Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger Recipe | Sid's vs Robert's | Ballistic Burgers

[@rayozyjowski1065]

In 1995, I was driving on RT 66 - the old mother road, when I stopped at an antique store. As I got in my car, I smelled onions and burgers cooking, and went down the 2-3 blocks to find the source. It was Robert's. I couldn't believe what I saw when I went in. It was just after 11am, and the grill was sizzling, the phone ringing off the hook with orders, and every seat was taken. I remember it like it was yesterday.

[@garyK.45ACP]

One of my favorite burgers! If you don't like onions, this burger can help you with that flaw in your upbringing.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Very true! Cheers Gary!

[@BallisticBurgers]

@NotSnarl kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5-qoHSGqZuLd7s

[@linvt9891]

@@john2914 I don’t like unions on my burgers

[@PiousMoltar]

I love onions, fried or raw!

[@brainwashingdetergent4322]

You are correct! My wife really detests onions with all of her being. I’ve been working her over for years, and she’s slowly coming around! I made a onion burger, and she actually ate it, and said it was good!

[@garyklein4679]

Wrong information about Roberts grill. The history of fried onion hamburgers does go back to the 20s as my Grandmother made them in her's and my grandfather's restaurant in Colony Oklahoma in 1926. Colony is about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City. Robert Sanders was not born until the mid 40s. I know because I worked for him in his Weatherford, Oklahoma Robert's Grill when I was in college in 1968. At that time he had turned his Robert's Grill in El Reno over to his brother to run. Shortly after that, he purchased the drive in restaurant back in El Reno and ran it until he retired in the late 90s. We were selling the basic onion burger for 25 cents at the time and fries, coney's, and sodas were the same price. My first job every morning was to peel and slice 15 to 20 pound of onions. Then we had the noon rush. We sold over 200 hamburgers a day over a counter with 8 stools in this hole in the wall place. I was a college student working there part time and I really smelled good when I went back to class at 1:00 PM. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I worked for Robert for about a year until he purchased the main Drive In Restaurant in El Reno and moved back there.

[@leedoss6905]

Wonderful experience and story of your past.❤

[@iBMcFly]

Now that is what I call a comment. Thank you for sharing your experience and information about this topic.

[@iBMcFly]

“I smelled really good”-I bet, makin all the kids who skipped lunch hungry lol

[@ryanairwingclaire8900]

im a simple man. i see a delicious Burger, i smash the Like Button!!!!

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you!

[@phoenix0477]

I live i Germany and I have these all the time. One of the best burgers there is, not fancy, not dressed up. It is what it is and its delicious. My go to burger. With so little you get so much, and you really have an original flavour explosion in your mouth. The simplicity, the ease but my god are they amazing.

[@okcsooners28]

I live about 20 minutes away from Robert's and Sids, been going there for 10 years! You did a hell of a job being authentic to both, I have always preferred Robert's simply because me and my grandpa always went there every month and it hasn't changed a bit, will always love it

[@grantritchey7509]

Going to one of those restaurants and watching the burgers being made by the pros there, to me, is half of the love and enjoyment of eating those wonderful burgers. It's like having a dance troupe cook your meal! Culinary art you get to watch being made. when I make them, they taste good, but no one would call it entertainment.

[@Grenadier311]

Same, though I have no doubt my explitives and headless chicken antics can be entertaining if you're not paying me to cook it.

[@BallparkGuide]

Great video, as always, and I loved hearing the background on the history of these burgers!

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you Malcolm. I actually had to shorten that segment! I could talk for hours about that stuff, which is one of the reasons El Reno and their onion burgers are so important. Living History!

[@BallparkGuide]

@@BallisticBurgers Thanks for the response! I thought it was the perfect amount of background info. Really added to the value of the video. :)

[@brettscott8288]

@@BallisticBurgers it look like you're in South east Asia! I'm in Cambodia so this looks very familiar.

[@BallisticBurgers]

@@brettscott8288 LOL! San Diego, but I have a lot of tropical plants, including some plumeria I bought from a grower in Thailand. Cheers, Brett!

[@user-qz5hm4sh5m]

I'm from El Reno Oklahoma and the Onion fried burgers are delicious ! You can smell the aroma driving through down town. Must try ! All three burger places are great !

[@latishajaubert5600]

After watching this , i made some and was amazed how tasty and juiicy they were. It will be my hamburger from now on. Game changer

[@vickileonardson9130]

My husband and I are in love with this amazing burger. Thank you!

[@darinstgeorge]

When I first started making these regional burgers I never thought that my favorite would be JUST onions; Motz hit the nail on the head and it’s all about the beef! Great video as always and have a great 2021, brother!

