Are Pellet Grills Good For Burgers [Explained]

Pellet grills are good for burgers but many people feel apprehensive about spending so much on a pellet grill when all they want to do is make burgers.

However, pellet grills produce delicious burgers that will have you licking your fingers. So, I’d say pellet grills are definitely worth it.

Continue reading for in-depth analysis and tips on how to make burgers on pellet grills.

Are Pellet Grills Good For Burgers [9 Reasons To Know]

A modern pellet grill isn’t just good but an excellent choice for grilling burgers. Since their early beginnings in the mid-80s, pellet grills have come a long way.

\Here’s a breakdown of why you should consider spending your preciously earned money on an extravagant pellet grill even if you just want to grill hamburgers on it.

Note: You can also read why cooking brisket taking too long & how to fix it. 

1. Easy Ignition

First, super simple ignition. Basically, you press the button, set the temperature you want, and between the hot rod ignition and the fan-forced air, your grill is lit and ready to rock in no time. 

2. Easy To Control

They’re also easy to control during cooking. You just set the temperature you want and between the auger and the fan-forced air, the pellets are being laid out to the firepot exactly in the ratio that is needed to hit and maintain the set temperature.

So you’re not having to tend or stoke the fire or any of that. The fan is stoking, the auger does the fuel delivery, and you’re just setting the temperature once. 

3. Guided Cooking

Some of the brands including Traeger even have recipes built into the app. You just need to tap your phone and your grill will adjust to the burger recipe of your choice. 

4. Even Heat

You also get even heat due to the design of pellet grills. They have a heat baffle that is directly over the fire pot and then most even have another very large heat baffle somewhere underneath the cooking grids. 

If you couple that with the fact that they have the force convective air coming from the fan that hits the fire pot, super even heat, so even that the rear rack in a pellet grill is not necessarily just a warming rack.

It can be used as another cooking rack for grilling. It will be far easier to turn up grilled burgers fast at your next BBQ party.

5. Fewer Flare-Ups

Another great benefit of the heat baffles is fewer flare-ups. Basically, your food drippings will hit the large diffusion pan and either vaporize back in your food, or any of them that don’t do that will roll on down to the grease. 

6. Beginner Friendly

With a pellet grill, the smoke flavor will be on point. You can’t over-smoke your food on a pellet grill which is pretty easy to do on a gas grill. So, even beginners can churn out perfectly smoked patties.

7. Wide Range of Pellet Flavors

The pellets themselves come in all of the common smoking flavors. And so I mean you can mix and match or make your own blend.

It’s super simple and allows you access to all the common smoke flavors. 

8. Consistent

Pellet grills are extremely consistent and show the right temperature. By that I mean they’re a lot like a home oven but even better as you grill with wood fire. Nothing can beat the flavor of burgers grilled on a pellet grill.

9. Versatile Temperature Range

This is the best feature and I have saved it for last. Modern-day pellet grills have a very wide and versatile temperature range.

They are no longer just smoker grills. A lot of them allow you to achieve the five to 700-degree temperature range.

And then there’s a good bit of them that allow you direct access from food to flame. This will allow you to sear and grill burgers to perfection.

How To Grill Burgers On Pellet Grills?

We have all been to parties where we have had a dried-out burger. But if you follow this guide, you’ll get a perfectly juicy hamburger. Today I’m going to show you some basic tips to make the perfect burger.

Step 1: Prepare The Patty

The 80/20 ratio is what you want to go for. So always find a butcher that grinds his own hamburger in a ratio of 80% meat and 20% fat. You need to get this right.

Divide the meat into whatever size of patties you want. Don’t overwork the burger when you’re making the patty. It doesn’t have to be perfectly round there. You want to try to just get it to the right thickness. 

Don’t worry if it’s got some splits, that’s fine. Here’s another tip that will prevent your patty from blowing up like a football. Make a little indentation in the middle of the patty with your fingers. 

Step 2: Season The Patty

I like to keep the seasoning simple. Spread some olive oil over your patties, sprinkle salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

The olive oil not only imparts a little bit of flavor, but it helps the salt and pepper to adhere to the meat. Your patties are ready to be grilled.

