Oklahoma Onion Burgers From Cooks Country Food

OKLAHOMA ONION BURGERS FROM COOKS COUNTRY

Steps:

• 1. Slice onion thin about 1/8 thick, combine with salt and let sit for about 30 minutes. Gather in a towel and squeeze the water out. Toss with pepper.
• 2. Divide the onions into 4 piles on a baking sheet. Gather beef and season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 balls. Flatten each ball on top of onions and press so the onions adhere to the beef.
• 3. Heat skillet and add butter and oil. Place burgers in onion side down. Cook for 6-8 minutes until onions are golden. Flip gently and raise heat, cook until well browned.
• 4. Butter and toast buns, place cheese on bottom and add burger. Top with preferred condiments and pickles.

SARAH'S OKLAHOMA ONION BURGER

Steps:

• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter and oil; heat until butter is melted. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, divide ground meat into 4 portions and shape into patties. Season with salt and seasoning.
• Heat a large skillet or flat-top over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Place patties into the hot skillet and smash with a spatula or bacon press. Hold patties down for 30 seconds, then cover each patty with some of the cooked onion. Cook for 2 minutes. Carefully flip burgers, making sure to scrape the browned bits off the skillet.
• Press down on the flipped patties to sink the onions into the meat.
• Meanwhile, add sliced mushrooms to the skillet used for the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Season patties with salt and pepper and place a slice of cheese on each. Cook until burgers have reached the desired doneness, 2 to 4 minutes more. Top each patty with leftover onion and mushrooms and serve on buns.

OKLAHOMA ONION BURGERS

Steps:

• Divide the beef: Line a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the ground beef into 4 even balls. Working one ball at a time and using your hands, massage the meat until it is cohesive and tacky, about 15 seconds. Next, using clean hands, roll each into a smooth ball. Place the balls on the baking sheet, with 1 ball in the center of each quadrant. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
• Shape the patties: Gently press each ball into a disk-shaped patty about 3 inches wide. Place the patties on a sheet pan or large plate, and season the tops with salt and pepper. Flip the patties, and top each with a large pile of sliced onions - as many as you can balance on top; they should resemble a large haystack. (It is important to not add salt to the onions at this point, as it will draw out excess moisture, which will inhibit searing.)
• Heat the skillet or griddle: Heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron or carbon-steel skillet or griddle (see Tips) over an indoor burner set to high heat or on the grates of a hot outdoor grill for a few minutes until very hot; a drop of water should skitter around the surface. (If you don't have a pan skillet or griddle big enough, you can cook the burgers in batches.) Place 1 patty of beef in the center of one quadrant of the pan, with the onions on top (do not add any oil).
• Smash the burgers: Using a very stiff spatula, press on the onions and beef to form a patty 4½- to 5-inches wide. As you smash, focus on the patty's edges so that the finished patty is slightly thicker in the center and smashed out as thinly as possible along the edges. Repeat with the remaining patties. Use the spatula to place any stray onions back on top of the burgers. Season the onions lightly with salt and pepper.
• Cook the burgers: Allow patties to cook without moving until the edges are dark brown and crusty, 1 to 2 minutes. Holding the spatula upside down (so that the head of the spatula is angled down to increase leverage), scrape the edges of each patty off the pan, working around each patty to ensure that you don't leave any crispy edges behind. When the edges have all been loosened, turn the spatula back over (so you are holding it the standard way) and flip the patties onion side down. Use the spatula and tongs or a fork to tuck any stray onion slices mostly under the patties.
• Steam the cheese and buns: Add a slice of cheese to each patty. Place the top half of each burger bun on top of the cheese, and place the bottom half of each bun on top of the top bun, split-side down. Cover the pan or griddle with a large domed lid, a large overturned saucepan or a clean folded dish towel. (To avoid a fire, make sure the edges of the dish towel do not hang over the skillet or griddle. If cooking on an outdoor grill, just close the lid.) Continue cooking until the onions are browned along the edges and the buns are steamed through, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
• To serve, open the cover or lid. Remove the bottom burger bun halves to a serving platter. Add pickles and condiments as desired. (These burgers don't typically need condiments.) Lift each burger from the skillet with the spatula and transfer to the bottom bun. Serve immediately.

OKLAHOMA ONION BURGERS WITH CREAMY BBQ COLESLAW

Steps:

• Preheat a griddle, large griddle pan or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for at least 10 minutes.
• Whisk together the barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons pepperoncini liquid, mustard, smoked paprika and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roughly chop the pepperoncini peppers and toss together with the coleslaw mix in a large bowl. Add three-quarters of the sauce and toss. Reserve the remaining sauce for the bun and burger.
• Loosely form the ground beef into 4 balls. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
• Brush the griddle with canola oil and add 1 ball of beef griddle. Add 1/4 cup of the shaved onions on top of the ball and smash it down with a heavy metal spatula. You want to smash and spread the meatball, making sure those onions are pushed into the beef, and creating a patty that will be bigger than your bun. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the onions are steamed and caramelized, about 2 minutes. For this burger, it's OK to give it another press with your spatula-we want that Maillard reaction (see Cook's Note). Top the burger with 1 tablespoon of the remaining mayonnaise mixture, then 2 slices of cheese and cook until melted, 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining beef, cooking in 2 batches.
• Meanwhile, spread the mayonnaise mixture on the bottom of the buns and cover with 4 dill pickle chips.
• Once the cheese has melted, place each burger on a bottom bun and top with 1/4 cup of the slaw mixture. Smash each top bun on the slaw and enjoy! Your friends will thank you.