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The best burger recipes are juicy, tender, and easy to make! Today I’m sharing exactly how to make the best burger recipes for game day. There are so many great options on this list you can make using the grill, smoker, sous vide cooker, inside on the stove, and more…
HEY THERE — See easy comfort food recipes on Instagram @sipbitego.
Table of Contents
Learn the best burger recipes for…
- Making burger patties from scratch
- When you want to grill the burgers for a bbq party
- Sous vide cooking burgers
- Smoking burgers
- Cast iron seared burgers
- Smashing burgers on the cast iron skillet or for a Blackstone griddle recipe
- Mayo seared burgers
- Plus more tips coming soon for more cast iron burgers, smash burgers, and Blackstone burger recipes!
Get inspired with easy recipes for a tasty backyard bbq menu…
Philly cheesesteak style smashed burgers
Two classic favorites collide in one delicious dish with these mouthwatering Philly cheesesteak smash burgers.
These are the best burgers for a crowd because they’re easy to make, but very tasty!
They have everything from melty cheddar cheese, to griddled onions and peppers on top.
See how to toast buns on griddle…
Smashed taco burgers
What is a taco smash burger?
These are basically a smash burger (flat, thin patty), that is cooked into a soft tortilla shell…
You can make it on a griddle outside, or inside in a cast iron skillet.
They cook quickly, and then you top them with Mexican inspired toppings (salsa, cotija cheese, sour cream), or Big Mac toppings, or whatever you’d like!
Here’s a quick video…
See how to make taco smash burgers…
Onion and jalapeno pepper smashed burgers
Wow are these delicious! This will show you a slight variation from my traditional onion smashed burger recipe…
Smash your burger patties onto a pile of sautéed onions and peppers and jalapeños and the results are super tasty!!
First off – you gotta make your own burger patties!
Before diving into the list of best burgers to make at home, you need to know that you can make your own burger patty in less than 5 minutes!
See how to get a heart shaped burger…
Sure, buy premade burger patties if you’re in a rush. (I love grabbing turkey burgers or cowboy burgers or brisket burgers premade all the time).
But my favorite recipe for homemade hamburger patties is super easy. It makes 4 half-pound patties (8 oz).
From there, you can finish your delicious burger patties on the grill, with a pellet smoker, sous vide, or in a cast-iron skillet or in the oven on a baking sheet pan if that’s your thing!
What’s the best seasoning for burgers?
For seasoning burger meat, you have options.
Often, we use just salt and pepper – but you can also season ground beef / ground chuck with:
- BBQ salt
- Smoked salt
- Liquid smoke
- A dash of worcestershire sauce
- Garlic powder
How do you form burger patties?
- Add ground beef to a large mixing bowl.
- Break it up gently with your hands or a spoon.
- Add some salt and pepper (and any other flavors) to the ground beef.
- Mix the ground beef and seasonings until integrated.
- Separate beef into individual burgers and make into disc patty shapes.
Do you need to poke a hole in homemade burger patties?
Usually in my house, you’ll find we poke a hole / indent in the top of the burger patty before setting it in the fridge to chill and form a patty for 15-30 minutes.
And sometimes, we’ll add an extra sprinkle of salt and pepper to the outside before cooking as well.
When you push down a circle with your thumb in the center of the burger, it helps it from poofing up in the center and keeps it flat while grilling burgers on a hot grill.
The best burgers for long weekend cookouts
Here are some of my favorite burgers to make for a cookout for Labor Day or Memorial Day or July 4th weekends…
Other foods for long weekends
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked corn on the cob
- Smoked queso
Grilled burgers
Learn how long to grill burgers on the gas grill for medium done temperature right here on Sip Bite Go.
Smoked burgers
So these are hands down the best burgers to make in my opinion, at the moment.
I know I won’t stop raving about smoked burgers on Instagram, especially as we go into summer grilling season.
I’m deep into brainstorming back yard BBQ menu ideas and always in search of a new great recipe to share.
Right at the top of my list of best burgers are smoked burgers.
In many ways, using the pellet grill to smoke burgers is easier than grilling them. They’re difficult to mess up because of the low and slow cooking time.
Basically, it’s easier to overcook grilled burgers because each minute matters and can dry out the burger.
But with about 90 minutes of cook time for a smoked burger, it’s easy to carry on conversations with guest at your BBQ party while they’re finishing smoking on the grill.
What about the flavor?
Well, using a strong wood pellet like these Traeger Hickory Pellets will bring out tremendous flavor. In the last 10-15 minutes of smoking a burger, you add your cheese. And let me tell you – hickory smoked cheddar cheese is SO amazing.
It really adds more heavy smoke flavor to the burger.
