J-Cody's makes one of my favorite hamburgers and I will stop for one when I get back to CS for a football or baseball game.

I would love to recreate their burger at home on the grill /smoker. There a lot of different burger styles but this one seems to be my favorite.

I tried smoking a burger for the first time and I feel like I am getting close. I used a prime brisket & sirloin mix from the counter at our HEB. The mean was juicy and had a great flavor but the texture was slightly coarser than I preferred. The meat was slightly crumbly.

The patties started at about 3/4" -1" thick and lost very little thickness due to the slow cook. If anything I would go slightly thinner as they were a bit difficult to eat. I smoked for 1 1/2 hours and finished 2 minutes each side over a hot fire. I used mesquite wood chunks in an offset smoker.

Does anyone know how J-codys cooks their burgers? Do they smoke them and then finish on the open fire?
What mix of meat do they use? I'm assuming they use trimming from the bbq.

Thanks

Probably the same flame they cook their steaks on. No way they would spend that much time smoking it.

I grilled burgers last Sunday on my fire pit to try out my new Englebrecht Craftsman since I haven't built a home for it. It worked great.

I put some Kingsford in the pit, got it going, and then threw some mesquite chunks on the coals when I put the patties on the grill. My wife, who goes to J Cody's on a regular basis, said the burgers tasted almost the same. The difference was prolly the seasoning.
I doubt Cody's spends any time at all smoking them. They grill over mesquite, and I'd bet they use an 80/20 patty from a supplier as well. Anything leaner than that tends to dry out too much, which makes it crumble.

The secret is salt. Always. Lots and lots of salt.

No way I'd spend 1.5-2 hours smoking a burger.

AggieBarstool said:

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The secret is salt. Always. Lots and lots of salt.

No way I'd spend 1.5-2 hours smoking a burger.

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Are you serious with the salt comment? I've always heard a burger with a ton of salt in the mix means the meat is going bad.

SACR said:

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AggieBarstool said:

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The secret is salt. Always. Lots and lots of salt.

No way I'd spend 1.5-2 hours smoking a burger.

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Are you serious with the salt comment? I've always heard a burger with a ton of salt in the mix means the meat is going bad.

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I don't know what I'm more confused by.....that saying actually exists or the fact that you think someone is recommending mixing salt in the meat.

You make the patties then liberally season the outside with salt immediately prior to cooking. Preferably by pressing into a flat top griddle. For the best burgers always buy ground beef the day you are cooking burgers and never use frozen meat.

Just a thought OP, but, have you tried smoking the burgers then finishing them on a flat top griddle? I've never been to J-Cody's, but, a GIS suggests their burgers aren't cooked over a flame. Smoke for 20 mins max and them go smash them into a cast-iron pan or better yet, get yourself a blackstone griddle. You get a much better sear and crust and none of the off flavor from fat burning in the fire


*EDIT*

Think I was looking at a burger from a different place. I'd agree with Rexter now. They probably just grill over a mix of hardwood and charcoal. I doubt any smoking is involved. That said, my suggestion may still be worth a try if you have the smoker going anyway. No grill ever can put a crust on a burger like a flat surface.

"I put some Kingsford in the pit, got it going, and then threw some mesquite chunks on the coals when I put the patties on the grill. My wife, who goes to J Cody's on a regular basis, said the burgers tasted almost the same. The difference was prolly the seasoning.
I doubt Cody's spends any time at all smoking them. They grill over mesquite, and I'd bet they use an 80/20 patty from a supplier as well. Anything leaner than that tends to dry out too much, which makes it crumble."

Try smoking the burgers for 30 minutes and then grill the patties for about 3 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for another 3 minutes.

FIDO*98* said:

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Just a thought OP, but, have you tried smoking the burgers then finishing them on a flat top griddle? I've never been to J-Cody's, but, a GIS suggests their burgers aren't cooked over a flame. Smoke for 20 mins max and them go smash them into a cast-iron pan or better yet, get yourself a blackstone griddle. You get a much better sear and crust and none of the off flavor from fat burning in the fire

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would you keep them as balls when you smoke, then smash on the griddle?

Yes, but, out of convenience. Would be a situation where something else is getting smoked so burgers would be the afterthought. I doubt it would make a difference in final product and would definitely not make a special effort to fire up the smoker for hamburgers.