[@TheWesterwaelder]

Late Sunday afternoon in Germany... Can't wait for the next weekend to grill this burger. Thank you very very much for all the inspirations!

[@Johnjohn-gq3du]

During the last couple of months I’ve watched several Oklahoma onion burger vids. I made the burgers as well. They were all good. But your vid was on point, direct and spot on. You’ve enhanced the rep of this type of burger. Thumbs up.

[@Olivier.Blanquart]

Done a mix of both, salt and pepper and "steamed" buns. Super simple and super good!

[@alebroker7587]

My thoughts exactly

[@Donran55]

My father worked at Roberts Grill in the mid 50’s this is always my go to burger when in back home in ElReno. There burgers and slaw conies are some of my favorite foods.

[@leatherface1136]

The Oklahoma burger is probably my favorite smash burger, you just can't go wrong with a bed of shredded caramelized onions as a topping!

[@happyyumyum4108]

So much great information! Some of the best recipes came from that era, it’s amazing what people can come up with even when they don’t have a lot! 🙌

[@Krieghandt]

90% of ethnic "specialties" are we don't have much ie Indian fry bread, or what are we going to with this that we just butchered ie hagis.

[@diastoleny]

Really a great video! I've been making these oklahoma onion burgers. I found frying those onions up a bit before adding them to the meat was an improvement. The sweetness and caramelized onion were nice but more importantly the meat edges had more contact with grill, making those crispy tapered edges that added to the bugrer. All good anyway!!

[@HeavyMetalMike]

I would do Sid's seasoning with Robert's steamed buns.

[@amiedavis5257]

I did that last night....They're amazing.

[@Montrose173]

Completely agree.

[@christopherbound2154]

yep!

[@Limoni1]

Great looking burgers but really enjoyed the stories, this video deserves a million views.

[@brifo5779]

I've done this countless times because it's one of my favorite burgers. 🍔 Thanks to Ballistic Burger I now also know its fascinating history. How to make the burger great. 👋😋🇮🇹

[@PicklesBBQandCooking]

Really fascinating to hear the history behind the food, I’m a big fan of the story. It’s such a simple burger but funny how you get claims to the best and variations on the “authentic”. Honestly both looked great. Awesome job Greg!

[@TripptheGOAT3]

Been making this burger for better part of a year now. Your old vid and Kosmos talking about it convinced me to try. This burger is absolutely more than the sum of its parts. It doesn’t taste like an oniony burger. Rather the onions add moisture to the burger and somehow enhance the burgery goodness. I’ve made it for several people and all have said to keep making my smash burgers this way! Great vid as always. Keep up the good work!

[@BallisticBurgers]

It was a happy discovery for me as well! Glad you're enjoying it, Robert!

[@carlT1986]

We visited Roberts and Sid’s going to and coming back from the big ditch. Both were awesome. We didn’t know about Johnny’s or we might have stayed over just to have one of theirs. I learned a good bit watching at both places. The most important thing I learned was that the onions are cut quite thin and the ends should get charred to some degree. Secondarily, they didn’t use special onions. Just plain onions. In Georgia we like Vidalia onions which are sweet. But I believe it doesn’t matter so much about the variety used. In any case, I will keep experimenting to find the burger for my wife and me.

[@Picit-13]

Still the legend of Burgers!! My go to for a fast burger!! Ohhh how your smashing technique has changed Greg!! lol

[@saucybottombbq]

Never heard of the Oklahoma Onion Burger before but I can see this had been missing in my life. Can't wait to give this a try. I'm very much digging your new burger channel.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you SBB! I've been having fun with this channel. Cheers!

[@saucybottombbq]

Quick question....have you had a chance to try the seasoning's I sent you a while back?

[@billk8579]

Really enjoying these videos. A new subscriber. In the ‘50s we would take a one week vacation to Pennsylvania where my father grew up. We would always look for the same diner on each trip near Reading I think. The diner advertised the biggest cup of coffee in PA. I would always get a burger. It was made on a grill. The bun was buttered and browned I think. It has been almost 70 years and I can still taste that burger and have not had another like it since.

[@cycomikey78]

I’m from Oklahoma and have eaten at all three places a few times. You did them justice in your video.

[@RayMacksKitchenandGrill]

You have the best burger recipes on youtube...I'm trying out this recipe this weekend with the family. It's simple and easy.

[@BallisticBurgers]

I appreciate that comment Ray Mack! Much respect brother!

[@batman4452]

He seriously does, cheers to Ballistic Burgers.... now I'm bout to check out Ray MAck's Kitchen and Grill

[@davidcole333]

That's the best thing to ever come out of El Reno other than I-40. Both burgers looked sensational.