Step 3: Get It On The Grill

What temp to grill burgers at? You will want a screaming hot grill at 425-450° F to grill burgers.

That’s going to give us some good caramelization and some good grill marks. Oil our grill and put your burgers on the grill.

Step 4: Cook Your Burger To Perfection

You’ll always want to cook a burger all the way through unless you know where your meat has been ground. Then, going for a medium-rare or medium burger is fine.

Your burger is cooked all the way through when the patty’s temperature is in excess of 150 degrees.

Here’s a table to guide you through the cooking time and burger’s temperature. You need to get an instant-read thermometer to check whether the burger is ready. 

Burger	Cooking Time (minutes)	Internal Temperature (°F)
Medium-rare	5	135
Medium	6-7	145
Well-done	8-10	160

A lot of people wonder, “do you flip burgers on a pellet grill?” Well, you do flip your burger even on a pellet grill but remember to flip the patties only once halfway along the cooking time.

Step 5: Melt The Cheese And Toast Your Buns

Put cheese on the patty and close the grill. Come back in about 30-40 seconds and that cheese is going to be perfectly melted.

Toast the buns on the grill for 30-50 seconds. A lot of people like to lightly butter their buns.

Alright. All you need to do now is assemble your burger and add whatever veggies and sauces you like.

If you’ve got a Traeger, watch this video on grilling burgers on Traeger.

5 Best Wood Pellets For Grilling Burgers

For classic burgers, I recommend you go with 100% Hickory-flavored wood pellets. These are our top picks amongst the pure Hickory wood pellets available.

You are of course, free to experiment with any brand and flavor you like to adjust to your taste buds. But I absolutely loved these, so do give them a try.

1. Camp Chef Premium Hardwood Pellets

These pellets come in 20-pound packages and have a reasonable price tag. They’re made with a kiln-dried method that reduces moisture content for a super-dry, hot-burning pellet with less dust.

2. Lumber Jack BBQ Grilling Pellets

The smaller diameter of these pellets appears to result in a hotter burn and more smoke. They also leave the bark on the wood during manufacture, which contributes to the wood smoke flavor. 

3. CookinPellets 40H Hickory Smoking Pellets

The CookinPellets bag is made to be used right away. The wood pellets do not need to be transferred from the bag to another storage site, such as a container or bucket.

CookinPellets ensures that using their smoking wood pellets will not void your pellet smoker’s manufacturer’s warranty.

4. Bear Mountain Premium Hardwood Pellets

You will find way less sawdust at the bottom of the bag and the pellets are consistent throughout. All of the pellets are made entirely of natural hardwoods and produce superb smoke.

5. Weber SmokeFire Hardwood Pellets

To coincide with the SmokeFire pellet grill, Weber released their own line of cooking hardwood pellets.

They’ll work just as well in any pellet grill, so don’t be put off if you don’t have a SmokeFire. These pellets have a fantastic flavor and burn well.

FAQ:

What are pellet grills good for?

Pellet grills are very versatile. Chops, fish, and, of course, staples like ribs, brisket, and pulled pork can all be cooked on a pellet grill. You’ll get more smoky and flavorful food from the pellet grill.

Why are pellet grills so popular?

Their ability to maintain a low, consistent temperature for long periods of time without requiring any modifications is appealing. When it comes to slow-smoking ribs, brisket, or pulled pork without burning or drying it out, that’s the accuracy you’d want.

Why are smoked burgers pink?

When you smoke meat, it undergoes a chemical process that turns it somewhat pink. It’s possible that if you smoke your burgers for an hour, they’ll be pink all over.

Can you smoke a frozen burger?

It can be done. However, it’s ideal to let them thaw out because the burgers will be more juicy and flavorful as a result. Because frozen patties are frozen, they will take longer to cook.

What is the hardest meat to smoke?

The holy grail of smoking is brisket. Everyone agrees that beef brisket is the most difficult meat to master, from competition cooks to dedicated pitmasters and barbecue enthusiasts.

Conclusion

Nothing beats the joy of eating a delicious burger grilled at home. Share your experience of grilling burgers on a pellet grill with us in the comment section.