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TEXAS
THE SMOKED BURGER
When most people think of smoked meats, brisket, pork ribs, and bacon come to mind. Itās the tougher cuts of meat that get the slow-and-low treatment, simply because cooking at lower temperatures with smoke helps to render fat, add flavor, and break down their muscle fibers. The beef that goes into your burger comes from a part of the cow that needs very little cookingāso good that it can be eaten raw (speak to your butcher before attempting this stunt). So why would you take a good cut of meat and smoke it? For the flavor.
Thereās no denying the irresistible quality of smoke when applied to food. Thereās something truly primordial about smoking meat that unlocks an ancient instinct in our brains. Most people who know how to cook with smoke would scoff at the idea of a burger being cooked for longer than 5 minutes or by any other method other than over a direct heat source. Itās time to put aside preconceived notions of what should and should not be smoked and go smoke yourself a burger.
The first time I came across a smoked burger was, not surprisingly, in Texas. Good friend and food scribe Robb Walsh told me about a butcher in Houston who was selling a limited number of burgers a day that he was tossing in a Southern Pride electric rotisserie smoker designed to hold racks of ribs. The idea sounded absurd to me, but these guys would sell out of all two hundred burgers by the end of lunch. Robb explained to me that most people were getting the toppings all wrong by asking for a standard lettuce, tomato, onion combination. The key was to ask for barbecue sauce, pickles, and onion. This, of course, turned out to be the right move. The tangy barbecue sauce perfectly complements the deeply infused smoke essence. Barbecue is a place where lettuce does not belong.
I will smoke anything, literally. My menu at the smoker is never limited to brisket alone. Chicken, salmon, and oysters do well in my smoker, even olives are amazing smoked if you have the room (recipe follows, this page). And if you call yourself a competent pit master, itās only natural that you should find a place in your smoker for a few burger patties.
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THE SMOKED BURGER
MAKES 5 BURGERS
EQUIPMENT
A kettle grill with a built-in lid thermometer and a hinged smoking grate
A bag of hardwood smoking chips (hickory, cherry, etc.), presoaked in water for up to 2 hours
Natural lump charcoal
A charcoal chimney for igniting the charcoal
Long tongs (skip the plastic tips!)
THE BURGER
2 pounds (about 1 kg) fresh-ground 80/20 chuck
Salt, for seasoning
5 soft white buns or potato rolls, toasted (see instructions, this page)
THE TOPPINGS
Dill pickle chips
Homemade BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)
1 or 2 Vidalia or Walla Walla onions, sliced and served raw or sautƩed
1 Divide the meat into 5 portions and hand-form each portion into a 6-ounce (170-g) patty thatās Ā¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Place in a covered container and refrigerate.
2 Prepare a smoker in the kettle grill, pushing the hot coals to one side of the grill. Position the hinged grate so you have access to the coals.
3 When the smoker is hot (around 225Ā°F/110Ā°C), salt both sides of the patties just before you place them inside the smoker (if you salt too early your burgers will stiffen).
4 Place the seasoned patties on the side of the grill rack opposite the coals (but not beyond the center of the grilling surface). Add a handful of the wet hickory chips to the hot coals and cover the grill immediately. Close down both the top and bottom vents slightly. Use these vents to control the temperature and limit airflow inside the kettle grill. Youāll want to maintain a temperature near 225Ā°F (110Ā°C). If your smoke is running hotter than this, close the air louvers further to help find the proper temperature. Check the coals and condition of the chips every 15 minutes or so, but resist the temptation to open the grill lid too oftenāprecious smoke will escape. If no smoke is present after 15 minutes, crack the vents, add more soaked wood chips, and put the lid back on.
5 Flip the patties after 25 minutes in the smoker, and smoke for an additional 25 to 30 minutes.
6 Place the smoked patties on toasted buns, and top with pickle chips, sliced or sautƩed onion, and barbecue sauce. Serve immediately.
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