[@sugarfree528]

I love your burger videos, I've learned a lot from them.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you for the support!

[@MarkDanielMiller]

* "Robet's came around in 1926" (according to the photo shown in this video)

[@jeffhaddox2239]

Great history lesson, as both sides of my family migrated too California from Oklahoma, during those times. Wish I had known of those places the last time I was there.👍

[@BallisticBurgers]

They're worth a visit. It's like stepping. back in time!

[@johnlind5819]

I've watched dozens of videos on Oklahoma Onion Burgers and this is by far my favorite video. Going to the source and watching them make them (especially with your friend from Oklahoma) made this a really good video. Great Job - I am subscribing tonight to your channel) Thanks, John

[@lisaschrantz6817]

Saying hello from Okmulgee Oklahoma....My step dad is from El Reno....

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you Lisa! You live in a beautiful state. My mom lives in Tulsa, so I have done a lot of exploring in your neck of the woods. Cheers!

[@WordofBob]

The Grill in Weatherford Ok, just west of El Reno. Making onion burgers in the early 80's. Good stuff. Never visited the ones in El Reno.

[@shaunl446]

Good stuff! Recently went to Sid's for lunch and it was great!

[@Xorobabel]

I grew up about 25 minutes from El Reno and often went to Sid's and Johnnie's. I actually never went to Robert's but now feel I am missing out. Will try to go there the next time I am in Oklahoma. There's also a really good onion burger place about 20 minutes north of El Reno called Burger Shoppe in Kingfisher, OK.

[@terrygunzales9101]

When I was a little boy my mom would take me along when she would go to Ft. Bliss, my dad served and so that's what we did. Sometimes she would take me to the "greasy spoon" for a burger and they were amazing. I watched our burgers being prepared on the other side of the counter, they would smash medium diced onion onto the beef patty, it was aromatic as can be. I loved their burgers, this video made me think of that. Thanks Greg

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you for sharing your memory, Terry. I wonder if that "greasy spoon" still exists? Cheers brother!

[@terrygunzales9101]

@@BallisticBurgers That was perhaps 1967, I'll ask mom if she remembers the name of the place, I will find out, cheers!

[@BallisticBurgers]

@@terrygunzales9101 Thanks Terry!

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Both burgers look great. Lots of onion goodness. Many great dishes originated out of necessity. Cheers, Greg!

[@brandondavis6365]

You have to try the Dead Texan. The buns are grilled cheeses (bonus points for the addition of pickled peppers to the sandos), then add bacon and grilled onions to the burger. There are variations. I look forward to it.

[@BallisticBurgers]

I'm going to look this one up! Thanks Brandon.

[@PaintHerWhite]

Is the burger full of crap, like most Texans?

[@brandondavis6365]

@@PaintHerWhite it was a while ago but pretty sure the inside was mostly beef

[@Yupyea]

Idk why but every year I get this video recommended

[@im4broke643]

2:49 You did not let me down! Thank you Greg!

[@jaybooth4815]

Great video! Those onions cooking with those burger probably smelled amazing!

[@medic5810]

Ate either a coney or onion burger for lunch everyday during my high school years!! Born and raised in El Reno, OK. Gotta say if you have not had one of these burgers you’re missing out!!

[@michaelraytyler9678]

What an entertaining video. And very educational. I love Onion burgers and we'll try these tomorrow. And yes I agree with you that a little Salt and Pepper would definitely make it better. Thanks again and take care. :-)

[@daltongaither2345]

As someone who lives in Oklahoma, glad you are bringing us love to the ok burger. A new joint in Norman with the the title of Tuckers has a similar style but has brought on veg as an ingredient. I am thinking they did not spice the patty but added (your choice) of tomato plus shredded lettuce (and of course jalapeños as a choice) added a balance to your whole bite. Best burger joint in my opinion in my corner. Great videos, thanks for the content.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you for the support! My mom lives in Tulsa, so next time I'm in OK, I'll try and make a trip to Norman. Cheers Dalton!

[@duncanjames914]

Wow - simple but looks delicious! I've got to give this a try before the snow flies. :-D

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thanks! These are amazing burgers Duncan!

[@mgtowp.l.7756]

A Excellent Video.. Highly Recommended.. Thank You Very Much For Sharing..

[@jgt4862]

My go to burger ever since I saw your 1st Oklahoma Onion Burger video.

[@theMick52]

No matter how you have you're "El Reno" onion burger, it's absolutely fantastic! I just happen to lean towards Sid's personally.

