Gourmet Smoked Burgers

Use these gourmet smoked burgers as a template for any flavor combination you desire!

Below are a few of our favorite recipes for toppings, and directions on how to smoke an amazing burger.

Smoking Hamburgers:

1. Thaw frozen burger in the fridge for 1- 2 days. Working with the thawed burger, a scale, and if you have one a burger press (this is the one I use).

2. I make 6oz Burgers in my house and usually 12 at a time on a sheet tray. I just season with a good Real Salt or Himalayan Sea Salt and pepper.

3. Fill the tray of an electric smoker with desired wood chips. I have used apple, Pecan, Hickory, Mesquite, Alder, Cherry…. They are all good but do give differences in flavor so play around.

4. Then put water in the water tray and turn the smoker on high to preheat to around 200.

5. Put the burgers in and that is it.  You just want to monitor for temperature and that wood chips don't run out. 

For a med-well to a well-done burger the guideline is 155 for the internal temp. This will take you 45 min to 1 hour of cook time. For those of you who prefer a less done burger remember to handle your raw meat carefully and have a super good clean source for your meat! We use St. John’s Organic Farm and their locally grown, harvested and butchered beef.

Once the burgers are to temp, remove them and the fun of topping them begins!

Note: If you are making cheeseburgers of any kind, you can add the cheese right in the smoker while the burgers are reaching their last 2-5 degrees of internal temperature. You only want the cheese in there for about 5 minutes so it doesn’t run everywhere.

Gourmet Topping Recipes

Cherry-Smoked Burgers with Brandied Cherry Chutney, Dubliner Cheese, Green Leaf Lettuce and a Brioche Bun

Brandied Cherry Chutney (makes 1 qt):

4 cups pitted Bing cherries

1/2 cups brandy

1/4-1/2 cup raw honey

2 tsp almond extract

Dash salt

1-2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot slurry (equal parts starch and water, mixed)

• Place cherries, brandy, honey, salt, and extract in a saucepan and bring to boil.

• Cook till cherries are soft (but not falling apart) for about 5 min.

• While boiling and stirring constantly add slurry and cook till thick.

• Remove from heat and store in a quart jar with a lid.

• Use cold room temp or hot! 

Hickory-smoked Grass-Fed Burger with Strawberry Relish, Green leaf lettuce and a brioche bun (this would also be awesome with fresh Mozzarella cheese)

Strawberry Relish (makes 1 qt):

 3-4 cups whole stemmed strawberries

 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

 3 tbs raw honey

 ¼-1/2 cup red wine vinegar

 Salt and pepper to taste

• In a food processor combine all ingredients and pulse til small chunks but not a paste or sauce. Think pickle relish! Adjust vinegar and seasoning to make it as tart as you want it. The idea is to replace pickles with this relish.

• Store in a quart jar in the fridge. The relish with continue to ferment due to the vinegar—this is a good thing! Fermentation helps develop a tasty flavor.

Apple-Smoked Greek-style Burger with Tzatziki sauce, Chevre, Cucumbers, and Arugula on a Brioche Bun

Tzatziki Sauce (makes 1 qt):

1 qt plain, whole milk yogurt

Zest and juice of one lemon

1 clove fresh garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

½ seeded, unpeeled English cucumber minced or diced

⅛-¼ cup mint leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

• Place lemon juice, zest, garlic, salt and pepper, and mint leaves along with yogurt in a food processor and process till smooth.

• Add cucumber after the rest is processed to add some texture. Adjust seasonings to taste.

• Store in a 1 quart jar in fridge for up to 10 days.

For assembly:

This Burger with thin slices of cucumber over the fresh goat cheese on top of the burger. Put the Tzatziki sauce on both sides of the bun and Arugula in between!

