Frugal Upstate

Use what you have, get creative and save!

  • Home
  • Cooking
  • DIY
  • Gardening
  • Repairs/Mending
  • Contact
  • About
    • Disclaimer
You are here: Home / Recipes / Jack Daniel’s Smoked and Grilled Burgers.

Jack Daniel’s Smoked and Grilled Burgers.

August 20, 2014 By Jenn @ Frugal Upstate 15 Comments

Looking for a different way to make your Labor Day burgers this year?  Why not try smoking them!

Jack Daniel's Smoked and Grilled Burgers

That’s right, take your regular burger recipe up a notch by adding delicious smoke to the equation.  Don’t worry,  you don’t need a smoker, just your regular grill, some Great Value Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil, and a bag of Jack Daniel’s Smoking Chips.

What are Jack Daniel’s Smoking chips?  Well–Whiskey (or bourbon–there’s some argument) is aged in oak barrels, and Jack Daniels only uses NEW barrels–so once a barrel is used, it isn’t reused for whiskey again.  Some of the barrels are then sold to Scotland to be used for Scotch Whiskey (yup, they take JD’s hand me downs!), some of it goes to the Tabasco company to age their hot sauce, some are used in Jamaica for rum, some are cut and sold as planters. . . and finally some are chopped up and used for smoking chips.  Now this sounds like it would be an expensive item to purchase, but  a 2.94 Liter Bag cost just $4.96 at Walmart.  Bargain!

Jack Daniel's Whiskey Barrel Smoking chipsWhen I cracked open the bag of chips and took a whiff. .. they smelled SO GOOD.  Seriously-I’m not particularly into drinking whiskey (or bourbon!)  but these chips smelled heavenly.  I just stuck my nose down into the bag and took a couple of deep, heady breaths.  Mmmm.

IMG_3574

Using the chips is not complicated, and you don’t need a smoker (although of course you can use one).  There are directions right on the back of the bag.  You simply put 2 or 3 handfuls onto a piece of foil, wrap it up in a packet and punch a few holes in it.  You don’t have to soak the chips, just use them dry. Using Jack Daniels Smoking Chips on a Gas Grill

Then start your grill, put the packet in and close the lid.  Check on it occasionally until you can see and smell that it has started smoking.  Then you are ready to put your burgers on!

Making a depression in your burger helps it cook flat in the center

Now I really wanted to be able to enjoy the flavor of the smoke, so I didn’t want to load my burgers up with a ton seasonings and additions.  I made a very simple burger mix with 80% lean ground beef from my local Walmart:

1 1/2 Lbs Hamburger
1 TBS of Soy Sauce
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 sm Onion, Diced
Salt & Pepper

Mix it all together and make your patties.  Put a dimple in the middle of each patty using your thumb, just like I learned from Adam Richman in this video:

Of course you can use any kind of burger mixture and seasoning you like–or even buy preformed burgers at Walmart to keep your life simple.

Once your burgers are ready and your chips are smoking, it’s time to combine them!  Turn your grill down if necessary to whatever temperature you usually cook your burgers at.  Move the smoker packet to the side of the grill, and put your burgers on.  Then close the lid–you want all that yummy smoke to stay in there.

Smoking Burgers on the Grill

After a few minutes check inside the grill.  Flip when necessary and keep an eye on the burgers, but don’t keep the lid open any more than necessary.  When you are done, the chips inside the foil packet will be partially burned and your burgers should be a lovely mahogany color.

IMG_3590I admit it, I couldn’t wait to see how they turned out, so I had to snitch the smallest one and eat it, completely plain, on my way back into the house.

Can't wait to taste a burger!

Delicious!  So there you have it, a simple way to add some wow to your Labor Day (or any other day) Barbeque!  Of course Walmart sells all kinds of smoking chips–Applewood, Mesquite, Cherry Wood, and many more.  Since they are inexpensive to purchase and easy to store (hey–they are just wood)–why not buy a couple of different kinds and experiment?

Jack Daniels Smoked Burgers

Looking for more great Labor Day ideas?

  • Lemony Basil Orzo Pasta Salad
  • How To Plan An Easy Labor Day Picnic
  • Salami Chopped Salad
  • Frozen Berry Lemonade
  • Mac-N-Cheese Deep Fried Bites
  • Creamy Chicken Artichoke Casserole
  • DIY Patriotic Frames
  • Red, White and Blue Burlap Bandana Wreath
  • Red, White & Blue Angel Fluff
  • Key Lime Pie
  • Mango Chicken Skewers
  • Patriotic Paper Petal Wreath
  • Simple Summer Side Dishes
  • Easy Labor Day Chips and Dips

 

****This is a sponsored post****
Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Share on Facebook Share
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Pinterest Share
Share on LinkedIn Share
Share on Digg Share

Related posts:

  1. Recipe: Cheater’s Beef or Venison Stroganoff This isn’t fine cooking by any means, but it is quick, easy, economical, tasty and fairly healthy.  Print Cheater’s Beef...
  2. Easy Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers Simple meals.  Isn’t that what we all are looking for at this time of year? School, sports, activities, kids, homework,...
  3. Hamburger Casserole Here’s a family favorite–Hamburger Casserole.  This is easy, simple, comfort food. . . and I thought it was a dish...
  4. Sugar & Spice Nuts From about mid November until the New Year is the busiest entertaining season of the entire year.  The number of...
  5. Navel Orange Peels Three Ways — Candied, Dried and as Extract! Did you know you can eat orange peels? That’s right!  When Walmart asked me to do a recipe using Navel...

Filed Under: Recipes, Sponsored Tagged With: beef, entree, Ground beef, recipe

Tweet
« You could be a Hero! Enter to win for your school!
Make a Duck Tape Lunchbox for Back to School! »

Comments

  1. Tara @ Unsophisticook says

    August 24, 2014 at 8:19 pm

    I still haven’t tried smoking on my grill, yet. Definitely need to try it next time we have burgers!

    Reply
  2. Linsey @ LillePunkin says

    August 24, 2014 at 10:38 pm

    I’m a big baby when it comes to trying new grilling techniques. I’m going to have to give this a shot!

    Reply
  3. Leah says

    August 27, 2014 at 7:05 am

    Oh I’ve used those before. I did it all wrong, But they still turned out wonderful. Can’t wait to do it the right way and get even more of that great smoke flavor. Thank you! ( And no I did NOT read the directions on the bag.)

    Reply
    • Jenn @ Frugal Upstate says

      August 27, 2014 at 8:24 am

      I know, who reads the directions, right? 🙂 If you use charcoal you can just put the wood chips or buy the bigger wood chunks and burn them right with the charcoal too.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow us

  • instagram
  • pinterest
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • rss

About Frugal Upstate

About Frugal Upstate

I’m Jenn –an Upstate NY wife, mom, blogger and veteran. I talk very fast, read constantly, take on too much and make plenty of mistakes. I’m a real person, not perfection. I love to talk about the frugal lifestyle, “Village Homesteading”, living a more sustainable lifestyle and being prepared for all the curves life throws at you.

Search

Free Email Updates:

Contributor at the Homestead Bloggers Network

The Motherboard
Blogger Outreach Made Easy Quantcast
Blog PR Wire Blog Network
Frugal Upstate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Copyright © 2022 · Designed by Design Junky · Hosted by New Blog Hosting

Copyright © 2022