This is a massive smoked burger that’s thick enough to need both hands and comes with no apologies. It’s an entire meal, doesn’t need a side dish, and will crush your craving for a real burger.
We’re making this a choose-your-own-adventure between a cast-iron and a smoker version, but to be honest, we have a favorite (it’s the smoker). The flavor you get when taking the time to smoke this giant patty is what sets the whole thing apart. We recommend it if you have a smoker – if not, we get it – no matter what, this is a thick pub-style burger that no one is going to complain about.
The arugula and the Dijon aioli are doing specific work. This burger is rich; the mushrooms add even more umami. And it wouldn’t be a steakhouse burger without cheese and thick-cut bacon on top. Eat this over a plate. You will need it.
🔪 Ingredients for a Steakhouse Burger
For the Patties
- Ground beef: 80/20 is the floor. The fat is what builds the crust and keeps the center from going tight. Going leaner produces a drier patty and a slower sear. Want to take it further? Our guide to grinding beef for perfect patties covers fat ratios, chuck vs. sirloin blends, and how to get a 70/30 at home.
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper: or a steak seasoning blend like Montreal or Jack Daniel’s if you want more complexity on the outside crust.
For the Mushrooms
- Cremini mushrooms: sliced. More umami depth than white buttons, and they shrink and concentrate more evenly. Eight ounces is not a typo. This is a pub burger.
- Butter: goes in after the pan looks dry and you hear sizzle. Not before.
- Kosher salt
For Assembly
- Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard: mixed into a spread. Use a real Dijon. The sharpness is doing structural work here against the richness of the beef and cheddar.
- Sharp cheddar: two slices. Mild cheddar melts fine but doesn’t push back. The sharpness matters.
- Brioche or pub rolls: split. A standard bun works, but brioche holds its structure longer under the weight and the slight sweetness plays off the peppery arugula.
- Thick-cut bacon: cooked until crispy. Cook it separately and keep it warm.
- Arugula: a handful per burger. The peppery bite is doing real work against the richness of the beef and the cheddar.
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet: retains heat evenly and gives you the kind of crust a nonstick never will. Carbon steel works too.
- Instant-read thermometer: for any burger you’re not cutting open to check.
- For the smoke method: a smoker set for indirect heat at 225°F, plus a charcoal grill or second cast iron for the finish sear.
📝 How to Make a Steakhouse Burger
- Form the patties. Divide the beef in half and gently shape each into a loose patty about ¾ to 1 inch thick. Work the meat as little as possible – overhandled beef turns dense. Press a shallow dimple in the center of each. Season the outsides generously with kosher salt and pepper right before cooking. Salting too early draws moisture out.
- Cook the mushrooms first. Heat the cast iron over medium-high with no butter or oil. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the moisture cooks off completely and the pan sounds dry again. Eight ounces will shrink to a small, concentrated pile. Then add the butter. Cook another 1–2 minutes until the mushrooms turn golden. Transfer to a plate. Add butter at the start, and the pan stays wet; they steam instead of searing and never get there.
- Sear the burgers. In the same skillet, crank the heat to medium-high and let the pan get fully hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the patties. Do not touch them for 4 to 5 minutes. Moving them early breaks the sear before it sets. Flip once. Reduce the heat slightly and cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Pull at 130°F for medium-rare (it coasts to 135°F during rest) or 140°F for medium. Note: The USDA recommends 160°F for ground beef. If you’re serving anyone in a high-risk group, cook to full doneness.
- Melt the cheese and rest. Lay a slice of sharp cheddar on each patty in the last minute of cooking. Cover the pan briefly with a lid or large plate to trap steam and melt the cheese without overcooking the patty. Rest the patties 3 to 4 minutes before assembling.
- Toast the buns. Butter the cut sides and press them face-down into a clean skillet over medium heat. 1 to 2 minutes until golden. Brioche browns faster than you expect. Watch it.
- Assemble. Mix the mayonnaise and Dijon and spread on the bottom bun. Add the rested patty. Spoon the mushrooms over the top. Layer on the bacon and a handful of arugula. Cap it and serve.
To Smoke This Burger
The smoke method gives you bark, depth, and a beefiness that a skillet alone can’t touch. If you have the time and the setup, it’s worth every minute. See our full smoked hamburgers recipe for wood choices and fat ratio guidance.
- Complete steps 1 and 2 above. Keep the mushrooms warm.
- Preheat your smoker to 225°F. Add a hickory or post oak chunk for noticeable smoke flavor. Hickory is bolder; post oak is cleaner. Both work well with beef.
- Smoke the patties 30 to 45 minutes until the internal temperature reads 130°F. Do not flip during the smoke.
- Meanwhile, preheat a charcoal grill to 450°F or higher with a two-zone fire, or heat a cast iron pan over medium-high. Sear the smoked patties 2 to 3 minutes per side until a crust forms and internal temp reaches your target doneness (USDA recommends 160°F for ground beef).
- Add the cheese for the last minute of searing. Cover to melt. Rest 3 to 4 minutes, then assemble as directed.
🔄 Substitutions
- Leaner ground beef for 80/20: The patty shrinks less, and the sear develops more slowly without the rendered fat. The center is noticeably drier, especially with the smoke method where you’re on lower heat longer.
- White button mushrooms for cremini: Release more water before they brown and take 2 to 3 minutes longer to get there. The flavor is milder, and you lose some of the concentrated, savory depth that cremini mushrooms carry.
- Swiss or gruyère for sharp cheddar: Melts cleaner, adds a nuttier note. Gruyère pairs particularly well with the Dijon. The burger becomes more refined and loses some of its classic punch.
- Standard bun for brioche: Compresses faster under the weight of the mushrooms and bacon. Works fine. Eat it quickly.