[@Gquebbqco]

I gotta try one of those. Sids, Roberts, Johnny’s any of em’ they both look great!

[@mrbigokc4204]

Try Robert's first they are really amazing ..... I have ate at all 3 and they are truly classic places to eat with that original diner experience

[@nev375]

My hometown is in western Missouri and the local joints there make their burgers just like this. The paper thin onions that blacken a bit and provide a flavor you just can't get anywhere outside of the region. I appreciate you posting this so I can share a bit of my hometown burger tradition with others. Most of the other onion burger smashburger recipes are close, but not quite right.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you for stopping by!

[@xmozzazx]

I have been eating my burgers that way, pickles, mustard and onions my entire adult life! I am so glad to see someone else do it too! I was cheering and fist pumping when you capped them. Excellent videos, I love how in depth you go, learning all these awesome recipes and techniques.

[@slop101]

They're so fun to make too!

[@ivse9696]

I copied your Texas Toast on Friday and it was great. That will be the next one. For me, you and George Motz are my burger heroes 👍👍👍

[@BallisticBurgers]

I'm glad you enjoyed the Texas Toast Burger! Cheers!

[@hskern2]

Great video by someone who has been to Sid's & Robert's and has come back down from the mountain with the truth. My guess is that one purpose of smashing the burger after the flip is to release meat juices into the onions. I saw a video "Andrew Zimmern cooks: griddled onion burger" where he 1st cooks the onions then smashes the burger on top then flips.

[@stevensteven5479]

I like how you always stick to the original. The slug burger was the first I saw with potato flakes.

[@JOB1925pk]

I added a few jalapeno slices into my onions and used Wahlburger Wahl sauce for the condiment...AMAZING!!!!!

[@Mo_Ketchups]

I made mine from Not Another Chef (whatever the name is-guy roolz). You definitely don’t need to hammer them-just press hard & smash em. No hammer motion needed. Also, the salt & pepper, PLUS his ungodly sauce recipe made these the best ever burgers we’ve EVER eaten!!

[@campincookinwithcary9867]

Love it! I always cook my burgers with diced onions, but need to try this with the paper thin onions. Looks so good.

[@im4broke643]

One last comment for you Greg...thank you so much for these videos! The stuffed one I think was the best out of 10 I watched tonight, the dog burger #2. Great work bud! I do not know why more people don't sub to you, I really like your style and glad you and Kosmo are friends...(I actually already knew that from last year...lol). Are there any burger joints in Ga that you would try? Like the Varsity in Atlanta. They are not ranked high now, but back in the day it was the place to go.

[@TheGPELLICER5]

This burguer is must be great Greg , greetings from Spain, follow your channel and is amazing your burguers😃

[@pigvalve9885]

Robert's has salt and pepper shakers on the table next to the mustard, ketchup and napkins. Roberts is where I eat FOBs when I am in El Reno. FYI The Fried Onion Burger Day Festival is a great time. April 30th - May 1st 2021.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thanks!

[@mrbigokc4204]

I have had the pleasure of eating at Sid's and Robert's and even Johnnie's Grill in El Reno.. hands down Robert's Grill is the best But if you wanna take it to the EXTREME on getting an onion burger you have to check out Onion Burger Day in El Reno cause downtown El Reno in the middle of the 3 they cook a MASSIVE ONION BURGER .. I am talking about over 15 gallons of onions for one burger and it takes like 20 people just to carry the bun and when its cooking you will cry!! I am not an Oklahoma native but I have been an Oklahoma resident since Feb 2008 when I was 19yrs old and the first time I have had onions on a burger was in burger day cause when I was younger I was not a fan of onions at all but now I cook with onions every chance I get. But now if they do have another Onion Burger Day after this global pandemic is over I will be at the next Onion Burger Day getting me a piece of that 200lb fried onion burger and it is sooo damn tasty I would have to drive 30 mins depending on OKC traffic since I am an OKC resident

[@joedudley8925]

This is one of the best burger to make at at home as well in my thought cooking the onions like this give it so much flavor I’m going to have to try it with mustard haven’t seen a video with that yet

[@PlaguePriest88]

I absolutely love your channels, especially this new one. I hope it goes well!

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thank you for your support! I hope it goes well too. It's been fun starting up from scratch!

[@phraktl]

I'm sad to say that I grew up about 30 miles away from El Reno and have never tried an onion burger. I need to fix that ASAP. Great vid!

[@DavidSmith-vg2bn]

Excellent review love the channel and have a safe Holiday Season

[@skraegorn7317]

I remember seeing a video from Sid's Diner, they were talking about how small they sliced the onions. I think he said "if we sliced them thinner we'd be making onion smoothies."