Then again, I'm eating 95% plant based so when I rarely eat a burger want it 100% exactly like what I like it. Did burgers on the BGE last weekend and was pissed at myself for not going Blackstone

LeisureSuitLarry said:

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Try smoking the burgers for 30 minutes and then grill the patties for about 3 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for another 3 minutes.

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Did an experiment tonight.

I mesquite smoked (6) ~6oz 80/20 ground chuck patties and grilled 2 of the same patties over a medium/hot mesquite fire.

I smoked the patties for 70 minutes at @275ish to an internal temp of 150 and then direct seared over hot mesquite fire for 1 minute each side. Final internal temp of 160.

The grilled patties were indirect grilled over the same hot/medium hot fire for 4.5 minutes each side to a doneness of 160.

It was no contest, grilled patties were grey, dry and bland with a hint of smoke flavor. The smoked patties were a clear winner. The smoked patties were pink throughout with smoke-ring, moist with lots of flavor. Again, both were cooked to 160. The effort was well worth the result. I have no problem putting in 2-3 hours for a good burger, it's way quicker than a brisket or ribs, etc.

The 6oz ground chuck (80/20) patties were more manageable to eat than the 8oz brisket/sirloin combo I smoked 2weeks ago. We also preferred the texture of the chuck burgers as well, which was surprising. I tried to only change one or two variables. This time was the meat and better fire management.

I may try doing what LeisureSuitLarry suggested for the next round experiment to try and further refine the result.

TooTall 06 said:

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LeisureSuitLarry said:

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Try smoking the burgers for 30 minutes and then grill the patties for about 3 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for another 3 minutes.

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Did an experiment tonight.

I mesquite smoked (6) ~6oz 80/20 ground chuck patties and grilled 2 of the same patties over a medium/hot mesquite fire.

I smoked the patties for 70 minutes at @275ish to an internal temp of 150 and then direct seared over hot mesquite fire for 1 minute each side. Final internal temp of 160.

The grilled patties were indirect grilled over the same hot/medium hot fire for 4.5 minutes each side to a doneness of 160.

It was no contest, grilled patties were grey, dry and bland with a hint of smoke flavor. The smoked patties were a clear winner. The smoked patties were pink throughout with smoke-ring, moist with lots of flavor. Again, both were cooked to 160. The effort was well worth the result. I have no problem putting in 2-3 hours for a good burger, it's way quicker than a brisket or ribs, etc.

The 6oz ground chuck (80/20) patties were more manageable to eat than the 8oz brisket/sirloin combo I smoked 2weeks ago. We also preferred the texture of the chuck burgers as well, which was surprising. I tried to only change one or two variables. This time was the meat and better fire management.

I may try doing what LeisureSuitLarry suggested for the next round experiment to try and further refine the result.

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Solid post with real research/data. Hat tip.


That said, I have done burgers a number of ways over the years. Granted, never tried smoking them, and never heard of that today. But my two daughters go absolute ape**** about my teppenyaki smashburger technique... well not mine, but someone posted a video on a griddle thread maybe three months ago... they are legit. Only takes a minute or two too.

I don't exactly smoke mine, but it's loosely based on an article I read from the Amazing Ribs guy a few years back. These turn out great.

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/hamburger-sloppy-joe-salisbury-steak-recipes/steakhouse-steakburger-recipe

At Dripping Springs' EggFest couple yrs ago, LeRoy & Lewis (ATX bbq trailer) did a demo/tasting of their smoked then grilled burger and it may have been the best burger I've ever eaten. Daniel Vaughn of TX Monthly BBQ did a write-up last year. Basically: 80/20 blend (use brisket trimmings), smoke 45 minutes at 225 degrees, finish with cast iron sear, Martin's potato bun, American cheese, 1000 island dressing, carmelized onions, housemade pickles.

Ag MD 84 said:

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At Dripping Springs' EggFest couple yrs ago, LeRoy & Lewis (ATX bbq trailer) did a demo/tasting of their smoked then grilled burger and it may have been the best burger I've ever eaten. Daniel Vaughn of TX Monthly BBQ did a write-up last year. Basically: 80/20 blend (use brisket trimmings), smoke 45 minutes at 225 degrees, finish with cast iron sear, Martin's potato bun, American cheese, 1000 island dressing, carmelized onions, housemade pickles.

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Some good info in the article mentioned by Ag MD 84, seems like I am narrowing in on a technique.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/smoked-burger-leroy-lewis-barbecue/amp/