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    You are here: Home » Food » Recipes » Classic Grilled Cheeseburger — Reverse Seared and Grilled

    Classic Grilled Cheeseburger — Reverse Seared and Grilled

    March 9, 2018 By Mary 4 Comments

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    Classic All American Cheeseburger Recipe Pin Image

    There’s a time and a place for an over the top cheeseburger with a million additions, but there’s something comforting about a classic cheeseburger recipe. We’re doing a reverse sear method using a grill and wood chunks to give your Grilled Cheeseburger an incredible smoked flavor and that perfect char to finish. 

    Classic All American Grilled Cheeseburger on a platter with a glass of wine
    We love our cheeseburgers simple. But that doesn’t mean simple flavor.

    I love going to a restaurant and seeing a broad menu of burger options. We have a restaurant near us with over 15 burger choices. I can pretty much guarantee some burger flavor combination that will fit my mood. But sometimes, what I really crave, is that classic All-American cheeseburger that focuses on a simple but great quality ground beef, fresh veggies like white onion, fresh crunchy lettuce, tomato, and a bun. The flavor takes me back to back yard BBQs with family in the summer and that scent of charcoal burning.

    Grilling Three Cheeseburgers on a Grill

    So we thought, why not give a nod to that classic burger recipe but add a slight twist. A smoky twist, and follow a sort-of reverse sear method to our meat to give an extra layer of flavor — a smoked kick.

    The Cut

    Ground beef of course. We specifically use Snake River Farms ground beef. And while you can do it yourself, it requires a grinder and a lot of people don’t have one. So you have to rely on your butcher, mail order provider, or grocery store.

    With ground beef you can expect it to come from various parts of the cow, but commonly it’s ground chuck. Sometimes a butcher will grind up a brisket, because it has a great fat to meat ratio. And no matter where the beef is ground from, you want to be sure you have a good fat to lean ratio. You will see ground beef in the case with a label, like 80/20 or 85/15. This refers to how much lean meat vs. fat you are getting in the cut. Fat adds flavor and moisture to a burger, and that is why we are going with one of those two ratios. If you go lean like 97/3 you will run into the burger overcooking quickly.

    Reverse Seared Smoked and Grilled Burger cooking on the Grill
    For even burger sizes, consider forming in a ramekin.

    Cheeseburger Seasoning

    We add the beef into a large bowl and keep it very simple with a little dry rub specific to beef. Ours is kosher salt, coarse black pepper and granulated garlic.

    Then we add a touch of Worcestershire Sauce to add a savory element and mix with our hands.

    Form into ¼ inch burgers. Consider weighing the meat with a kitchen scale to keep them even.

    Grilled Burgers with a Reverse Sear

    For this Cheeseburger Recipe we are cooking on our kettle grill.

    1. We’ll start on a smoky and low heat setting like 225 degrees F, and will place in an indirect cooking setup. In order to get the lower heat, you only fill your charcoal starter a quarter of the way, otherwise it’ll burn too hot.
    2. When coal is ready, place in an indirect set up and add a couple of wood chunks, add meat when the temperature of the meat is 225 degrees F.
    3. Smoke for about 45 minutes to an hour, when the internal temperature of the burger reaches 140 degrees F. Remove the burgers from the grill.
    4. Add more charcoal when you are done with the smoke stage, and then get the fire hot! We target 450 degrees.
    5. Place the burger over direct heat and grill for 3 minutes on one side. Then flip and add cheese to the top of the burger. Close lid and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the burger reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

    About temperature: We use our Thermoworks MK4 Thermapen for all our temperature monitoring. They are the best in the market. The Thermoworks Thermopop is also great at a lower price.

    Adding Wood Chunks in a kettle grill for added smoke flavor
    Cheese burgers on indirect heat cooking.
    Cheeseburger cooking on the Grill
    Burger over direct heat for the finish.

    Building The Burger

    Build it and they will come. But first make sure to Instagram the heck out of those burgers!

    Taking a picture of grilled cheeseburgers.
    Don’t forget to tag us or use #vindulge on your social when making this!

