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Are Traeger grills good for burgers?
One of the best parts of summer is firing up your grill and cooking burgers. The smell of burgers cooking is an iconic fixture in backyards across the country.
While you may think your Traeger grill is best suited to smoking, you can turn out great burgers on it. How do you produce great burgers on your Traeger? What heat should you be setting your grill for? How long will it take you?
How do you make burgers on Traeger grills?
When you want to make burgers on your Traeger grill, you have the option to go with a grilled and seared burger or a smoked burger. If you want a traditional grilled and seared burger, most Traeger grills can reach 450 degrees Fahrenheit, while the Ironwood and Timberline series grills can reach 500 degrees.
If you have used your Traeger grill for any length of time, you will be able to smoke burgers without many problems.
If you are cooking burgers directly on the grill’s grate, regardless if you are grilling or smoking, you want to make a thicker patty to keep it juicy.
If you want to make smash-style burgers on your Traeger grill, you can use a cast-iron skillet or griddle and preheat it before putting the patties on to help create that beautifully seared crust.
Once your grill is preheated, you want to keep an eye on internal temperatures for grilled or smoked burgers.
You can use a probe or even an instant-read thermometer to make sure you take your burgers to the proper temperature for your desired doneness.
What heat should you set on Traeger grills for burgers?
If you are trying to grill your burgers or make smash burgers, you want to set your Traeger grill for as high a temperature it can go, while if you are trying to smoke your burgers, you want to set it for around 225 degrees or use the Super Smoke setting if your grill has that.
The higher heat will help develop grill marks or a seared crust.
If you are looking for a smoky, juicy burger that offers a different experience from a standard grilled burger, your Traeger grill is perfect for low-and-slow smoking.
Then you can finish your smoked burgers with grill marks by ramping up the heat on your Traeger to its highest setting.
How long does it take to cook burgers on Traeger grills?
You can cook burgers to medium doneness in about eight minutes or smoked burgers in about half an hour on your Traeger grill.
The most important part of cooking burgers is cooking to each burger’s internal temperature.
For medium burgers, you want to cook them for about four minutes on each side at your grill’s maximum heat. When grilling and searing your burgers, you will likely spend more time preheating your Traeger than actually cooking!
When you are smoking your burgers, you can smoke them to medium doneness then sear them to finish in under an hour.
The preheat time will be less at the start, but the burgers will take longer to hit your target temperature.
Then, if you still want to get grill marks or a sear on your burgers, you need to take them off and ramp up your Traeger grill’s temperature before putting them back on to finish them. When you do put the burgers back on, you will only have them on enough to get grill marks before flipping.
Final Thoughts
Even if your mind goes to smoking meat like briskets, ribs, or pork shoulders when you think about a Traeger grill, burgers should be high on your list of meals to cook on your grill.
You can grill or smoke burgers and even create smash burgers on your Traeger with ease and versatility.
With maximum temperatures hitting 450 degrees on all models and even 500 on Timberline and Ironwood models, you can achieve good grill marks on your Traeger grill.
You can cook burgers to medium in under eight minutes after preheating your grill and under an hour for smoked then seared burgers. Regardless of how you prefer your burgers, you can achieve that desire on your Traeger grill. Just do not forget the toppings!
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.