Tomato Tomatoe

Smash Burger with Caramelized Onions & special Sauce

Every few weeks I crave a smash burger. There are a few restaurants in my area that have really good burgers but it’s so much easier and much more economical to make them at home yourself! For the price of one burger you can make four at home.

The key to making a great smash burger starts with good quality grass-fed beef. I like to get mine from my local farmer (which is much cheaper than the grocery store or butcher). If I can’t get to my local farmer I’ll buy it from my local butcher which always has great quality beef. A few years ago I started to pay attention to where my meat comes from. Commercially raised meat can be full of antibiotics and hormones. The cows often don’t live a great life either and live a very stressful life. Once I started buying grass-fed, pasture raised meat from my local farmer, I never looked back. Once you start using grass-fed meat in your cooking, you will immediately notice a difference in terms of taste, quality, and colour. Grass-fed meat is packed with nutrients and health benefits. My mind is also put to ease when I eat grass-fed meat because I know that the cows had a great quality of life. Grass-fed meat is antibiotic and hormone free, it contains more vitamins and minerals and it’s better for the environment compared to commercially raised cattle. If you can take one thing away from this post, it would be to try finding grass-fed meat in your area. You will be surprised by how much better it tastes and it’s not as expensive as you think when you buy it directly from the farmer.

Anyway, back to the recipe! Aside from using grass-fed beef, the second topping that makes these burgers delectable is making caramelized onions! These take a little bit of time but they are totally worth it in my opinion. I like to make a big batch so then I have some to use for any leftover burgers. They’re also great on sandwiches! Instead of using plain old ketchup and mustard, I like to make my own burger sauce. The burger sauce brings everything together and I’m probably a little heavy handed when it comes to topping my burgers with the sauce. The sauce is incredible! I make this sauce every time I have a burger. It uses ingredients you will most likely already have in your fridge and pantry. It takes 5 minutes to make! In addition to the caramelized onions and burger sauce, I like to add pickled pepperoncino’s, shredded lettuce and sharp cheddar cheese.

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Smash Burger with Caramelized Onions & special Sauce

Ingredients – Patties

• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
• 4 burger buns
• salt and pepper
• sharp cheddar cheese
• shredded lettuce
• pepperoncino’s

Ingredients – Caramelized Onions

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium white onions
• 7 dashes Worcestershire
• 1/2 cup red wine
• salt and pepper

Ingredients – Burger Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp yellow or Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp relish (or 1 finely chopped pickle)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped white onion
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. To make the burger sauce, finely chop 2 tbsp of white onion. Add the onion, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish, vinegar and spices to a bowl. Mix to combine. Set aside.
2. Thinly slice the white onions. Heat a large pan to medium-low heat. Add butter and olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the onions and stir periodically until they begin to brown. Once some colour begins to form, add a big pinch of salt and pepper. Add Worcestershire and sauté for another 10 minutes. Add the red wine and cook down until the onions are dark brown and caramelized.
3. To make the burger patties, add the beef to a bowl and add a large pinch of salt and pepper. Form the patties into four even sizes. Heat a large pan to medium heat. Once hot, add the patties and smash them down the best you can until they flatten (I do this with a flat spatula or a meat press). Let these cook, for 2-3 minutes per side. Flip to cook the other side and add the cheddar cheese. Cover with a lid and let the cheese melt for a few minutes.
4. Assemble the burgers by adding a spoonful of sauce to the bottom burger bun, add the patty, caramelized onions, shredded lettuce, pepperoncino’s and more sauce.