At a glance

Salt and drain paper-thin onions, pile them over loose beef portions on a hot griddle, then press each portion flat. Flip when the beef has a dark crust so the onions can frizzle underneath. Add American cheese and cook the beef to 160°F (71°C). Serve on toasted potato buns with dill pickles and a cup of pickled-jalapeño mustard sauce.

Stoner’s Oklahoma Onion Smash Burgers

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min · Total 35 min · Yield 4 burgers

Ingredients & directions

Oklahoma onion smash burgers with pickle mustard sauce

Ingredients

Onion smash burgers

Dill-pickle jalapeño mustard sauce

White onion, ground beef, potato buns, American cheese, dill pickles, pickled jalapeños, yellow mustard and mayonnaise for Oklahoma onion burgers.

Set out a sharp knife or mandoline with its guard, a colander, a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, a stiff metal turner, a thin-tip thermometer, a clean plate and four sauce cups.

Directions

  1. Paper-thin white onion half-moons spread out on a clean towel to dry.

    Shave and drain the onion

    Halve and shave the onion into thin half-moons. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and drain in a colander for 10 to 15 minutes. Squeeze and blot dry, then divide into four piles. While the onion drains, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, chopped pickles, jalapeños and brine. Cover and chill.

  2. A stiff metal turner presses shaved onions into a ball of ground beef on a cast-iron griddle.

    Toast the buns and smash the beef

    Butter the bun faces and toast in the skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside. Divide the chilled beef into four loose 3-ounce balls and season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat the skillet over medium-high with the oil. When it shimmers, set two beef balls several inches apart. Top each with a pile of onion and press once with the turner to about 1/4 inch thick. Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until a dark crust forms.

  3. A thin flipped patty with melting American cheese on top and browned onion strands underneath.

    Flip, frizzle the onions and melt the cheese

    Scrape the turner under each patty and flip so the onions face down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions have dark golden edges. Add the cheese for the last minute. Cook until the beef reaches 160°F (71°C), checking through the side with a thin-tip thermometer. Transfer to the clean plate. Repeat with the remaining beef, onions and cheese. Lower the heat if the onions brown too fast.

  4. A single-patty onion cheeseburger on a toasted bun beside a small cup of pickle mustard sauce.

    Build the burgers and serve the sauce

    Stack two pickle chips and one cheesy patty on each bun. Divide the sauce among four cups and serve one cup per burger. For a consenting adult who requests an infused serving, stir measured edible cannabis oil into their individual cup. Label it and keep it separate.

Storage Refrigerate patties and sauce separately at 40°F (4°C) or colder within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Use within 3 days. Reheat patties to 165°F (74°C). Label and lock up any infused sauce separately.

Serving with THC Use only a labeled oral product for consenting adults of legal age where permitted. Health Canada suggests choosing 2.5 mg THC or less if you are new to edibles. Effects can take up to 4 hours to fully develop. Avoid taking more during that time. Do not drive or operate machinery after using cannabis. Label infused food, keep it apart from plain food, and lock it away from children and pets.

Kitchen notes

Get the frizzled edges

Slice thin and squeeze well

Thick or wet onions take longer to brown than thin, drained slices. If a few strands fall away when you flip, nudge them back under the patty with the turner.

Give each burger griddle space

Cook in two batches in a 12-inch skillet so steam can escape. Press each patty once, right after adding the onions. Use the turner to lift the browned layer intact before flipping.

Serve the plain sauce

The sauce is ready to serve once it is mixed. For a milder version, replace the pickled jalapeños with the same amount of chopped dill pickle.

Serve infused sauce separately

Offer infused sauce only to consenting adults of legal age. Edible effects can take time to appear. Avoid taking more while waiting for effects, and avoid driving or operating machinery after using cannabis.

Use the product label

Estimate THC in a portion

Enter the THC amount and corresponding volume printed on the edible oil label, then enter the amount of oil measured into one cup of sauce. The result estimates the THC added to that cup, which goes with one burger. Use the same unit for the label amount and the amount used.

Enter the label values and the amount you used.

The estimate is for what you add to one serving. Product variation and any finish left on the spoon can change the amount consumed.

THC in one portion = label THC (mg) × amount used ÷ label amount.

If the label lists 10 mg THC per 5 mL, 0.5 mL of oil adds an estimated 1 mg THC to one sauce cup. Four separately measured cups at that amount use 2 mL of oil total and contain an estimated 4 mg THC across all four cups. The plain sauce has no added THC.

Serve it plain if you cannot verify the label or measure the amount in the label’s units.

Recipe and safety references