Grilled Hamburgers with Caramelized Onion Aioli

Main Dish Beef Grill, Sauce BBQ Holidays, Game Day, Gatherings

By Chris Capell

We’ve been grilling burgers on the Big Green Egg for 20 years now, and we’re continually learning the cool things that can be done with the celebrated Hamburger. Turns out that a simple charcoal grilled hamburger can be a wonder to behold if you get the right sear, a perfectly done center, and the right toppings. While ketchup and mustard are long time staples for topping burgers, our caramelized onion aioli recipe is a winner if you’re looking for a creamier condiment!

For more in-depth discussion, see our post
Dizzy Pig’s Tips for Great Hamburgers

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Ingredients

Burger

20% fat ground beef (fresh ground if possible), approximately 5-6 oz. per burger
Coarse Kosher salt
Dizzy Pig Cow Lick beef rub – also excellent are Raising the Steaks, Red Eye Express, Game On!, IPA hop seasoning, Ghost chiles seasoning

Caramelized Onion Aioli

2 Tbsp butter
1 large yellow or sweet onion, halved and sliced
1 tsp Dizzy Pig Cow Lick beef rub
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Prepare Caramelized Onion Aioli (can be done in advance)

Melt butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat.
Add onions, Cow Lick seasoning, and sauté, turning occasionally for 20-30 minutes until onions are well caramelized.
Transfer onions to bowl, and cool slightly to room temperature.
Mix together the rest of aioli ingredients, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Grind beef (optional)

Cut chuck roast (or preferred cut) into pieces that will fit in your grinder.
Make sure meat is very cold for best results.
Use coarse grinding plate and grind beef.
Chill after grinding, before forming patties.

Prepare hamburgers

Form burger patties from cold ground beef – make them larger than the bun, about ¾ inch thick. We used approximately 5-6 ounces per burger in this recipe.
Press an indentation in the center to assure a flatter burger after cooking.
For easy handling, place patties on a square of foil or parchment.
Sprinkle with seasoning of choice – we used Dizzy Pig Cow Lick seasoning on these burgers.
Refrigerate patties.

Grill hamburgers

Prepare grill for direct cooking between 450°F and 500°F.
Salt hamburgers just before grilling, and place them on grill.
Brown and lightly char the first side, ideally in no more than 5-6 minutes. If your burgers are not browning quickly, increase your grill temperature.
Once browned to your preference, carefully flip the burgers.
The second side will cook quicker than the first. Depending on how you like your burgers, they may be done after 3-4 minutes.
For commercial ground beef, the USDA recommends cooking to an internal temperature of 160°F to kill all bacteria. But 160°F is a fairly well-done burger. If you want a safe burger done medium (140-145°F) or medium rare (130-135°F), it’s really best to grind your own beef.
Add cheese (if desired) the last minute of your cook.
We recommend toasting the buns, which we do on the grill immediately after removing burgers, or while the cheese is melting.
Build your burger however you like it! Our version has lettuce on the bottom bun, then the burger, the aioli, and topped with a slice of tomato, but the possibilities are endless.

In This Recipe: