The Western Smash Burger

May 07, 2025 • Tom Jackson

The Western Smash Burger recipe brings steakhouse attitude to backyard cooking, pairing double‑seared patties with smoky bacon, pepper‑jack melt, and crispy beer‑battered onion strings. Crafted on the Yoder Smokers YS640s pellet grill, it showcases how high, even heat creates an irresistible crust while keeping the beef juicy. Southwest accents—Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning, pickled jalapeños, and Big Rick’s Chipotle Bar‑B‑Cue Sauce—layer big flavor without extra fuss. From mixing high‑temp cheese into the grind to steaming the buns for pillowy softness, every step is designed for speed and taste, making this a crowd‑pleasing burger you can tackle any night of the week. Bookmark this recipe if you’re searching for “smash burger on a pellet grill,” “beer‑battered onion straw burger,” or “Western bacon cheese burger” inspiration.

The Western Smash Burger

Tom Jackson

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

8

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Calories

453

Fire up the Yoder Smokers YS640s and smash your way to burger bliss with double patties, beer‑battered onion strings, jalapeños, and smoky chipotle barbecue sauce. This quick, flavor‑packed Western Smash Burger turns pantry staples into a towering restaurant‑style meal at home.

Ingredients

Beer batter Onions:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine
1/8 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup beer
1 cup yellow onions, sliced thin
Neutral flavored oil (vegetable, canola, peanut, avocado, etc.), for frying

Burgers:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup (150g) LEM Backwoods High Temp Pepper Cheese
Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 slices bacon
2 burger buns
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp cup pickled jalapeños
1/4 cup Big Rick’s Chipotle Bar-B-Cue Sauce

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Directions

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 475ºF with a the Yoder Smokers Griddle installed over the fire box and a Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillet inside, filled with 3/4” neutral flavored frying oil.
Combine the high heat cheese with the beef and mix well by hand. Divide into four equal portions and form into balls.
Slice the onion thin.
To make the beer batter, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
Place the onions in the batter and toss to coat.
The oil should be around 400ºF or just above. Drop the battered onions in the oil, spreading evenly. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack over a pan or on paper towels to drain excess oil.
While the onions are frying cook the bacon on a wire rack over a sheet pan on the opposite side of the grill until rendered and browned, about 15 minutes, then remove.
Reduce the grill temperature to 425ºF.
Place the beef balls on the griddle. Place a piece of parchment paper over each individual portion and smash them with a grill press until thin. Season the tops with Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning. When well seared (only about 2-3 minutes) flip and top each patty with pepper jack cheese. Sear the opposite side, then remove.
While the burgers cook, steam your buns inside a sealed foil pan, wrapped in damp paper towels for a few minutes, until softened.
To build the burgers, spread the bottom bun with mayonnaise, then top with pickled jalapeños. Place two of the smash burger patties on top. Place the fried onions on the patties, then drizzle barbecue sauce on top and finish with the top bun.

Recipe Note

National Burger Month: May’s 31-Day Toast to America’s Favorite Sandwich

When vendors slid a seared beef patty between two halves of a roll at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, they unknowingly sparked a nationwide craving that would reshape fairs, diners, and backyard cookouts for the next century.

Fast-forward to today and Americans bite through more than 40 billion hamburgers every year—roughly 125 every second—making the humble burger the undisputed king of handheld meals.

Independence Day is its biggest stage: an estimated 375 million burgers sizzle on grills each July 4, with burgers topping 85 percent of cookout menus across the country.

What fuels the obsession? Lightning-fast smash-sears, rich pellet-grill smoke, and an ever-growing canvas of toppings keep burgers endlessly fresh. Our Western Smash Burger piles pepper-jack-crusted patties, beer-battered onion strings, and chipotle barbecue drizzle—ready in minutes on a Yoder Smokers YS640s pellet grill.