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
Author:
Publish date:
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.