Recipe Background
Oklahoma Burger: A backyard celebration captured in each flavorful bite.
The inspiration for my Oklahoma Burger takes me back to the weekend before I moved to college. My best friend and I decided to host a backyard cookout, a sort of farewell before we took off on our separate paths. In my kitchen, we found a pound of finely ground beef and an abundance of onions—thanks to my mom’s penchant for flavor-packed veggies. Our mission was clear: create the ultimate burger with whatever we had on hand. We sliced those onions as thin as possible, practically paper-like, knowing they'd meld effortlessly into the meat as they cooked.
While I heated a large frying pan, my friend oiled the surface with canola, a staple we always relied on for a crisp finish. As the aroma of caramelizing onions filled the air, I remembered the trick my uncle taught me: pressing the patties flat with a spatula to ensure a perfectly seared crust. We topped each with a slice of creamy American cheese, letting it melt into those crispy edges. Toasting buttery potato buns on the side, we completed our creation with tangy mustard and crunchy pickles, leaving the full spread on the picnic table. Hosting this cookout marked the end of an era and the start of a new adventure, as every bite of that burger was a bite of nostalgia mixed with a taste of things to come.
Voices of laughter echoed through the backyard as everyone savored the now-famous burgers—a culinary send-off that, to this day, brings back cherished memories and the lessons learned from that pivotal, bittersweet afternoon.
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow or white onion sliced very thin
- salt to taste
- 1 pound beef or venison finely ground
- 1 tablespoon canola oil plus more, to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 4 slices American cheese or cheddar cheese
- butter optional, to taste
- 4 potato burger buns split, can substitute with burger buns of your choice
- pickles optional, to taste, for serving
- mustard optional, to taste, for serving
Directions
- In a bowl, toss the onion slices wit the salt and let them sit.
- Divide the meat into four patties, handling the meat gently as you form the patties.
- Heat a large frying pan or flat top over medium-high heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the canola oil.
- Place one of the patties in the hot oil and immediately smash it flat with a spatula or bacon press, holding it for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the pepper on the patty.
- Cover the patty with 1/4 of the onions and allow the beef to cook until a brown jacket forms on the bottom, about 2 minutes.
- Carefully flip the burger and press it down again. You may need to use your other hand or another spatula to hold the onions on the patty as you flip.
- Add the salt and the pepper to the patty, being somewhat conservative because of the thinness of the patty.
- Lay 1 slice of the cheese on the patty and cook until the cheese is melted and the beef is at your level of desired doneness, about 2-4 minutes.
- In a separate pan, melt the butter.
- Toast the buns in the melted butter until crisp and golden, about 2-4 minutes.
- Place the top of one of the burger buns on the cheese and use the spatula to lift the burger from the pan, pressing down on the burger bun with your hand to ensure the burger stays in place as you move it.
- Place the burger on the bottom bun.
- Repeat this process with each of the remaining burgers and the remaining ingredients, using more of the extra canola oil as needed before cooking each patty.
- Serve with the pickles and the mustard.
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