Smoked Brisket Cheeseburger

Go above and beyond the standard backyard burger. Pull out the smoker and Certified Angus Beef ® Prime brisket to create Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q's mouthwatering version.

Burger

When you ask a couple of Texas-style pitmasters to make a burger, you probably expect them to go further than throwing any old patty on the grill. The Atlanta-based Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q owners Jonathan and Justin Fox certainly don’t disappoint with their Smoked Brisket Cheeseburger, a recipe that requires using a smoker and brushing the buns with beef fat. However, none of that expert technique would matter if they didn’t start with the best ingredients.

“Our smoked brisket burger starts with Certified Angus Beef ® Prime brisket,” they say. “There’s honestly no product out there that matches the consistency and quality—we know every bite is going to be juicy and delicious. You can’t beat that kind of a guarantee.”

That Certified Angus Beef ® burger patty is basically the canvas on which the Fox brothers paint their masterpiece. “Our barbecue is inspired by the Texas heat and the southern spices we were raised on. When we combine that with
Certified Angus Beef ® Prime brisket, it’s the most delicious meal you could imagine.”

Fox Bros

A bold claim, but the lines wrapping around their restaurant back it up. If you want to skip that line and make these burgers at home, you can pick up a few pounds of Certified Angus Beef ® Prime brisket blend and get to work. Here’s where you can buy the Certified Angus Beef ® brand near you.

Burger

Ingredients

  1. 3 pounds Certified Angus Beef ® Prime 75/25 brisket blend
  2. ½ cup mayonnaise
  3. ¼ cup plus 2-3 tablespoons rendered beef fat, warmed to pourable liquid
  4. 1/3 cup Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q Sauce
  5. 1/3 cup yellow mustard
  6. 3 tablespoon kosher salt
  7. 3 tablespoon dustless black pepper (16-18 mesh)
  8. 6 brioche buns
  9. 12 thick-cut slices high quality American cheese
  10. 18 dill pickles
  11. 1 Vidalia onion, sliced into 1/8-inch thick rings

Instructions

  1. Step 1

    Form ground beef into six patties (8 ounces each); refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Place mayo in a small mixing bowl and whisk as you pour ¼ cup rendered beef fat into mayo to combine; set aside. In a second small bowl whisk together barbecue sauce and mustard; set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Preheat smoker to 275F. Combine salt and pepper. (We like to put the mix in a shaker to season beef headed to the smoker). Season burgers evenly on both sides. Space burgers evenly in the smoker, directly on the rack. Smoke until internal temperature reaches 125F, 30-40 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    While burgers are smoking, preheat a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. Brush a little beef fat on cut sides of buns and toast in the cast iron until edges are golden; set toasted buns aside. Add a tablespoon of beef fat to the hot cast iron, add smoked patties to form a deep crust, about 3 minutes. Flip burgers to crust the other side and top each with 2 slices of cheese to melt.

  5. Step 5

    Build your burgers. Spread mayo on bun bottoms, top with 3 pickles, cheeseburgers and a few onion rings. Spread bun crown with barbecue mustard sauce, top the burger and enjoy.

    Pitmaster notes: The trim from our briskets never goes to waste! We make the most flavorful juicy patties—and it all starts by grinding a 75 percent lean, 25 percent fat ratio from Certified Angus Beef ® Prime brisket trim. We render extra brisket fat in the smoker, using this tallow to make our homemade mayo. But you could easily add your own rendered beef fat to store-bought mayo. We also make our own pickles because, well, we’re extra like that!