Oh, the smash burger. In my opinion, it’s the best style of burger out there. A thinly charred burger with shaved onions pressed into it, two slices of the best cheese and sauce dripping down your hands — come on! If paper towels could be listed on the ingredient list, it would be at the top. Some Oklahoma onion burger purists skip toppings altogether, but I’m taking the history of this burger and expanding on it with a BBQ smoky slaw to add creamy, vinegary flavors and a crunchy texture that’s pure bliss.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 12 pickled pepperoncini peppers, plus 2 tablespoons liquid from the jar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 14-ounce bag coleslaw mix
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 8 slices American cheese
- 1 cup Vidalia onions, thinly sliced on a mandoline
- 16 dill pickle chips
- 4 soft potato rolls, split, such as Martin’s
- Canola oil, for the griddle or skillet
Instructions
- Preheat a griddle, large griddle pan or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for at least 10 minutes.
- Whisk together the barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons pepperoncini liquid, mustard, smoked paprika and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roughly chop the pepperoncini peppers and toss together with the coleslaw mix in a large bowl. Add three-quarters of the sauce and toss. Reserve the remaining sauce for the bun and burger.
- Loosely form the ground beef into 4 balls. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Brush the griddle with canola oil and add 1 ball of beef griddle. Add 1/4 cup of the shaved onions on top of the ball and smash it down with a heavy metal spatula. You want to smash and spread the meatball, making sure those onions are pushed into the beef, and creating a patty that will be bigger than your bun. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the onions are steamed and caramelized, about 2 minutes. For this burger, it’s OK to give it another press with your spatula—we want that Maillard reaction (see Cook’s Note). Top the burger with 1 tablespoon of the remaining mayonnaise mixture, then 2 slices of cheese and cook until melted, 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining beef, cooking in 2 batches.
- Meanwhile, spread the mayonnaise mixture on the bottom of the buns and cover with 4 dill pickle chips.
- Once the cheese has melted, place each burger on a bottom bun and top with 1/4 cup of the slaw mixture. Smash each top bun on the slaw and enjoy! Your friends will thank you.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1137 |
| Total Fat | 78 g |
| Saturated Fat | 21 g |
| Carbohydrates | 72 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 g |
| Sugar | 34 g |
| Protein | 39 g |
| Cholesterol | 123 mg |
| Sodium | 3901 mg |
Reviews
This might or might not be good, but an Oklahoma onion burger it is not. I don’t know of anyone in Oklahoma who would disagree with my statement.
Amazinnnnggggg only problem was that I didn’t like the pepperchini peppers in my slaw.
We made them last night and we absolutely loved them!!
Loved it!! Used sharp cheddar instead of American.
C’mon…is that a real recipe, or is someone cleaning out the fridge? I’ll give it a shot…
Really! If it’s true that we eat with our eyes, this photo would turn me into a vegan. Is anyone editing what goes up.
To Gloria W.
The mixing of the coleslaw is in step #3.
I haven’t tried it yet but it sounds delicious.
The mixing of the coleslaw is in step #3.
I haven’t tried it yet but it sounds delicious.
At what point does the cole slaw get mixed?