Flavorful Grilled Beef Brisket Burgers
Serve up ultra-beefy, tender, juicy beef brisket burgers for flavor-packed family fun. Once you try these smoky burgers, you may not be able to go back to normal ground beef.
Our family loves cooking out, and any holiday, birthday, or celebration is a great excuse to try out new recipes. And that’s where this winner burger got its start at my house.
While brisket does best cooked low and slow, when you grind it into hamburger, you get all that intense beefiness and speed up the cooking process.
Ground Beef vs. Ground Brisket
Classic ground beef can come from any cut, but it usually comes from the chuck, sirloin, or round. Brisket is a tougher cut of meat because it comes from muscles that are used a lot. The trade-off is that it’s packed with beefy flavor, and if you grind it into hamburger, you have an intensely flavorful burger to slap on the grill.
How to Grill Brisket Burgers
- Grind the brisket in a meat grinder. Mix the burger ingredients without overmixing.
- Form the patties, grill them, and serve with your chosen toppings.
Recipe Notes
- Top your burger with crispy bacon, pickled jalapeños, and blue cheese dressing for a gourmet backyard BBQ burger.
- A meat-to-fat ratio of 80:20 is traditional for nice, juicy burgers that don’t dry out on the grill. You can go with less fat for a lower-calorie burger or more fat for decadence. It’s your burger, and your choice.
- Create a hot side and not-so-hot side in your grill so you can move the burgers away from direct heat if they’re cooking too fast.
Make-Ahead and Leftover Makeovers
Make the patties a day or two ahead, and store them in the fridge. You can also whip up a double or triple batch and freeze them individually for 3-4 months. Then take out as many burgers as you want and thaw them in the fridge the night before grilling.
Leftover cooked burgers will last in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months. Reheat them for fast burgers, make tacos or diversity bowls, or break them up and top a salad.
What Pairs With Brisket Burgers
The classic burger sides include French fries, coleslaw, onion rings, potato salad, and baked beans. Corn on the cob, fried pickles, pickled onions, and sweet potato fries are also wonderful options.
More Craveable Recipes Hot Off the Grill
By Imma
Grilled Beef Brisket Burgers
Ingredients
The Burgers
- 1½ pounds (680g) beef brisket (ground)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (28g) dry bread crumbs
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon (14g) minced garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons (9-20g) minced green onions or minced red onion
- salt and pepper to taste (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons (26g) burger seasoning (optional: 1-1½ teaspoons per patty is a good estimate)
Optional Burger Toppings
- 6-8 burger buns
- classics toppings: mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, onion, cheese, etc.
- BBQ faves: bacon, BBQ sauce, coleslaw, jalapeños, guacamole, and grilled onions
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the brisket and then grind it with a meat grinder or food processor. If buying pre-ground brisket, skip this step.
- For a gas grill, preheat it to medium-high heat or around 400-450°F (200-230°C). For a charcoal grill, light the coals, let them burn until covered with white ash, and then create a two-zone fire by placing the charcoal to one side of the grill, leaving the other side without charcoal.
- In a large bowl, mix the egg, bread crumbs, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined.
- Next, add the ground beef, minced garlic, minced green onions, salt, pepper, and optional but highly recommended burger seasoning.
- Mix everything with your hands or a spoon until well incorporated. Avoid overmixing, as it can toughen the burger.
- Divide the mixture into equal portions. The size will depend on how many burgers you want to make; I usually do 6-8 patties. Make sure they're of even thickness and are slightly larger than the buns. Repeat the process until you have used up all the minced brisket.
- Place the patties on the hot grill and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes per side, carefully flip them, and continue grilling until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (70°C). If the surface of the burgers is cooking too fast, move them to the cooler side of the grill away from direct heat.
- Optionally toast the burger buns during the last 2 minutes of grilling.
- Remove the burgers from the grill, let them rest for a few minutes, and serve with your chosen burger toppings. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- You’ll want at least 20% fat for a juicy burger that won’t dry out on the grill.
- Grinding fresh brisket at home with a food processor or meat grinder gives you more control. Just make sure it grinds evenly if using a food processor, so your burgers can hold it together.
- I used about 1½ teaspoons of salt in mine, but the standard for salting to taste is ¾-1 teaspoon per pound of meat. If using burger seasoning with added salt, keep that in mind when adding the salt.
- Avoid overmixing the burger ingredients for tender burgers.
- The nutritional data is a rough estimate for the burger patty only, and can vary considerably based on the products used in the recipe.
