Oklahoma Grilled Onion Burgers ( my take )

[Idahawk]

Back in the depression era 1920s a diner in El Reno, Oklahoma called the Hamburger Inn on Route 66 came up with the idea that by using onions smashed into the burger they could save on meat cost and keep the portion size the same. The burgers became a huge hit and are still served today , known as FOBs fried onion burgers.  The idea is simple and in the original recipe it's done on a flat top griddle which made for a greasy oniony mess that must be heaven on a bun  for sure, but  I wanted to try it on the grill and cut down on the grease and fat a little .

For my recipe I went with some Bison burger, I used a Walla Walla sweet onion , Kaiser buns and white american cheese .

First step was to sweat the onions so there soft before they ever hit the grill. This a simple process but necessary to avoid crunchy undercooked onions in the finished burger.

1 large onion sliced thin and a 1 tsp salt,  coat the  onions in salt and then place in a colander to drain 
Here's how much moisture came out of the onions in about an hour, by this time they were soft and ready to use



Next step divide your onions into equal piles on a plate or baking sheet and season your meat , since I'm using bison a leaner cut I opted to add some cold butter slightly chopped to the meat for some fat  , this will help keep things moist and juicy during the cook.



Next step is to smash the meat down through the onions forming a mix of onion and meat on the top side of the burger .




Time for the grill ...I apologize for any fuzzy photos it got dark

I made a smoke pouch out of foil with some apple chips. Grill onion side down slightly indirect until you get a nice crust on the onion, flip and go direct for a nice sear on the bottom side. Toast up your favorite bun and serve with the cheese on the bottom









I didn't get quite the crust on the onion I'd hoped, I like my burgers medium to med rare so I likely didn't give them enough time to brown up completely  but they were delicious anyway , the burger is an onion lovers dream , juicy and full of flavor .







  " Esto Perpertua "

[Metal Mike]

That has to be the tasty history lesson ever...

[austin87]

Wow, smoking cook, Idahawk! Nice!

[MrHoss]

That tip about sweating the onions....thank you. I tried doing a take on this style of burger and did not do that step. Now I am gonna try it the correct way.

That Red MT is looking beauty.

[1911Ron]

mmmmmmmmmm looks tasty thanks!

[addicted-to-smoke]

SHAZAM!

I'm already full. And yet I want to eat all that right now.

[Troy]

i had never heard of this, but it looks incredible!!

[chuck s]

That is a new one on me too...... It is now on the list - thanks for the details

[Jammato]

I will have to try that, it looks amazingly great

[WNC]

Great idea there, thanks for sharing!