Shape the ground beef into about ½-inch thick patties.
Season the patties generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
SMOKE BURGERS:
Place the burger patties onto the smoker grates and smoke until the internal temperature is 135°F. (It usually takes up to an hour, depending on the thickness of your patties).
SEAR BURGERS:
Increase the temperature of your smoker to 450°F. Once the temperature has increased, sear the patties on each side for 2-3 minutes.
Add cheese slices after the last flip.
Burgers are done when they have reached 160-165°F internal temperature.
SERVE:
Serve immediately on hamburger buns and with your favorite toppings.
Notes
INTERNAL COOKING TEMPERATURES FOR BURGERS:Rare: 125 degrees FMedium-rare: 135 degrees FMedium: 145 degrees FMedium-well: 150-155 degrees FWell-done: 160-165 degrees F
The USDA’s recommended internal temperature for cooking ground beef is 160 degrees F.
Note that when you tent the burgers under the foil, the internal temperature will increase slightly. I usually like to cook my burgers 1-2 degrees under my target internal temperature.