Smoked Steakhouse Burger

Course: Lunch / Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 50

Servings:

Calories: 768kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Smoked Steakhouse Burger is a true explosion of flavor. To take your burger to the next level, grind top-quality cuts of beef, make the steak sauce from scratch (it's easy), and if possible, smoke them to just barely medium (they'll finish cooking on the grill). Burger perfection!

Print Recipe

Equipment

1 Smoker electric, charcoal, pellet, or gas
wood chips
Digital thermometer
kitchen scale

Ingredients

1½ lbs beef preferably freshly ground Wagyu or top sirloin
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup steak sauce double the recipe, homemade is best
⅓ cup mayonnaise
4 slices Provolone cheese
4 Brioche buns
2 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the Fried Onion Strips

1 medium onion cut into thin strips
1 cup buttermilk
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Place the onions in a bowl and cover with the buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, if possible.
1 medium onion, 1 cup buttermilk
Form the hamburger into third-pound patties (about 5.3 oz each). Liberally season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder on both sides.
1½ lbs beef, Salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Smoke the patties until an internal temperature reaches 135°F, usually about an hour and a half. (You'll flip the patties and slather them with steak sauce after about 45 minutes).
Meanwhile, make the steak sauce (click on the link for the recipe).
1 cup steak sauce
In a large sturdy skillet, add enough oil to fill it about halfway. Heat the oil to 350°F.
vegetable oil
On a platter, mix together the flour, salt, paprika, and cayenne with a fork until completely combined. Remove the onions from the buttermilk, allowing excess buttermilk to drip off of them. Dredge them through the flour mixture until coated.
1¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Working in batches, carefully lower the breaded onion strips into the hot oil and fry until golden and very crispy. Remove with a metal slotted spoon/spatula/spider and place a plate that is lined with paper towels. Sprinkle salt over the freshly fried onion strips. Repeat with remaining onions.
After about 45 minutes of smoking, slather the tops of the patties with steak sauce and then flip them. Slather on more sauce and continue smoking until they reach 135°F.
Mix together the mayonnaise with 2 tablespoon of the steak sauce. Set aside.
⅓ cup mayonnaise
Crank your grill to high heat. Butter the buns.
4 Brioche buns, 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Transfer the smoked patties from the smoker to the grill and close the grill lid (if possible). Grill over direct heat for about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the burgers, add the cheese slices, and place the buns on the hot grates. Cook until the cheese has melted and the buns are toasty, about another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove hamburgers and buns.
4 slices Provolone cheese
To build the burgers, add a healthy slather of the steak sauce/mayo mixture on the bottom bun, then add a cooked hamburger patty, a pile of fried onion strips, and top with the toasted bun top. Serve at once with additional steak sauce on the side.

Video

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

If you don't have a smoker, you can cook these burgers on your grill. You'll get a little smokiness from the flames caused by the juicy burgers.

To finish off the smoked burgers, it's best to give them a quick high-heat sear on your grill or a super hot cast-iron skillet.

The steak sauce can be made several days in advance. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Nutrition