Pecan smoked burger with Apricot Salsa, Smoked Gouda cheese, Red Leaf lettuce on a Brioche Bun

Apricot Salsa (makes 1 qt):

4 cups pitted, halved fresh apricots

Juice of 1 lime

⅛-¼ cup cilantro leaves and stems

½ red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 jalapeno, stem off

½ English cucumber

1 tbs raw honey

Salt and Pepper to taste

• Combine all ingredients except apricots and cucumber in food processor and blend to almost a paste. 

• Add in cucumber and ½ the apricots and pulse till small chunks, but not to a paste.

•  Pour mixture into a bowl.

• Pulse remaining apricots to the desired chunk size and add to the rest of the salsa. 

• Adjust all seasonings to taste!

• Store in a quart jar. The salsa should last 2-3 weeks in the fridge.

(Note: this salsa is also great on fish tacos, chicken and tortilla chips!)

For assembly:

Add the sliced gouda to the burgers the last 5 min of cook time. Then assemble with the salsa on both sides of the bun and lettuce on top of the burger!

Mesquite-Smoked Bacon Blue cheese burgers with Lettuce and Gourmet mustard on a brioche bun

• For these burgers, I place strips of raw bacon on top of the burgers or alternatively wrap the burger patties in bacon before smoking them. 

• The bacon will cook with the burgers and then the last 5 minutes of cook time I top the burgers with several ounces of my favorite blue cheese to get all melty.

• For assembly, they just require a bun, some great lettuce, amazing mustard and (optional) smoked or grilled onions! Yummy!

Alder Smoked burgers with Chestnut Mushrooms in red wine sauce with Roquefort Cheese, Onion Aioli, Red leaf lettuce, and a Brioche Bun

Mushrooms in Red wine sauce (makes 1 qt):

4 cups chestnut or criminology mushrooms, cleaned and diced

2 tbs avocado oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup red wine like Cabernet or Merlot

3 tbs butter

• Heat oil in a large saute pan on high heat till smoking.

• Add in mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.

• Saute until mushrooms are soft and then deglaze with the red wine.

• Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Turn the heat to low and add the butter.

• Serve right away or keep warm.

(Note: this sauce is also excellent over steak!)

Onion Aioli (the cheater’s way)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 sweet onion or red onion, sliced

Salt and pepper 

Dash white vinegar

• First, saute or grill onion till caramelized and very soft.

• Place the onion in the food processor with salt, pepper, and vinegar and process until it is a paste.

• Add in mayonaise and blend until smooth

• Have a taste and adjust seasonings according to taste.

• Store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks

For assembly: 

Top the smoking burgers in the last 5 mins of cook time with a couple of ounces of your favorite Roquefort cheese.

Start with the mayo on each side of the bun, then the burger with the cheese, then top with a good scoop of your mushrooms. Top with your lettuce and shabang! One yummy messy amazing burger!

Bulgogi Beef Bowls

Bulgogi (불고기, literally "fire meat") is a Korean dish typically made with tender cuts of beef such as top sirloin or tenderloin. Here, we incorporate some of the traditional flavors and ingredients of bulgogi and use ground beef instead. This recipe is full of flavor--a little sweet, a little spicy, a lot savory, and downright delicious.

Note: Gochujang, a Korean fermented chili paste, can be found at most Asian markets or online. If you can’t find it, substitute sriracha or some red chili flakes to taste in this recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

2-in piece of fresh ginger, peeled

1 large garlic clove, smashed and peeled

2 scallions (3 if small)

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 

1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp gochujang 

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 

To serve:

White rice 

Sliced crunchy vegetables of choice (carrots, snap peas, radishes, etc.)

Kimchi or other pickled veggies 

Preparation:

1) Prepare the rice according to package directions. 

Make the sauce

2) Mince the ginger and garlic clove and put in a small bowl. 

Slice 2 scallions (three if they’re small) diagonally crosswise and add to bowl. 

Add 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, and 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar to the bowl and mix. 

Set aside 1 tbsp gochujang and 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds. 

Cook the beef 

3) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon, cooking until browned. (This may take a little longer than expected—but the caramelized flavor is well worth it!) 

