For all you smashburger fans

[clifish]

Totally doing this... Hopefully this works as it is a FB link.

So trying this.

 

[clifish]

I'll sometimes slice the onions thin and soak in salted ice water , then drain . Use them raw on a burger like that . Takes some of the bite out of strong onions and crisps them up .
I use a 5" taping knife with my Blackstone . To flip and clean . Now I'm wanting some onion burgers .

recycling the tools of the past trade I see!

 

[zwiller]

I use a 5" taping knife with my Blackstone . To flip and clean . Now I'm wanting some onion burgers .

LOL. We inherited my MIL cookware and my fave flat top is a tool just like that but WAY heavier/zero flex. Probably was a cleaning tool...

I'll sometimes slice the onions thin and soak in salted ice water , then drain . Use them raw on a burger like that .

We're NUTS for pickles. Like 2-3 jars/week. Always wanted to try and soak some onion in dill pickle brine.

Across the street from my office like 30 feet is a little diner and run by the nicest folks. I would eat there ALL the time but the food is so weak. Zero love. Cracks me up. There are times I want to go over there and show them how it's done. LOL

 

[clifish]

LOL. We inherited my MIL cookware and my fave flat top is a tool just like that but WAY heavier/zero flex. Probably was a cleaning tool...


We're NUTS for pickles. Like 2-3 jars/week. Always wanted to try and soak some onion in dill pickle brine.

Across the street from my office like 30 feet is a little diner and run by the nicest folks. I would eat there ALL the time but the food is so weak. Zero love. Cracks me up. There are times I want to go over there and show them how it's done. LOL

Every time I do pickles I now do 50/50 sliced red onion and pickle chips We use them both on burgers so why have 2 different jars in the fridge?

 

[Steve H]

Pickled red onion slices on smash burgers are the bomb! And. Now that I think of it. I'm down to my last pint I believe. I'm thinking fermented sliced red onions now.

 

[clifish]

Pickled red onion slices on smash burgers are the bomb! And. Now that I think of it. I'm down to my last pint I believe. I'm thinking fermented sliced red onions now.

Me too, and now I can slice them consistently thin with the new cheap slicer.

 

[Steve H]

Me too, and now I can slice them consistently thin with the new cheap slicer.

I use a mandolin. Or a salad shooter. What type slicer did you get?

 

[clifish]

I use a mandolin. Or a salad shooter. What type slicer did you get?

I picked up a new, cheap, Elite 7.5" on FB. If I find I am out growing it, I will step up to a real one. I can always pass this one to the PA place if I get a better one (at least that will be what I tell Bonnie)...lol

I am not a one to buy once, cry once kind of people. I usually test the waters on the cheap then upgrade.

 

[Steve H]

I picked up a new, cheap, Elite 7.5" on FB. If I find I am out growing it, I will step up to a real one. I can always pass this one to the PA place if I get a better one (at least that will be what I tell Bonnie)...lol

I am not a one to buy once, cry once kind of people. I usually test the waters on the cheap then upgrade.

I don't recall anyone saying anything really bad about them. I'm NOT getting one for the RV!! lol!

 

[indaswamp]

I made smash burgers a few weeks ago using Jimmy Dean Sausage.. Really good...

I made some last night with venison fresh sausage....they were good too!

 

[indaswamp]

Maybe pulling the moisture out .

Yep...bingo!

 

[clifish]

I don't recall anyone saying anything really bad about them. I'm NOT getting one for the RV!! lol!

still kicking around a dehydrator as i know my old Ronco is not safe for jerky. Keep trying to score a cheaper one on FB.

 

[kuroki]

I do these quite a bit. Salting the onions is definitely key in my experience. And as mentioned paper thin. I use a Japanese mandolin slicer and cut the onions not much thicker than a business card. Hot cast iron pan works better than a non stick griddle in my experience.
Generally Keen's English mustard and mayo on mine

 

[Bytor]

What is th reasoning behind salting the onion?

Salting and letting them rest some really removes a lot of water in them when you squeeze them out afterwards. I think this helps them to brown up and get more crisp as they cook. Seems like all that moisture in the onions generates more steam than wanted with cooking up the burger.

 

[JC in GB]

Salting and letting them rest some really removes a lot of water in them when you squeeze them out afterwards. I think this helps them to brown up and get more crisp as they cook. Seems like all that moisture in the onions generates more steam than wanted with cooking up the burger.

That makes perfect sense to me.

JC

 

[jcam222]

Salting and letting them rest some really removes a lot of water in them when you squeeze them out afterwards. I think this helps them to brown up and get more crisp as they cook. Seems like all that moisture in the onions generates more steam than wanted with cooking up the burger.

Thanks for the reply. Joe I’m going to have to try it both ways since part of what they say is the onion steaks into the meat making it juicy.

 

[3montes]

Tip on smash burgers. Smash them before you put them on the griddle. Yep smash them raw. You will still get the nice crust and they will be twice as juicy as a raw burger will not lose the juice when smashed.

 

[kuroki]

The onions still have PLENTY of moisture after salting. They will brown a lot better if you pre salt though. I've done it both ways and like salting myself.
I let them sit for half an hour or so, and then lay out on a bar towel or a piece of cheese cloth and squeeze it. You'll get all the excess liquid (and salt) out that way without mashing them into pulp.

For the meat I like a hybrid approach. I'll form a fairly thin patty, throw it on the pan, add onions, and then squash it with a flat top spatula. I think some squishing once it's on the heat is good, but I don't care for squashing a ball of raw meat in the hot pan myself

 

[kuroki]

Cowboy Kent Rollins on YouTube did a video on Oklahoma Fried onion burgers, my process was largely based off of his. Fine tuning each time it was made

 

[kuroki]

Other thing is the meat. I like a fattier meat myself. Lean ground is too lean. 80/20 is minimum I'd say. If you get beef butchered to order or grind your own I'd say 75/25 is about perfect. I like a little coarser too, say a single grind through a 3/16 or 1/4" plate