- Spinach for arugula: Neutral enough that you barely notice it. The peppery bite that cuts the richness disappears. The burger reads heavier without it.
- Yellow mustard for Dijon in the aioli: The vinegar note comes forward and the sauce sharpens considerably. Not wrong, but the balance shifts toward tart rather than sharp.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- The dimple prevents the dome. As ground beef proteins tighten during cooking, the patty wants to puff in the center. The dimple accounts for that. Without it, you end up with a thick, raised center that’s undercooked while the edges run well-done.
- Season outside, never inside. Mixing salt into the ground beef before forming pulls moisture out and begins breaking down the protein before cooking. The result is closer to a meatball texture than a burger. Season the exterior only, right before the pan.
- The mushrooms need to go in dry. Butter at the start keeps the pan wet — they steam instead of sear and never turn golden. Let the moisture cook off completely first. When the pan sounds like it’s sizzling fat instead of steaming water, that’s your cue to add the butter. The two extra minutes after that is where all the color happens.
- Cold patties sear better. Form them in the morning, cover, and refrigerate. Cold beef holds together better when it hits a hot pan and warms through more evenly than a room-temperature patty that starts cooking unevenly at the edges.
🍽️ What to Serve with a Steakhouse Burger
- Beef tallow fries: The fat-on-fat combination is exactly what this meal is already committed to, and the fries soak up any Dijon aioli that escapes the bun.
- Simple arugula salad: You already have the bag open, and the same peppery bite that works in the burger works as a side dressed with lemon and olive oil to keep things from feeling like a full wall of richness.
- Onion rings: A pub burger deserves pub sides, and onion rings give you something to crunch on between bites that doesn’t compete with the mushrooms.
- Smoked baked beans: If you’re already running the smoker for the smoke-and-sear method, beans on the side are a natural pairing and require almost no extra work.
🧊 Leftovers and Storage
- Store the patties: Airtight container in the refrigerator, separated from mushrooms and toppings. Good for 3 to 4 days.
- Store the mushrooms separately: Covered container in the refrigerator, 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium with a splash of water, and they come back exactly as they were.
- Reheat patties: Wrap in foil and warm in a 325°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Skillet over medium-low with a lid works too. The microwave softens the exterior — use it only in a pinch.
- Freeze cooked patties: Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Do not freeze the assembled burger.
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This is the pub-style steakhouse burger you make just because you want to flex. Half-pound, hard-seared crust, golden mushrooms, sharp cheddar, Dijon-mayo — cast iron or smoke-and-sear options for whatever you’re craving.
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For the Sauce and Assembly
Cook the Mushrooms
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Heat cast iron over medium-high with no fat. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook 6–8 minutes until moisture cooks off completely and the pan sounds dry. Add butter, cook 1–2 minutes more until mushrooms are golden. Transfer to a plate.
Sear the Burgers
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Add patties to the same hot skillet. Don’t touch for 4–5 minutes until a dark crust forms and the patty releases cleanly. Flip once, lower heat slightly, cook 3–4 more minutes. Pull at 130°F for medium-rare or 140°F for medium.See the notes below for smoking these burgers.
Assemble
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Mix the mayo and Dijon in a small bowl together, then spread it on the bottom bun. Add the arugula, a smoked patty, spoon mushrooms over top, layer on the bacon, top with the remaining bun halves, and serve.
- Don’t salt ground beef before forming – season the exterior only, right before cooking.
- Chill patties 30 minutes before smoking for better structure.
- Store cooked patties and mushrooms separately, refrigerated up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a skillet at low heat or in the oven at 325°F for 8–10 minutes.
To smoke these:
- Preheat your smoker to 225°F and add a hickory or post oak chunk. Chill the patties 30 minutes before smoking: cold fat holds together on the low-and-slow and gives you a better crust on the sear. Season the patties right before they go in and smoke 30–45 minutes until the internal temp reads 130°F.
- Then move fast – get a cast iron or charcoal grill screaming hot (450°F+) and sear 2–3 minutes per side until the crust forms and the internal temp hits 135°F for medium-rare or 145°F for medium.
- Add cheddar in the final minute and close the lid to melt. The smoke adds a depth the skillet method can’t touch.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1169kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 100g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 38g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 259mg | Sodium: 2167mg | Potassium: 1306mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 507IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 273mg | Iron: 5mg
Quick Summary
This is a half-pound pub-style steakhouse burger built for people who are serious about their burger night. The mushrooms go in a dry pan first — that step is what makes them worth eating. Season the outside of the patty only, press the dimple, and rest the finished burger before you build it. Cast iron sear or smoke at 225°F and sear after – both methods are here. The Dijon aioli and arugula are not optional. They’re what keep a rich, half-pound burger from being too much. Make it with quality ground beef you trust, and the whole thing will taste like you meant every bite.
❓ FAQs
Size, build, and intention. A steakhouse burger is typically a half-pound or more, with deliberate toppings that add to the beef rather than cover it up. Sautéed mushrooms, sharp cheese, a real aioli. Every element is there because it earns its place, not because it was available.
Yes, and it’s one of the best things you can do to a burger if you have the setup. Smoke at 225°F to 130°F internal, then sear over high heat to build the crust. The combination gives you smoky depth and real texture you cannot get from a skillet alone. Our full smoked hamburgers guide covers fat ratios, wood choices, and the full method.
The USDA recommends cooking ground beef to 160°F for full food safety. Most cooks targeting medium-rare pull at 130 to 135°F and let the temp coast during a 3 to 4 minute rest; medium is around 140°F. When in doubt, cook to 160°F and use a reliable instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the patty.
Yes. Sauté them fully, cool, and refrigerate covered for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water or a small knob of butter. The flavor actually deepens slightly overnight, and they reheat without losing their texture.