Add the sauce mixture and let it simmer, stirring, for about 2 minutes. 

Add the gochujang and sesame seeds. Stir until combined and turn off the heat. 

Assembly

4) Add beef to bowls with the cooked rice, sliced veggies of choice and some kimchi if you have it. Or add whatever your heart desires—the options are limitless for this bowl! Think roasted squash, shredded lettuce, sautéed lotus root, pickled radishes, etc. 

Enjoy!

Korean Bibimbap

Korean Bibimbap

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients

1 zucchini

4 oz mushrooms

1 shallot

2 carrots

ginger- about the size of your thumb

2 cloves garlic

¾ cup jasmine rice (or whatever type of rice you prefer)

5 tsp white wine vinegar

1 TBSP sesame oil

1 ½ TBSP sugar

1 tsp sriracha (optional)

3 TBSP soy sauce split in half

10 oz grass fed organic ground beef

vegetable oil

Directions

• Bring 1 1/4 cups of water to boil in a small pot.

• Half the zucchini lengthwise; slice into half moons. Slice mushrooms. Halve, peel, and very thinly slice shallot. Peel carrots and using a peeler, shave lengthwise into ribbons. Peel and grate ginger. Mince garlic.

• Once the water is boiling, add your rice and a pinch of salt to the pot. Cover, lower heat to a gentle simmer and cook until tender. About 15-20 minutes.

• Toss your shallot into a small bowl with the white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside to let it marinate.

• In another small bowl, stir together your sesame oil, sugar, sriracha, and half of your soy sauce. Set this aside to drizzle over finished product.

• In a large pan, drizzle some vegetable oil and cook up your zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms until tender. They tend to cook at different lengths of time so use separate pans for each of these or just do one at a time. Just put your cooked veggies somewhere to keep warm while you cook the rest.

• In a large pan saute your ginger and garlic in a bit of oil until it is fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add your beef and cook till there is no pink. Add the rest of your soy sauce and let the meat cook a bit longer till it is a tad crisp.

• Finally, plate your rice with the veggies, beef, shallots and sauce over the top of it. Enjoy!!

Meatballs

Meatball Recipe

Makes about 16 Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound ground Beef

• 2 large Eggs

• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

• 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 small Onion minced

• 2 cloves Garlic minced

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked Paprika

• 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt or Sea Salt or to taste

• Fresh cracked Black Pepper

For the sauce and toppings:

• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

• 2 cups Tomato Sauce (or more if you like)

• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese for topping

• chopped Italian Parsley for topping

• serve on top of pasta, rice or with grilled bread

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients (meat, eggs, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, paprika, parsley, salt & and pepper). Mix it all together well. Add some oil to your hands to prevent sticking and roll meatballs into about 1 1/2” balls. Try to keep the meatballs all the same size for even cooking.

2. Turn Instant Pot on “Sauté”. When hot, add oil then add about 6-8 meatballs. Sear in small batches in the Instant Pot. Sear only enough meatballs in a batch so they don’t overcrowd and you have room to maneuver a spatula in-between to flip them while searing.

3. Sear the outside of the meatballs until a crust forms, gently rolling the meatballs around the Instant pot occasionally so that all the sides are seared evenly. Remove the seared meatballs and sear the next batch(s) until all the meatballs are seared.

4. Add all the seared meatballs into the instant pot. Add the tomato sauce to the pot of meatballs. Close the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 15 minutes . If you rolled the meatballs larger, cooking time will be longer.

5. After the cooking time is complete, press “Cancel”; and carefully release the pressure.

6. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve warm with desired accompaniments (pasta, rice, bread, etc...).

Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons cooking fat (butter, lard, tallow — I used tallow)

• 1 onion, chopped

• 4-6 garlic gloves, minced

• 1 lb St. John’s organic ground beef

• 1 lb mushrooms, chopped

• 3-4 tablespoons flour

• 1.5 cups beef bone broth (can substitute chicken bone broth or water)

• 3/4 cup sour cream

• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat pan on medium heat. Add fat to pan.

