Oklahoma Onion Burger #homecooking

Oklahoma Onion Burger for National Burger Day, big flavor payoff for a wee bit of effort. 80/20 ground chuck, onion sliced on a mandoline, rest is fairly self explanatory.










Onion Burger, Count me a Fan!

G Wiv wrote:Oklahoma Onion Burger for National Burger Day, big flavor payoff for a wee bit of effort. 80/20 ground chuck, onion sliced on a mandoline, rest is fairly self explanatory.

Damn, that looks great! And I'm certain I could eat at least two of them. But here's the part that not self-explanatory (at least, not to me): where exactly does Oklahoma enter the picture?



=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:But here's the part that not self-explanatory (at least, not to me): where exactly does Oklahoma enter the picture?

I ate two in two minutes, they were great!

First we Feast, Alvin Cailan teams up with burger scholar George Motz
info at 5:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdvZC91YpMs

George Motz
"Grease is a condiment"

Cook's Country talked a little about the origins of the smashed onion burger:

if you should happen to drive to
El Reno, a small Oklahoma town
about 25 miles west of Oklahoma City, you’ll find an unusual
burger that's the object of much local
adoration. The fried onion burger ( or
FOB, to locals ) was born in the 1920s
out of Depression era necessity at the
Hamburger Inn out on Route 66

I love this burger and add a sauce on top of 1/3 each Mayo, Dijon mustard and Sriracha sauce.

I was in OKC last week and had an onion burger at Tucker's, a local chain. Three restaurants. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The homemade fries were good too. I had a single patty and it was plenty big. You can order 1, 2 or 3.

El Reno, home to Sid's Diner and the famous Sid's Onion Burger (Saveur had the Sid's recipe in their mag many years ago). Been making them the same way as Sid's (and Gary for that matter) for years. Use the cast iron with some canola oil. Family loves Sid's Onion Burger Night. The word Sid's at our house makes the mouth water.

Here's a slightly similar take from Wisconsin on the onion burger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUXqPiaO1lQ

G Wiv wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:But here's the part that not self-explanatory (at least, not to me): where exactly does Oklahoma enter the picture?

I ate two in two minutes, they were great!

First we Feast, Alvin Cailan teams up with burger scholar George Motz
info at 5:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdvZC91YpMs

George Motz
"Grease is a condiment"

Good old George. I remember when he was first getting into the burger thing (amybe around 2005?) and I took him on a tour of a few butter burger places in the Milwaukee area (Solly's, Kopp's, Mazo's etc.). I had no idea he was still burger-ing away.

=R=

BadgerDave wrote:Here's a slightly similar take from Wisconsin on the onion burger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUXqPiaO1lQ

I have to admit, Gary's cooking method looks a lot more appealing than the steaming or as Pete's grandson says, 'boiling'.

Gary, your's looks delicious.

Pete's is somewhat unique (and been at it over 100 years). Better than it looks in that video. That said, the Oklahoma style onion burger is better and Gary hits it perfectly in his overview. If you want a really good burger with grilled onions on a flat top, go to the Wedl's Hut in Jefferson, Wi. Get two double with grilled onions and add some pickle slices. Make trips out there just to get a couple of those. Top notch.

Oklahoma Onion Burger round 2. Fry sauce in background, totally superfluous. Onion burgers rock! #lowslsowbbq #countmeafan #homecooking

BadgerDave wrote:Here's a slightly similar take from Wisconsin on the onion burger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUXqPiaO1lQ

That looks right up my alley! Thanks. I know where one of my next food excursions is headed!

Binko wrote:

BadgerDave wrote:Here's a slightly similar take from Wisconsin on the onion burger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUXqPiaO1lQ

That looks right up my alley! Thanks. I know where one of my next food excursions is headed!

You are welcome. Check out the other clips & episodes from Wisconsin Foodie on YouTube; there's a summer's worth of food excursions to be had.

Oklahoma onion burger, third in a week or two. Last for a while, delicious, a tasty arrow in my quiver.


Oklahoma onion burger, count me a Fan!

One last onion burger. This time made with out of casing giardiniera brat from Mariano's.

The sharp of eye may have noticed the last few onion burgers getting bigger and bigger. A natural tendency on my part, next round will be scaled back meat to bun wise.

In the video and elsewhere in this thread, reference was made to the Oklahoma Onion Burger being a product of the Depression. I find foods developed during periods of hardship (gravy bread, fry bread, etc.) to be fascinating, but these lush and delicious-looking OOBs seem not to bespeak hardship (though I can see how, in an earlier period, the onion could have been mixed into the beef to extend it). Doesn't the cheese itself make it all more "deluxe"?

