You haven't cooked turkey burgers to their potential until you've smoked turkey burgers. Smoking gives ground turkey burgers a deep flavor & helps them stay moist. They are delicious and easy!
Everyone loves burgers! There isn't anything much better than taking a big bite out of a juicy burger. When my wife announces "burgers are for dinner" there is usually a mixed reaction from the kids...and me. First question, beef or turkey? People love burgers, but they want and expect flavor-packed meat. How do we achieve that with turkey? Smoke it!
Smoked burgers are just as easy as making burgers in the oven.
How to Make Smoked Turkey Burgers
Step One: To start, take your ground turkey place it in a medium bowl season it. Salt and black pepper are fine, I might also suggest some onion powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
Step Two: Next, make the burger mixture into turkey burger patties.
Top Tip
Ground turkey can get a little sticky, so I recommend preheating your smoker and wiping the grates with a little olive oil so that they don't stick too much.
Step Three: Once the smoker is preheated, set it to medium heat, about 250 F, add the turkey patties on the grill grates and let them cook for about an hour. We want the internal temperature to hit 160 F on a meat thermometer. Once the burgers are done, let them sit and rest for 5 minutes.
Toppings & Variations
Smoked Onions - we love topping these with our homemade smoked onions. They add a lot of flavor to each bite. Air fryer onions and/or mushrooms are the second choice.
Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickles, Avocado
Cheese - we used provolone in these photos but we also will use sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, swiss cheese, or pepper jack depending on our mood.
Smoked Garlic - we generally puree some smoked garlic with a little mayo and use it as a spread for burgers.
Bacon - bacon is always a good choice. You can cook up some pork or turkey bacon to add even more flavor to these.
Beef - sub in ground beef for the turkey. You can reduce the cooking time if you like your beef burgers rare or medium-rare.
Buns - we served this on a sandwich thin type bun but you can use any roll or burger bun you enjoy. Try these keto buns or use lettuce wraps for a low-carb option.
Condiments - ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, bbq sauce
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Recipe
Smoked Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground turkey
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Season ground turkey by gently mixing in the seasonings and forming it into 4 patties. Be careful not to overwork the meat.
- Preheat smoker to medium heat, about 250 F.
- Put the burgers in the smoker and cook until internal temperature reaches 160 F. About an hour.
- Let burgers rest for five minutes and then build your burger.
Nutrition
Originally Published May 25, 2021. Revised and Republished May 1, 2024.
Diana says
My teenagers loved these at our family BBQ!
Izzy says
Deciding to smoke ground turkey is probably the best way that I've ever seen anyone preparing it. There's something to be said about the depth of flavor that a bit of smoke brings, which just delights the palate. Thanks for sharing!