Oklahoma Style Onion Burger (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ For the Burgers
01 -
4 burger buns, halved and lightly coated with butter or mayo
02 -
1 pound of lean ground beef
03 -
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
04 -
1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
05 -
1 medium yellow or white onion, sliced paper-thin (about 1½ to 2 cups)
06 -
4 slices of American cheese
→ Optional Toppings
07 -
Crisp iceberg lettuce, shredded or left in whole leaves
08 -
Fresh onion slices, thinly cut
09 -
Ripe tomato slices
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Dill pickles
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Yellow mustard
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Creamy mayonnaise
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Your favorite burger sauce
# Instructions:
01 -
Warm up a big cast-iron pan on medium heat. Place your split buns butter-side down into the pan, working in batches if your pan isn't large enough. Let them sizzle for about 1 to 2 minutes until they turn a beautiful golden brown underneath. Move them to a serving dish with the toasted side facing up, then switch off the burner.
02 -
Split your ground beef into 4 equal pieces, roughly 4 ounces per portion. Gently form each piece into a loose ball, then flatten it into a disc about 3 inches across. Sprinkle the salt and pepper generously over both sides. Now pile those super-thin onion slices on top of each patty—don't worry if they seem like too much, that's the whole point!
03 -
Crank your skillet up to high heat and wait until you can feel serious heat radiating from it when you hold your hand above (but not too close!). Drop 2 patties into the pan with the onions facing up, spacing them out evenly. Grab a flat metal spatula and press down hard on each patty, flattening them as much as possible and really pushing those onions into the meat. Let them cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom gets a nice brown crust and the edges start turning gray.
04 -
Carefully turn each patty over, making sure you scrape up all that delicious crusty bottom and caramelized onions. Lay a slice of American cheese on top of each burger. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the underside gets browned and that cheese melts beautifully. Move these finished burgers onto 2 of your toasted bottom buns. Scrape any stray onions from the pan and pile them on top.
05 -
Cook up the last 2 patties following the same method. Load up your burgers with whatever toppings make you happy, cap them with the top buns, and dig in while they're piping hot.
# Notes:
01 -
This iconic Oklahoma-style burger technique smashes the onions directly into the meat while cooking, creating an irresistible caramelized crust.
02 -
The key is slicing your onions extremely thin and using high heat to get that signature crispy, sweet flavor.
03 -
Don't be shy with the spatula pressure—really flatten those patties to get the best crust and onion integration.