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the finished Oklahoma onion burger
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Oklahoma Onion Burger Recipe

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • cast iron skillet or griddle

Ingredients

  • 1 Lb of ground beef
  • 2 Medium onions either brown or yellow
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 4 Slices of cheese either American, Cheddar, or Swiss work best
  • 4 Hamburger buns
  • Optional condiments pickles, mustard, ketchup, etc.

Instructions

  • Prep the onions: Peel and slice both onions as thin as you possibly can. If you don’t have great knife skills then you can use a mandoline on its thinnest setting to get this done. Next, place the sliced onions in a bowl and sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon of salt. Then toss the onions with the salt and let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes. After that time has passed place the sliced onions on a clean towel/paper towel and press on them to remove as much moisture as you can. Set the onions aside.
  • Place a griddle, pan, or skillet over high heat.
  • While that’s heating up divide your ground beef into 4 equal portions. Then form each of those portions into round balls.
  • (optional) Toast your burger buns on your hot griddle/skillet then set them aside.
  • Cook the burgers on one side: Place the balls of meat on your hot griddle/skillet and use a large metal spatula or burger press to smash them flat. If your skillet isn’t big enough you will have to do this in batches. Cover each patty with a generous amount of sliced onions (enough that you can barely see the meat) and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Let this cook undisturbed for 2 to 4 minutes or until you can see that the edges of the patty have become browned.
  • Flip and finish cooking the burgers: Use a spatula to carefully flip the patties so that the onions are now on the bottom. If some of the onions move during the step simply use your spatula to move them back under the patty. Sprinkle this side with additional salt and pepper and let it cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Next place a slice of cheese on each patty followed by the bottom bun and then the top bun. Placing the buns on top like this will steam them and infuse them with some of the flavors of the burger. Let this cook for an additional minute or two minutes so that the cheese is melted and the onions look slightly charred and caramelized.
  • Take the top bun off and hold it upside down. Then use your spatula to carefully remove the patty and all the onions from the skillet. Place this on your top bun then it flip over and set them on a plate.
  • Serve your Oklahoma onion burgers immediately and enjoy!