Mike, Author at Life's A Tomato

Oklahoma Onion Smash Burgers

I like my smash burgers tasty. Hot. Juicy. And darned messy. Nothing fancy. In fact, the less fancy, the better. These Oklahoma onion smash burgers are my favorite. By far. Just a few ingredients. But boy, do they check all of my boxes. I can (and have) eaten these several days in a row. And not once did I even remotely think I was getting bored with them. They’re delicious. Perfect.

The Onions

The key to making delicious, juicy, tasty Oklahoma onion smash burgers is the onions. First, they have to be thin. I mean ‘read-a-newspaper-through-them’ thin. Crazy thin. Unless you’re a knife master and have the sharpest knife on the planet, I recommend using a mandolin to cut the onions. Put it on the thinnest possible setting. And of course, be careful.

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You need plenty of onions. Lots of them. You cannot be shy with them. At all. When you think you’re putting too much on them, you’re wrong. Add more. I call for 2 big ones in the recipe. There’s nothing wrong with using 3. Or 4 medium-sized ones. Seems like a lot doesn’t it? It’s not. Trust me.

Crispy Edges

You gotta have that crunchy part when you make smash burgers. That little edge around them that sticks out from the bun and has the perfect crunch. You eat that first. All around the burger. Some people bite into it. Some pull it off with their fingers. Either way, it’s a true joy and a smash burger must!

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Also try my super-messy deluxe nacho cheese smash burgers!

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5 from 1 vote

Oklahoma Onion Smash Burgers

The perfect smash burger made on a griddle!

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword burgers, griddle

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 15

Servings

Calories 731kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the burgers

1 pound ground beef I prefer 80/20 or 85/15
2 large onions sliced thin. I recommend using a mandolin
kosher salt
ground black pepper
4 slices American cheese
4 hamburger buns
dill pickle chips
burger sauce from below

For the burger sauce (you will have some leftover)

½ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1.5 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1.5 tablespoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

For the burger sauce

Place all ingredients into a small bowl.
Whisk until combined and smooth.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the burgers

Divide the beef into 4 4 ounce pieces and form into balls. Do not pack them tightly, just handle them enough to form into balls. Cover and place into the fridge.
Slice the onions very thin. I recommend using a mandolin. Ideally, you want them so thin that you can read a newspaper through them! Thin is best!
Place the onions into a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat well and let sit on the countertop for 20 minutes.
Preheat your griddle over high heat for 10 minutes. Add oil if needed.
Meanwhile, drain all of the water out of the bowl of onions. Then squeeze all of the water you can out of the onions. Squeeze and keep squeezing! Place the onions back into the dry bowl until ready to use.
Add the burger balls to the griddle, leaving plenty of room between them.
Lightly smash down the burgers and season well with salt and pepper.
Top each burger with onion and smash them down the rest of the way. You want the patties nice and thin.
Cook the burgers for 4 minutes (or a little longer if they are thicker). The steam from the meat will help cook the onion. Flip the patties so that they are onion-side down and season again. The patties and onions will start to get golden brown and crunchy along the edges.
After 2 more minutes add the cheese. Let it melt for for 2 minutes.
Place the bun tops over the burgers and top with the bun bottoms and cook another 2 minutes. If your griddle has a top, close the lid. You want to steam the buns.
Transfer the bun bottoms to a plate. Add the sauce and pickles.
Add a patty to each bun bottom along with a bun top and serve hot and juicy!

Notes

If you don’t have a griddle, you can use a large cast iron skillet on the grill instead. You might not have enough room to make all 4 burgers at once.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Sous Vide Bratwurst

I have grilled many a bratwurst. Usually, I make a ‘bath’ for them to soak and simmer in before putting them onto the grill. I’ve had great success with that technique. But there seemed to be a little something missing. The brats tasted more like the marinade than bratwurst. And sometimes they were a bit overcooked. So I took a shot at sous vide bratwurst. And I have to say, I won’t be going back to my old ways of cooking brats. This is the way to achieve super-tasty bratwurst with the perfect bite and char. These are great bratwurst. And they’re easy and pretty much foolproof too!

That Pop

When I used to grill my marinaded brats I’d get that skin ‘pop’ when I bit into them. You know, the one where you get squirted with 500 F juices. You don’t get that with sous vide bratwurst. But you do get really good skin. It’s an easy bite. Nothing chewy. But not super-crunchy either. Some people really like that crunch and you can get it with these, but you’ll have to grill them longer to get it.

The meat is super-tender and juicy and flavorful. Way beyond anything I ever achieved before. I can’t imagine cooking bratwurst any other way. I thought about adding things to the bag as they sous vide. Maybe some herbs. Or beer. But no, I really think they’re best just ‘stewing’ in their own juices. For maximum flavor!

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Also try my sous vide corned beef.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Sous Vide Bratwurst

The perfect bite with plenty of flavor!

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword bratwurst, sous vide

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2 15

Servings

Calories 220kcal