Also see these smoked bacon wrapped burgers…
Smashed burgers
This will be your new favorite way to make burgers!
Simply slice onions and smash a ground beef patty on top of it while it cooks fast and hot in a cast iron skillet.
See how to make onion smashed burgers…
Sous vide burgers
A close second to smoked burgers, My sous vide recipe for burgers is next-level because sous vide burgers cook in their own juices, in a bag, slowly underwater (I know it sounds so weird!) and because of that, they are always super tender.
You can try something like finishing them in a cast iron skillet or on a grill with a mayo sear (see this mayo sear sous vide hamburger recipe) which makes a really nice crust.
These are amongst the best burger recipes because they are incredibly crispy on the outside from the egg in the mayo, and the mayo adds a lot of juiciness to the burger as well.
Try your game day burger on a pizza…
Use leftover diced burgers or make the ground beef topping for this burger style pizza…
You can cook this pizza in the oven, grill, or smoker. (see how to smoke pizza)
Add burger toppings and finish cooking until the cheese is bubbly and the sesame seed crust is golden brown.
Get this yummy recipe for cheeseburger pizza.
Sous vide lamb burgers
If you’re looking for a creative, gourmet burger to try, a lamb burger will do the trick!
Sous vide lamb burgers are the canvas to other tasty flavors like fresh feta, caramelized red onion, and a heaping spoonful of homemade tzatziki sauce.
This recipe is one of my favorite recipes from my sous vide cookbook.
Smash burgers on the Blackstone Griddle Grill
Coming soon, I’ll be sharing my favorite thin burgers which are called smash burgers. You literally smash them flat which makes them pretty tasty and a bit crispy.
See how to make Blackstone burgers…
Cast iron skillet cooked burgers
When making indoor cooked burgers, cast iron skillet is definitely my preference. I specifically like to make burger sliders inside for happy hours and for my toddler.
They cook up very fast with some butter and/or olive oil in the pan to give them a tasty outer crust.
For now, see my recipe for pan grilled chicken which you can make into sliders until I add my best cast iron burger recipe on here.
Best burger topping ideas
Now here are a few creative ways to add flavors to your burgers, beyond the standard condiments…
Caramelized onion topping for burgers
Maybe I’m biased because I probably make caramelizes onions 1-2 times a week. I put them on everything from burgers, to homemade pizza, pasta dishes, steaks like this oven baked tri tip, etc.
When prepping caramelized onions to round out your best burger recipe, go for sweet yellow / Walla Walla onions or make caramelized red onions. Both recipes are always a crowd pleaser. Any leftovers are destined for scrambled eggs the next morning.
Smoked bacon
If you’re going to smoke burgers, you might as well also smoke bacon on the Traeger to take your burger to flavorful places.
Pile more meat on your burger? Mmm… okay!
One of my favorite Cheesecake Factory menu items of all times is their smokehouse burger. Either that or it’s called the barnyard burger.
Anyways, they pile on a bunch of meat on top of the burger. It’s gluttonously perfect.
To DIY this ultimate burger recipe, you could pile on:
- Smoked pork shoulder
- Sous vide bacon
- Smoked brisket flat
My favorite basic burger toppings
So for my perfect burger that’s simple, I usually go with relish/pickles, and ketchup. Often some avocado or guacamole is in there as well.
You know, for health.
Oh and on that note, some finely chopped lettuce rounds out a good burger in my opinion, McDonald’s style.
My husband’s favorite burger toppings for grilled burgers
Always involves BBQ sauce, onions, and an onion ring. We make air fryer onion rings for this purpose all the time.
And his preference is brioche buns, if you’re wondering!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about how to make the best burger recipe for whatever cooking method you’re looking to try.
If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
New recipes and foodie guides….
- Tri tip (it’s so good!)
- Chicken enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce
- Homemade pizza
- Smoked wings
- Traeger pizza
- Pan grilled chicken
- Bacon wrapped hot dogs
- Potato side dishes
- Pasta side dishes
- Baked brisket
- Sous vide frozen steak
- Cooked chicken temp guide
- Jalapeno ranch sauce
- Sous vide pork chops
- Coulotte steak
- GUIDE: How to make hamburger patties
- GUIDE: Aerogarden
- Best restaurants in Portland
- Blackstone griddle recipes
Grill and smoker recipes…
- Grilled chicken wings
- Smoked pizza
- Smoked chicken
- Smoked tri tip
- Traeger pulled pork
- Grilled shrimp
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked chicken wings
- Smoked ham
- Flank steak marinade
- Skirt steak marinade
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked chicken breast
- Grilled broccoli
- Smoked queso
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