Few days ago in Tupelo, Mississippi, I had a burger, also said to be the product of Depression era privation, that looks the part. It's called the Dough Burger, and it's mostly flour with some meat and beef fat worked into wheat flour.



This was not a delicious burger. It was, as you might expect, terribly dry, and although lettuce and onion helped a little, it could have used butter or a dab of mayo.

Further north in Mississippi, in Corinth, they make a similar burger with corn and/or soy meal. They call it the Slug Burger because it used to cost a slug (five cents).

David Hammond wrote:In the video and elsewhere in this thread, reference was made to the Oklahoma Onion Burger being a product of the Depression. I find foods developed during periods of hardship (gravy bread, fry bread, etc.) to be fascinating, but these lush and delicious-looking OOBs seem not to bespeak hardship (though I can see how, in an earlier period, the onion could have been mixed into the beef to extend it). Doesn't the cheese itself make it all more "deluxe"?

Few days ago in Tupelo, Mississippi, I had a burger, also said to be the product of Depression era privation, that looks the part. It's called the Dough Burger, and it's mostly flour with some meat and beef fat worked into wheat flour.

Dough Burger.jpg

This was not a delicious burger. It was, as you might expect, terribly dry, and although lettuce and onion helped a little, it could have used butter or a dab of mayo.

Further north in Mississippi, in Corinth, they make a similar burger with corn and/or soy meal. They call it the Slug Burger because it used to cost a slug (five cents).

Very cool find. I had not heard of these before--that is, I am quite familiar with stretched burgers (I grew up with hamburgers stretched with bread crumbs/bread or even potato), and they can be quite good, if not more meatloaf than burger, but I had not heard of these flour-stretched burgers in particular.

Googling around, I found this nice article about them, which includes a link to a partial Google Maps "Slugburger trail," similar to the Tamale Trail map that I think many of us are familiar with. (If not, see here.)

I love this kind of stuff!

David Hammond wrote:a burger, also said to be the product of Depression

David Hammond wrote:

Dough Burger.jpg

Checks out

Onion burgers with the bride = dinner. #lowslowbbq #countmeafan #homecooking



Onion Burger, count me a Fan!

The bride is onion burgered out, fresh ground beef leftover So as not to stir up problems stir-fry with on-hand ingredients, = dinner. Think I'll go back to my Milwaukee roots soon with a run of Solly's Grille burgers. Best stock up on butter and Lipitor.

Needed something to perk up leftovers of leftovers, Prik nam pla for the win. #lowslowbbq #countmeafan #homecooking.

G Wiv wrote:Onion burgers with the bride = dinner. #lowslowbbq #countmeafan #homecooking

OnionBurgerP79.jpg

Onion Burger, count me a Fan!

For the 4th of July, I made the Oklahoma Onion Burger following Kenji's method.

My Dad really likes the smashed burger. I have a feeling he is now an Oklahoma Onion Burger guy.

Terrific stuff! Thanks for making our day!

Regards,
Cathy2

Onion burgers & hashbrowns = dinner. #homecooking #socialdistancingcooking




Onion burgers & hash browns, count me a Fan!

Thought I'd write out an actual recipe for Oklahoma Onion Burgers.

Oklahoma Onion Burger (Gary's take)

Neutral oil
1 lb. 80/20 ground beef, gently formed into 6 balls
2 large onions, thinly sliced with a mandoline or a sharp knife, divided into 6 portions
Claussen refrigerator dill pickles, sliced length wise
Kosher salt, to taste
6 slices American cheese
6 hamburger buns, Martin's Potato Sandwich Rolls

Instructions:

Lightly coat bottom of pan with neutral oil
2 batches, don't crowd pan, don't overwork meat
6 balls, generously salt (kosher)
Top with sliced onions, press the shit out of the balls using a spatula while pressing on the spatula (muddler, wooden spoon, pistol)
When lacy edges appear flip making sure to use metal spatula and deep scrape method
Top with cheese
Top with top bun
Top with bottom bun

Lift lid, top burger with sliced pickles
Jauntly place top bun, 47° angle
Snap 17 pics
Eat, enjoy, repeat

Notes:
Black pepper optional
Secret sauce/fancy sauce optional

Directions right on. Cast iron is best in my opinion. For me, pickles are enough. Simple yet delish.