safe temperature for ground beef is 160°. To keep your family and guests safe, be sure to check with a thermometer.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editors Note: Originally Published June 15, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Nancy says
very good
Chris says
Holy smokes, you rarely give out 5's so I know this must be one serious burger! I'll have to try it on our gasser.
DrDan says
Yep serious... Since it is so thick, it needed different technique.
Thanks for the note Chris.
Note to readers: Check out Chris's blog Nibble Me This