Animal-Style Double Burger

Ingredients:

o  1 package Grass-fed Slider Patties

o  4 thick (or 8 thin) slices cheese

o  1 sweet onion, chopped

o  3-4 Tbsp. Tallow, divided

o  4 Tbsp. yellow mustard

o  4 hamburger buns

o  Finely ground salt and pepper

For Garnish:

o  12 pickle chips

o  Iceberg lettuce

o  4 thin tomato slices

o  8 Tbsp. Thousand Island dressing

Directions:

1.      This is a great time to use canned or frozen caramelized onion. If you do not have any on hand, Follow these directions for speedy onions that work perfectly in this burger: Place chopped onion in a sautee pan over medium heat with a pinch of salt, 1 ½ Tbsp. tallow and 3 Tbsp. water. Once water has evaporated and you’re only left with tallow, the onions will begin to develop color on the outsides; stir and add about 1 Tbsp. more water. Continue this process a few times until the onions are sweet, tender and rich in color. The entire process should take about 35-45 minutes.

2.      Meanwhile, place your slider patties, one at a time inside a large sheet of parchment or wax paper folded in half. Using a plate, gently press the patty to decrease the thickness by almost half, about ¼ inch. Place on a plate and season one side only with salt and pepper. 

3.      Prepare your burger toppings; cheese, lettuce (leave it in large chunks for that iconic crunch!), tomatoes, pickles and dressing or “spread”.  You will want to have everything on-hand as the cooking process is very fast and cold burgers are disappointing burgers!

4.      Preheat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat with a tablespoon or two of tallow; however much it takes to entirely cover the surface. Once hot, add buns flat side down and allow to toast well for a minute or two being careful to not let them burn. 

5.      Once toasted golden brown, set aside to assemble toppings; a bed of lettuce topped with a couple approx. 2 Tbsp. ‘spread’, a tomato and pickles.

6.      Increase heat under cast iron to high with another scoop of tallow to nicely coat the pan. Place burger patties in, salt and pepper side-down, being careful to not crowd. Allow to cook for a 1 ½ - 2 minutes, or until just seared. Top each raw side with a Tbsp. of mustard and quickly smear it around. Flip burgers and cook for one minute longer. Top each burger patty with a thin slice of cheese (or half of the patties with thick slices), followed by a scoop of onions, and quickly top with a second patty. Place onto prepared buns and serve immediately! 

Helpful Hint:

These have the potential to get really messy. I recommend making a quick ‘wrap’ with parchment paper. Fold a square triangularly, then place on top of burger, wrapping underneath and tucking. You’ll see my tuck wasn’t very taught but it was still highly effective!