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    Home » Recipes » Grill Recipes » Best Burger Recipes For Game Day

    Best Burger Recipes For Game Day

    Published: Feb 1, 2023 · Modified: Mar 20, 2023 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Best Burger Recipes image collage with text overlay

    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… 

    Best Burger Recipes List for Grill Smoker Sous Vide
    You can make a seriously juicy burger with any of my list of the most popular burger recipes. 

    HEY THERE — See easy comfort food recipes on Instagram @sipbitego.

    Table of Contents

    • Learn the best burger recipes for…
    • Philly cheesesteak style smashed burgers
    • Onion and jalapeno pepper smashed burgers
    • First off – you gotta make your own burger patties!
    • The best burgers for long weekend cookouts
    • Grilled burgers
    • Smoked burgers
    • Smashed burgers
    • Sous vide burgers
    • Try your game day burger on a pizza…
    • Sous vide lamb burgers
    • Smash burgers on the Blackstone Griddle Grill
    • Cast iron skillet cooked burgers
    • Best burger topping ideas
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • Meat thermometer recommendations
    • Meat thermometer recommendations

    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

    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.

    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!

    Popular burger recipe for homemade cooking
    That’s one delicious hamburger patty!!

    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! 

    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. 

    Infographic with best burger recipe seasonings ideas

    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?

    1. Add ground beef to a large mixing bowl. 
    2. Break it up gently with your hands or a spoon. 
    3. Add some salt and pepper (and any other flavors) to the ground beef. 
    4. Mix the ground beef and seasonings until integrated.
    5. Separate beef into individual burgers and make into disc patty shapes.
    Food Blogger Jenna Passaro with her Best Burger Recipe for the Traeger Pellet Grill

    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. 

    Best burger recipe for patties with hole poked in middle

    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

    Grilled burger recipe

    Learn how long to grill burgers on the gas grill for medium done temperature right here on Sip Bite Go.

    Smoked burgers

    Smoking the best burgers ever on the Traeger grill
    Burgers on the smoker absolutely always turn out tender and juicy! 

    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. 

    Best Burgers Recipe For Traeger Smoker

    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?

    Traeger Hickory Pellets For The Best Smoked Burgers

    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

    Example of Burger recipe for smashing burgers with onions in a griddle or cast iron pan
    Smashed burgers with onions are so easy and delicious!

    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

    Best sous vide burger recipe

    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…

    Grilling BURGER PIZZA recipe
    The burger sauce on this cheeseburger pizza is half mayo / half ketchup.

    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

    Best sous vide burger with mayo sear recipe

    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. 

    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

    Best toppings for burger recipes with smoking bacon

    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

    Best toppings for burger recipes with smoking 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!

    Best grilled burger recipe with topping

    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!)
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    • Smoked wings
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    • Pan grilled chicken
    • Bacon wrapped hot dogs
    • Potato side dishes
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    • Baked brisket
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    • GUIDE: How to make hamburger patties
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    Grill and smoker recipes…

    • Grilled chicken wings
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    • Smoked turkey breast
    • Smoked chicken wings
    • Smoked ham
    • Flank steak marinade
    • Skirt steak marinade
    • Smoked mac and cheese
    • Smoked chicken breast
    • Grilled broccoli

    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:

    1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
    2. 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:

    1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
    2. 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!

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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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