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Smoked beer can burgers on brioche buns with chipotle mayo and crispy bacon on a metal tray, one sliced open

Smoked Stuffed Burgers, Beer Can Style

Half pound 85/15 patties with a deep pocket pressed into the center using a small Mason jar, stuffed with pickles, pickled red onions, tomatoes and grated cheddar. Smoked at 250°F over applewood to 165°F, topped with a cheese slice, and built on toasted brioche with bacon underneath.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 4 burgers
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, BBQ
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Burgers
  • 2 lbs 85/15 ground beef Formed into 4 half pound patties.
  • Pickles Thinly sliced, for the pocket.
  • Pickled red onions For the pocket.
  • Tomatoes Diced or sliced, for the pocket.
  • Freshly grated cheddar cheese For the pocket, plus slices for the top.
  • Your favorite burger seasoning On the outside.
  • Coarse black pepper Optional, around the meat.
  • Applewood pellets or chips
For Assembly
  • 4 brioche buns
  • Butter For toasting the buns.
  • Bacon Cooked crisp and chopped into chunks, not whole strips.
  • Burger sauce or chipotle mayo

Equipment

  • Smoker Running at 250°F with applewood.
  • Small Mason jar or beer can For pressing the pocket. Anything with a flat bottom and straight sides works.
  • Instant-Read Thermometer
  • Skillet For the bacon.
  • Wire rack Handy for moving stuffed patties without collapsing them.

Method
 

Form and Stuff
  1. Divide the 2 lbs of ground beef into 4 half pound portions and form each into a thick patty.
  2. Press a small Mason jar or beer can down into the center of each patty to create a deep pocket. Do not press all the way through. Leave a solid bottom and high walls, or the pocket will split while it cooks.
  3. Season the outside of each patty with burger seasoning, plus coarse black pepper around the meat if you like.
  4. Fill each pocket with thinly sliced pickles, pickled red onions, tomatoes and freshly grated cheddar. Stuff them with whatever you like.
Smoke
  1. Preheat your smoker to 250°F with applewood. Place the stuffed burgers on and cook until they reach 165°F internal.
  2. Just before pulling them, lay a slice of cheddar over each patty and let it melt on the smoker. Then remove them.
Build
  1. Butter the brioche buns and toast them until golden.
  2. Spread sauce on the bottom bun, then the chopped bacon. Place the burger on top, add more sauce and close it with the top bun. Bacon goes underneath so it stays crisp and catches what runs out of the pocket.
  3. Serve hot with fries, tater tots, a salad or whatever side you like.

Notes

Leave a wall: The pocket is the only thing holding the filling in while everything inside gets hot and juicy. Press too thin on the bottom or leave the walls too low and it splits during the cook.
Half a pound per patty: It seems large for a burger because a good portion of that meat becomes the container.
Doneness: Miguel takes these to 165°F. The USDA recommends 160°F for ground beef, so these go slightly past, which suits a stuffed patty on 85/15 since the fat keeps them from drying.
Bacon under the patty: It catches what runs out of the pocket and stays crisp. On top, the melting cheese softens it.
Chunk the bacon: Whole strips slide out the back when you bite down.
Timing: Prep and cook times are estimates and vary with your smoker. The 250°F and 165°F are as given.

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