    Add your favorite fresh ingredients, condiments, and dig in with a side of fries an a glass of wine. Our favorite cheeseburger additions are really simple too:

    • Brioche bun. We love the soft buttery flavor of a good brioche bun
    • Fresh leafy lettuce like butter lettuce, red or green leaf lettuce
    • Freshly sliced tomato
    • Sliced dill pickles
    • White or red onions thinly sliced
    • Yellow mustard and ketchup

    It really is that easy, and that extra grilled cheeseburger smoke will add a great flavor.

    Cheeseburger Wine Pairings 

    Cheeseburger on a platter with a glass of wine

    I’ve written before on what it means to be a good “burger wine”. When it comes to pairing wine with cheeseburgers, the options are equally endless. I would argue that there is probably a burger for every single bottle of wine out there, and vice versa. It boils down to what kind of burger. Meat or veggie burger. Toppings and condiments. How it’s cooked and prepared.

    For these grilled cheeseburger recipe, they have a great smoked element, combined with the savory meat, and a variety of toppings. I like to play with the smoke elements to enhance that great flavor. Grenache or Syrah from the Rhone region of France are excellent bets. Tempranillo, either from Spain, or even some local Oregon versions are awesome too. You can even go for Malbec from Argentina. I wouldn’t recommend anything too overly tannic though (like Cabernet Sauvignon). Let’s keep them fruity, spicy, and smoky for this burger.

    Other Grilled Burger Recipes

    • Grilled Smash Burgers
    • Turkey Burgers That Don’t Suck
    • Chorizo and Beef Burger with Poblano Peppers
    • Fresh Salmon Burger

    This recipe was first published in March of 2018 and updated in June of 2020 with updated recipe instructions and highlights.

    This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link, we may receive a small commission if you purchase through the link. We partner with brands we know and love and use and it helps keep the blog going!

    Classic Cheeseburger Recipe

    Classic All American Grilled Cheeseburger with a Twist — Smoked Reverse Seared

    A Classic All-American Cheeseburger with a twist. These are reverse seared on a Weber Kettle grill with smoke chunks giving it great smoke flavor, then finished hot for the perfect char. 
    4 from 1 vote
    Print Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge
    Cost: $18.00

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground beef, we use 80/20 lean
    • 2 tablespoons your favorite dry rub, we like a combination of salt/pepper/garlic powder
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 4 slices mild cheddar cheese

    Cheeseburger Toppings

    • 4 brioche hamburger buns
    • 1 whole tomato sliced
    • ½ white onion sliced
    • 8 pieces butter lettuce, rinsed and dry
    • 1 whole dill pickle, sliced or buy pre-sliced
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat grill and prep for indirect cooking with lump charcoal and wood chunks. Target 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • In a large bowl, combine rub and Worcestershire with the ground beef and form into 4 patties.
    • When grill at desired temperature place the burger on the indirect side of the grill and smoke for 45 minutes to an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. Remove the burgers.
    • Add more charcoal to the grill bringing the temperature to a range between 400 and 450 degrees F.
    • Place the burger over direct heat and grill for 3 minutes on one side. Then flip and add cheese to the top of the burger. Close lid and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the burger reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Construct your burger with your favorite toppings and then enjoy with your favorite wine or beer.
    Find the perfect wine pairing at the Vindulge Wine Shop
    Tried this recipe? We would love to see!Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge

    If you like this recipe we’d truly appreciate it if you would give this recipe a star review! And if you share any of your pics on Instagram use the hashtag #vindulge. We LOVE to see it when you cook our recipes.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. James Clarke says

      March 16, 2018 at 3:18 am

      4 stars
      I love a burger and I we have tried your tips for making cheeseburger and the taste is awesome. thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    2. K&E - Twinning Store says

      March 12, 2018 at 7:15 pm

      This looks too yummy! Only bad thing is that we read this on a Monday. Friday BBQ can’t come around sooner! Thanks for sharing. Xoxo, K&E

      Reply
      • JB says

        September 03, 2022 at 2:10 am

        Is it possible to accomplish the reverse sear burger with a gas grill or no?

        Reply
        • Sean Martin says

          September 03, 2022 at 12:57 pm

          Absolutely – we have a guide on just that – how to smoke on a gas grill.You will want wood chips (not chunks) and a smoker box. Then smoke the burger and then finish it over the higher flames.

          Reply

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    Mary-Cressler-Sept-2015-smI'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, and founder of Vindulge and author of Fire + Wine cookbook.  Thanks for stopping by!

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