Ohhhhhhh-So-Good Oklahoma Burgers with Goody-Goody Sauce

    "This month, I've got an Oklahoma-style fried onion burger with Goody-Goody Sauce, a slow-cooked tomato-based sauce made famous at an Oklahoma City restaurant in the 1920s." –Rach
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    oklahoma-style fried-onion burger with sauce

    Recipe by Rachael Ray

    Heads-up: The sauce takes four hours to make, so I like to make it a day ahead.

    • Makes 4 burgersServings

    Ingredients

    Goody-Goody Sauce

    • 3 tbsp. butter

    • 1 cup finely chopped onion

    • 1 clove garlic, chopped

    • 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes

    • 1 tsp. celery seeds

    • 1 tsp. salt

    • 1 tsp. black pepper

    Burgers

    • 2 small to medium onions

    • 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. ground beef (80% lean)

    • Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

    • About 1 tbsp. canola or peanut oil or other neutral-flavored oil

    • 8 slices American cheese

    • 4 large soft rolls (I like Martin’s Big Marty’s rolls)

    • Sliced dill pickles

    • Chopped iceberg lettuce

    Preparation

    1. In a small saucepan with a lid, melt the butter over very low heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is sweet, light golden, and very soft, about 1 hour. (Do not allow the onion to brown.) Add the tomatoes, celery seeds, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and the sauce thickens, about 3 hours more. Using a blender, purée the sauce. Transfer to squeeze bottles or an airtight container. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)

    2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high.

    3. Using a mandoline or the slicing side of a box grater, shave the onions as thinly as possible.

    4. In a bowl, season the beef with salt and pepper; form into 4 equal portions. Roll the meat into balls.

    5. Drizzle the oil in the skillet or over the meat. Place the meat in the skillet, spacing the balls about 3 inches apart; top each with one-quarter of the onions. Using a spatula, press the onions into the meat until flattened into patties. Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip them over. Pressing the patties often with a spatula, cook for 2 minutes. Top each patty with 2 slices of cheese. Cook until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes more.

    6. Build the burgers with the roll bottoms, pickles, lettuce, patties, sauce, and roll tops.