One of the more common conversational topics I’m included in is the subject of eating beef. It’s generally along the lines of “you must enjoy a good steak” or “you must be able to cook a steak”. In fact, the answers to both of these remarks are the same. I do enjoy a good steak and I do know how to cook one!
Smoked beef cheesburgers!
To me, beef is one of the most versatile and enjoyable foods. I love eating beef and I enjoy cooking beef. So much that I tend to take over people’s BBQ plates; ovens or other cooking strategies just to make sure it's done well.
Before you think this is unusual, many years ago as a young Beef Cattle Officer with the Department of Agriculture – cooking steak correctly was a key skill requirement. And to impress older and more experienced officers, it was something I didn’t want to stuff up! So critical were the Beefo’s, that once during a training workshop all the steaks ordered were sent back not once but twice! And following the second service, the team went into the kitchen to help the chef and offer some advice on the methods to achieve what was desired.
So, I often feel I have a standard to meet! However, there is another and ore important consideration. Every time I eat steak, it’s the result of someone’s work over three or four years (or longer). Not just in the growth and finishing of that animal. But in the selection of breeders, choice of bulls, investment in pastures and farm infrastructure to handle animals safely and quietly.
I spend my career helping people produce what is and should be a perfect meal of beef. So, if I do that on farm, I should equally be able to do it as a meal.
I’m always keen to explore and refine how I can cook beef and serve it to my family and to my friends. I want people to enjoy eating beef as much as I do, and to enjoy the results of many people’s effort in the creation and provision of that meal.
This year I was gifted a smoker for Christmas. This is an entirely new method of cooking for me. I am still learning how to achieve the best results and I’m starting out small. But what I have done so far has been too exciting not to share!
It’s also a way of getting you to think about your beef meal and enjoy other alternatives to a steak!
This week I’m going to share my approach to smoked beef cheeseburgers. If you have a smoker, you’ll love this. I think you could probably get a similar result with a smoker box on a hooded BBQ. Either way, it’s a great take on a simple burger meal.
My smoker is a Formetto smoker. It works by smoking pellets that are fed from a hopper into an ignition box. The temperature and the auger are controlled electronically so that makes keeping a constant temperature pretty straight forward.
My smoker is a basic entry one
At the moment I am burning Apple pellets blended with Hickory pellets to see if I can create a flavour that is somewhere between a strong smoke and something a little lighter.
The practicalities you need to think about – besides the smoker and pellets – are to get your smoker pre heated! I get mine nice and hot before dialling the temperature down to 1100C. While it's warming up, I make up my patties and a dry rub.
For the patty I use mince from Woolworths and is marked as being 80% lean (meat) and 20% fat. This makes sure that you have the right level of juiciness in the burger during the smoking process and that it won’t dry out.
You will want 1.5kgs to make up 8 big patties. I make mine fairly big as they will shrink during smoking. Mine are about the size of my fist. Don’t put anything into the mince such as onion or salt. Just make it entirely from mince, remember you are not making a rissole!
Once they are done, I coat them in a dry rub. This rub is fantastic, and I’ve used it enough that I’ve been sharing it with friends who have had a burger!
Coat the patties in the rub and put them in the smoker
For the rub, combine in a bowl the following:
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1⁄4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Depending how you feel you can reduce the chilli powder in the rub. I’ve done 2/3 tablespoon and it’s still been really good!
Once you coat them all over, take them out to the smoker and put them straight on the grill. Cooking time is about 60 minutes, and I check mine with a meat thermometer at 45 and 50 minutes.
At 45 minutes I also place a slice of Monterey Jack Cheese on the burger. It will melt over the burger but won’t burn, and it tastes amazing.
At the 60 minute mark I get a bit tricky and fire up the BBQ grill. I give the patties a quick grill (2 minutes) to add a little char and flavour and that’s it! These go straight onto the burger buns and serve with your choice of lettuce, beetroot and tomato!
For me this is something different. It gives me another way to appreciate and enjoy red meat, and I’ pretty sure that if I shared it with my producer’s, they would reckon I’ve used their product well!
Give it a go and let me know what it was like!