Reverse Sear Cheeseburger
Upgrade your burger game with the reverse sear method. Get a smoky, evenly cooked patty with a golden crust every time. The secret to the best cheeseburger you’ve ever made!
**I’ve partnered with Yoder Smokers to bring you this delicious cheeseburger recipe. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.***
My ride or die meal is a cheeseburger.
I can’t think of anything better than a juicy burger topped with American cheese, sliced white onions, lettuce, and tomato. It’s pure Americana.
And with America celebrating its 250th anniversary, I figured the food needed to match the moment. Have you ever reverse seared a cheeseburger? You might have done it with a steak or two, but I thought, why should burgers miss out on the party?
This is no casual celebration, and the burger blend reflects that: beef, lamb, pork, and buffalo. Cooked low and slow on the Yoder 640S pellet smoker, then finished on Yoder GrillGrates with a crust that is firmly, unapologetic. This isn’t a weeknight shortcut. This is a Saturday afternoon project, a labor of love, and the single best burger you will ever put in your mouth.
Why Four Meats?
Most backyard burgers start and end with ground beef. BUT! When you blend ground beef, lamb, pork, and buffalo, something genuinely magical happens.
- Beef provides the backbone with a deep, savory, iron-rich flavor. Go with an 80/20 ground chuck for the right fat content.
- Lamb brings a subtle earthiness and a slight gaminess that keeps things interesting without being aggressive. It’s the ingredient that makes people say “what is in this?”
- Pork is your secret weapon for moisture and sweetness. Fat from pork renders beautifully and keeps the patty juicy through the entire two-stage cook.
- Buffalo leans out the blend and adds a slightly sweet, mineral-forward note that plays beautifully against the smoke. It’s leaner than beef, so it needs its pork and beef partners to stay succulent.
The Yoder 640S: Built for This Moment
For the first phase of the cook, set your Yoder to 225°F. The temperature controller on the Yoder 640S is brilliantly consistent, and that matters enormously when you’re trying to raise the internal temperature of your patties slowly and evenly. You want smoke, you want gentle heat, and you want control which the Yoder 640S delivers. Place your patties directly on the main grill grate. At 225°F, you’re looking at roughly an hour depending on patty thickness, taking the burgers to an internal temperature of about 140°F. This is your target before the sear. Pull them at that point and let them rest briefly while you prepare for phase two.
For the second phase of the cook……this is where things go from calm to chaotic in the best possible way. Yoder makes their own GrillGrates: anodized aluminum grate panels with raised rails and valleys that create an exceptionally high-heat searing surface. If you flip the GrillGrates over you’ll find a flat, griddle style work surface perfect for creating that reverse sear crust.
Crank your Yoder to 450°F and give the GrillGrates time to fully preheat. When you lay those pre-smoked patties onto the hot GrillGrates, you’ll hear the sizzle sear. The crust develops fast and you’ll typically flip two or three times to make sure the burger doesn’t burn. Once the burger reaches 145°F (medium) to 160°F (well-done) , slap the cheese on it to melt and then remove from the grill to rest.
Why Reverse Sear Changes Everything
Typically high heat first and then finish in the oven works fine for steaks, but burgers have a different opinion. You end up with an overcooked outer layer and a barely-warm center that never quite comes together. The reverse sear flips that logic on its head. Start low, cook the patty evenly from edge to center, then hit it with the sear at the end when the outside is already dry and ready to brown fast.
And on the Yoder 640S, you’re getting something extra during that low phase which is actual smoke penetration!! These patties sit in real smoke at real smoking temperatures, and that time shows up in the flavor in a big way. Then you factor in the four-meat blend with the earthiness of the lamb, the sweetness of the pork, the lean of the buffalo all running alongside the beef and end up with an exceptionally juicy burger with a killer crust.
A Few Notes Before You Cook
- Keep your patties thick. I aimed for around 8 ounces. Thinner patties move through temperature zones too quickly for the reverse sear to work properly.
- Don’t press them at any point during the cook.
- Don’t skip the rest period between the smoke phase and the sear. Even five minutes helps the surface dry out slightly, which means a better crust when it hits the GrillGrates.
Otherwise, fire it up. Take your time. Enjoy celebrating America’s birthday!
More recipes to enjoy over the holiday: Aleppo Pepper Roast Chicken, Herb Dry Brine Smoked Salmon, or Detroit-Style Rose Pizza.
Reverse Sear Cheeseburger
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground beef (80/20)
- 1 lb Ground lamb
- 1 lb Ground pork
- 1 lb Ground buffalo
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp Ground pepper
- 1/2 tbsp Smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Tabasco or favorite hot sauce
- 6 slices American cheese
- 6 leaves butter lettuce
- 6 thick slices ripe tomato
- Thinly sliced white onion
- Ketchup, Mustard, Pickles, for garnish
- 6 brioche burger buns
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef, lamb, pork, and buffalo in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and Tabasco. Using your hands, mix until the meats are just combined. Be careful not to overmix, which can cause the protein to become dense and tough. Divide into six equal portions (roughly 8 oz each) and form into patties about 1 inch thick, with a slight dimple pressed into the center of each. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 20 minutes. The cold rest firms up the fat and allows the surface to dry slightly, which helps with the eventual sear.
- Load your Yoder 640S with pellets. Next, set the GrillGrates on the flat-surface side on the left of the 640S and the main grates to the right. Set the temperature to 225°F. Place the patties directly on the main grate, evenly spaced.
- Close the lid and let the smoke work. At 225°F, the patties will reach 115–120°F in approximately 1 hour to 1 hour & 20 minutes, depending on thickness. When the target temperature is hit, pull the patties off the grate and set them on a sheet pan. Let them rest while you crank the heat.
- Crank the Yoder 640S to 450°F. You want the GrillGrates to be extremely hot to produce a perfect crust. Lay the rested patties onto the screaming-hot GrillGrates. Sear for 60–90 seconds per side. Do not press. Let the GrillGrates do the work. With about 60 seconds remaining on the second side, lay your cheese slices on top and close the lid to melt. Pull the patties when the internal temperature reaches 145°F for medium.
- While the burgers rest, place your brioche buns cut-side down on the GrillGrates for 20–30 seconds, just until golden and lightly crisped.
- Layer butter lettuce, tomato, and white onion slices on the bottom bun. Place the cheesed patty on top. Finish with pickles, ketchup or mustard if using. Cap it, cut it in half, and serve immediately.
