Cast Iron Skillet Burgers with Caramelized Onions

Cast Iron Skillet Burgers are juicier than anything off the grill! The burgers hit the hot skillet and start to sizzle.  The fat comes out, and instead of dripping down into your grill, gone forever, it settles around the burger, essentially braising in its own juices! A crispy seared crust forms without ever drying out. Add caramelized onions cooked in that same fat and melty cheddar, and this 20-minute weeknight stovetop dinner beats summer grilling every time!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Just simply seasoned ground beef, and don't skip the onions or the cheese!

• 80/20 Ground Beef - Ground beef with 20% fat ratio is perfect for cast iron burgers. The fat sizzles out when it hits the hot skillet and cooks the burger and onions in its own juices. The fat amount gives you a perfectly juicy, never dried out burger! I use somewhere between 1 and 1.5 pounds of ground beef for 4 burgers, depending on how big I want them. For 4 adults, go for 1.5 pounds. For 2 adults and 2 little kids, 1.25 pounds is probably enough.

• Dijon Mustard - Dijon mustard gives the burgers a little kick of flavor.

• Worcestershire Sauce - Always a favorite flavor in these sizzle burgers!

• Salt & Pepper - Don't skip the salt! This is your basic seasoning for the meat! A pinch of salt when adding the onions is good too.

• Onion - I use 1 small yellow onion, or a half of a larger one, cut into slices. Add it to the hot skillet right after flipping the burgers so they can caramelize while the burgers cook on the second side. Pan fried hamburgers with caramelized onions are seriously delicious!

• Cheese - We love big slices of cheddar cheese, but any sliced melty cheese will do!

• Burger Buns & Toppings - Warm the buns in the oven as you cook the burgers in the cast iron skillet. The cheese and onions can be condiment enough, or top it with your usual suspects ~ lettuce, tomato, refrigerator pickles, ketchup, mustard, mayo, avocado, whatever you like!

Variations

• Bacon Cheeseburgers - If you want a big cheeseburger with bacon, cook a few slices in the cast iron skillet first. Remove the bacon to a plate, discard most of the extra fat in the pan, and then cook your burgers in the same skillet.

• Mushroom Swiss Burger - Add sliced cremini mushrooms to saute right in with the onions.

• Any kind of Cast Iron Burgers - Use the skillet burger method to cook any type of burger, turkey burgers, bison burgers, lamb burgers or even veggie burgers. A cast iron skillet doubles as an indoor grill, perfect for any burger recipe!

Instructions

Step 1 - In a large bowl, mix the beef, dijon, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper well with your hands and form into patties.

While the burgers cook, warm the buns in the oven at 350°.

Step 2 - Preheat your cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the burgers to sear on the first side, about 4 to 6 minutes. Use your judgement, cooking time can vary depending on how large the burgers are and how rare or well done you like them. 

Flip them, and add your onions down into the grease along the sides of the burgers, season them with a pinch of salt.

Add your slices of cheese right away after flipping, the more time to melt the better.

Step 3 - Cook the burgers another 5 to 6 minutes on the second side.

When the burgers are cooked to the desired doneness and the cheese is melted, pile the onions on top with tongs and assemble on buns with your favorite toppings.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure your skillet is preheated and nice and Hot! - Like an outdoor grill, you want your skillet preheated and HOT! This gives your cast iron burgers a nice sear, sealing in the juices and giving you a crispy crust!

• Storage and Leftovers - Leftover cast iron burgers can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the next day or two for lunch.

• Best Onions for Burgers? - For a cast iron burger with caramelized onions, I like to use your basic yellow onion. The natural sugars in the onion caramelize when cooked in the fat from the beef in the hot skillet. If I'm serving raw onions on burgers, I go for thin slices of red onion.

• Don't press on your burgers with a spatula! - This will cause the juices to run out and dry out your burgers.

• Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet - And now that you have a dirty skillet on your stovetop, with caked on greasy onions and crusty cheese, find out How to Clean Your Cast Iron Skillet!

Ways to Serve Skillet Burgers

• Burger Topping Ideas - The cheese and onions might be enough, but you can also add lettuce, tomato, avocado, pickles or make your own 15 Minute Small Batch Refrigerator Pickles!

• Side Dishes for Burgers - These Roasted Potatoes with Broccoli are an easy way to add "fries" and we love to shake on malt vinegar! Some other favorite burger sides are this Tomato Cucumber Orzo Salad, Broccoli Salad, or this Tomato Feta White Bean Salad.