2. Once fat is melted, add chopped onion to pan.

3. When onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes), add garlic to pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to keep garlic from burning.

4. Add ground beef to pan, stirring every so often and breaking into medium sized pieces with mixing spoon.

5. Once beef is almost cooked through, add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes and mushrooms are tender.

6. When beef is completely cooked, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent clumping. I used 4 tablespoons but you may only need 3, depending on how much fat there is for the flour to soak up. Once the fat is soaked up into the flour, stop adding flour and cook for 1 minute. Cooking the flour is essential to prevent a “flour-y” taste in the end result.

7. Add broth to pan, scraping the bottom frequently. Once broth is simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

8. Add sour cream to pan, stir well to combine. Simmer 2-3 minutes.

9. Add salt and pepper to taste. I season along the way because I use homemade broth that doesn’t have salt added. If you used boxed broth or made it from bouillon paste, you likely won’t need much salt.

10. Serve promptly! Our family’s favorite pairing is rice and sauerkraut with lots of extra black pepper.

Serving Suggestions:

• egg noodles (this is the traditional pairing)

• rice

• mashed potatoes

• toasted sourdough bread or French bread

• sauerkraut or sour pickles

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp. Butter

• 2 lbs. Grass-fed Ground Beef

• 1/2 whole Large Onion, Diced

• 1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper

• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced

• 1 1/2 c. Ketchup

• 1 c. Water

• 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

• 2 tsp. Chili Powder (more to taste)

• 1 tsp. Dry Mustard

• 1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

• Worcestershire Sauce, to taste

• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste (or Tobasco)

• Salt to taste

• Freshly Ground Black pepper, to taste

• Kaiser Rolls

• Butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook

   until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

2. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get

   soft.

3. Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.

4. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

5. Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls,

   topping with a slice of cheese if that’s what you like. Serve hot!

Easy Beef Jerky

Watch the video for this recipe on our YouTube channel!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

Notes: 

This recipe also works in a food dehydrator, solar oven, or smoker. 

We recommend making as much jerky as possible at one time, for time efficiency. So please, double, triple, quadruple this recipe as you see fit! (We sell ground beef in 1 lb and 5 lb packages, if you want to make a little or a lot.)

Play around with the seasonings. Add or subtract what you like or don’t like—cayenne and chili powder for kick, or none if you don’t like spicy; dried herbs like oregano, marjoram; leave out the maple syrup if you’re avoiding sugar; etc. Have fun!

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 170°. 

Place an oven-proof cooling rack into a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Depending on the size of your racks/pans and the amount of jerky you’re making, you may need multiple. 

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl; using your hands is easiest here. 

Press out with a jerky gun, roll flat with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper, or just form thin strips with your hands. Place on the racks, keeping a little space between each strip. 

Transfer jerky to the oven and let it dry for 4-8 hours. The time it takes to dry will depend on the thickness of the jerky and your oven. Just keep an eye on it, checking every 30-60 minutes. It should feel dry and somewhat hard, but retain some give and flexibility when bent.

When done, allow the jerky to cool completely before transferring it to a storage container. Here, you have some options: an airtight container (such as a vacuum sealed bag) will allow the jerky to last 2-3 months; a plastic bag or lidded jar at room temperature should last 1-2 weeks. Try to keep it in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. 

Enjoy!

Saint John's Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. Saint John’s organic, grass fed ground beef

• 1 cup oatmeal

• 1 cup milk

• 1 egg

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

• 1/4 tsp. ground sage

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix all ingredients.

Spread in 9x5x3 loaf pan.

Cook, uncovered in 350 degree oven until done, about 1.5 hours.

Optional: Jonathan loves to mix in bits of lightly cooked bacon before sending the meatloaf to the oven!

Inspired by the 1983 Betty Crocker Cookbook