Having an Instagram account and following other barbecuers has been an enlightening experience. I feel like I’ve been able to learn so much from other BBQ’ers around the world and make some friends along the way. And believe it or not, I’ve been able to share some advice with others for what I’ve learned so far.
One thing I’ve seen people doing lately is beer can burgers. Like most ideas, I have procrastinated doing this like most people exploring on Pinterest, but thanks to a sudden snowstorm I found myself not wanting to leave the house. Figured today might be the right day to experiment. In trying to come up with what to put on/in my burger, I thought about an excellent jalepeño popper burger I had in Salt Lake City a few years back and used this as my inspiration for toppings.
Beer can burgers don’t necessarily require a can of beer; any soda can will work. The purpose of the can is to help smash the burger into a bowl-like shape. This is where you put your toppings in. For this one, I decided to try something a little out of the ordinary (like the burger that inspired it referenced above) and put in ingredients for jalapeño poppers. The end result I felt was good enough to share with you all. Here’s what I did:
SMOKED JALAPEÑO POPPER BEER CAN BURGERS
BURGER INGREDIENTS
-2lb. ground beef (80/20)
-1/2 Cup Worchestershire Sauce
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 Tablespoon rub
-1 brick of cream cheese (8 oz.)
-2 jalapeños, sliced
-1/2 Cup shredded pepper jack cheese
-4 slices bacon
SMOKING
-225F for 60-75 minutes
-Hickory wood
First thing you’ll want to do is take your ground beef, Worchestershire Sauce, minced garlic and rub of your choice (I used Meat Mitch for this one) and mix in a medium/large size bowl. When that is done, make four large patties out of the meat.
Next, grab your canned beverage of choice and press down in the middle of the patty, but not too hard so you don’t push through the patty. I like to form the patty to the can to make it a little deeper and more condensed so it isn’t too wide.
The indent in your patty should look like this:
I put my toppings in this meat bowl that has been created. Beforehand, I have cubed the cream cheese into a total of 16 cubes, or sliced 4×4 to put it easier. I’ve also sliced up the jalapeños real nice, too. The pepper jack I use is shredded, but it would also be a good idea to use cheese slices for this instead.
Wait for it…
I should also point out that once the burger is formed, wrap a piece of bacon around it. The burger should be big enough for a standard strip of bacon to wrap around it. I like to use a toothpick to help hold it in place. Now that this burger is ready, go take it out to your smoker/grill and smoke it with indirect heat of 225F for about an hour. I’m using my Kamado Joe for this one because 1) it’s wintertime and 2) it holds heat really well. Oh, and 3) because it’s awesome. I didn’t do anything fancy to know when it was done, just waited an hour. Ideally, I like my burgers more along a medium cook, which can be achieved at 145F internal using a Thermapen Mk4 by Thermoworks.
Once the hour of hickory smoke has been applied, I put these patties on a cookie sheet and put them in the broiler for a few minutes to give the cheese a little more texture and help crisp the bacon just a tad.
The end result was amazing! I was pleasantly surprised with how well these turned out. I left the seeds from the peppers in the burger to give it a little more kick. For less heat, remove seeds.
Hope you enjoy!
