Slow Cooker Hamburgers

When summer temperatures climb to 100 degrees, or higher, avoid heating yourself or your kitchen, and use the slow cooker instead! Create a "rack" out of hand-formed rolls of aluminum foil for the bottom of the cooker, so the burgers won't sit in their own juices. Add a little smoke flavor and some browning sauce, and you'll have a good-looking, tasty burger that is full of smoky flavor. Optional toppings for the hamburgers include cheese, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, sliced tomato, sliced onion, and lettuce.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 4 hr
• Total Time: 4 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 491 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 hamburger buns
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring
• ⅓ cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 sheet aluminum foil
• 1 teaspoon grill seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning®)
• 1 ⅓ pounds 85% lean ground beef
• 4 teaspoons browning sauce (such as Kitchen Bouquet®)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Set a slow cooker to Low.

Step 2

Create a rack for the bottom of the cooker by rolling aluminum foil into 1-inch rolls. For a 5-quart, oblong cooker, make 4 rolls, using the length of the cooker as a guide. Fold in any long ends and squeeze back on the rolls. Evenly space the rolls along the bottom of the cooker.

Step 3

Combine ground beef, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add bread crumbs and egg. Mix all ingredients using your hands until they are evenly distributed.

Step 4

Form meat mixture into 4 patties, about 1/2 inch thick. Brush each side of the patties with 1/2 teaspoon of browning sauce, and place on the aluminum "rack", being careful not to overlap.

Step 5

Cook on Low for about 4 1/2 hours until burgers are no longer pink in the center. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Step 6

Place each cooked patty on a hamburger bun.