[@leeolson1]

Have you ever made Taverns? Commonly called a loose meat sandwich, similar to a sloppy joe but more of a mustard taste and not as sloppy. My Mom always made it with Cambells Cream of Gumbo soup which is sometime s hard to find. It originated in Iowa, where I was born, and it is really nice.

[@HeavyMetalMike]

That's a lot more onion than many of the other vids I've seen of this style, that looks awesome!

[@nancycesarano5919]

Can't wait to try it!

[@kennethrussell3928]

I have ate at all of them ! To be completely honest, I have to say it’s probably we’re you started, is the one you find the best ! I started with Robert’s , and Jonny’s, then SIDS later on in life ! All good, but I chose Robert’s !!! Only down fall is the seating!!

[@skwerlee]

Looks delicious I think Kosmo would approve

[@BallisticBurgers]

LOL! He better! Cheers Jeremy!

[@michaelsasylum]

As soon as I discovered the Oklahoma onion burger I can't even think of eating a burger any other way.

[@astro54541]

My mans was playing for tickets at Chuck E Cheese with those patty Bop-it moves .. 😂😂😂. I love this channel 👍

[@BallisticBurgers]

LOL! I earned enough to buy an eraser!

[@PKDionysus]

Man, that cabinet probably got seriously worked over. Great cook as usual. 👍

[@BallisticBurgers]

Not sure who won that fight! Thanks for stopping by!

[@majeliomontenegro1]

You don't need an expensive onion slicer to cut the onions. You can use the largest holes on an ordinary box-type cheese grater. To get thinner slices, try to avoid pressing too hard on the onion.

[@michaelhepner2910]

Thank you. I'm a brand new griddle owner, and want to try to make these burgers. But, I don't have one of those slicers.

[@majeliomontenegro1]

@@michaelhepner2910 I'm glad I could help. I have a small kitchen, so I try to avoid having more gadgets than I need. I try to make do with what I already have. For example, I recently made bread. The recipe told me to let the bread cool on racks. I didn't have a rack but I did have a round pizza pan with holes in it, so I turned it upside down and put it on my countertop and placed the bread on that. It worked just fine.

[@hugemariofan1]

Great video thanks I’ll go with Roberts seasoning and steam the bun

[@JourneymanActor]

i guess the move is to combine the two. steam the bun and salt and pepper you got a banger of an Oklahoma burger.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Exactly!

[@paulb2741]

Pretty simple burger, most of the work goes into slicing the onions. I’ll definitely give it a try

[@BallisticBurgers]

Please do! Simple, yet fantastic!

[@wesleybullock814]

I love oinions.. pickles and mustard... Heck yea

[@frankoneyjr.4515]

Amazing video ! Thanks !

[@terkmadugga]

5:30 is when the video actually starts

[@AH-ks1hw]

Right? Jesus he talks on and on 😂

[@heikoplotner2636]

Klasse ! Probiere ich aus . Vielen Dank !

[@dansong.tolman2793]

Another great burger video & idea. Thanks.

[@Mickcotton]

Most Excellent. Thank You So Much. Great Burgers. Incredible History.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Thanks again Michael!

[@NighthawkCarbine]

All three of them have something you cannot duplicate at home and that is the seasoning of the grill that is never washed just wiped down. I love all three and eat at each one at least once a month. I give Sid's a slight edge over Roberts but only very slightly.

[@PaintHerWhite]

Easily duplicated at home with an outdoor griddle.

[@darksidemachining]

Looks good. In trying to drill down to specifics: Were the buns special in any way. Did you oil the griddle. Were the onions cut pole to pole on the mandolin.

[@BallisticBurgers]

Pole to pole, the griddle did not need any oil with that 80/20 doing its thing. Just plain old store-bought buns. Great questions! This type of question will help me with future videos, so thank you!

[@juliebrinkley2465]

My grandparents were from El Reno originally. My grandmother still makes us drive there for burgers and pies. We go to Roberts for burgers, tots, and breakfast. Sid’s for coneys, and Johnnies for pies and shakes. But to the people in Oklahoma it’s a borderline cult following.

[@eastside0434]

I am amazed you were able to make both of their burgers and not your own burgers.

[@Ralphie_Boy]

*Greg they both looked super easy to make, thanks brother!* 🍔🍔

[@BallisticBurgers]

Easy and good! Cheers Ralphie!

[@Ralphie_Boy]

@@BallisticBurgers 👍🏻

[@locutus1126]

I've seen this recipe come up in my youtube feed lately. I was intrigued and finally made it tonight. These are fantastic. So simple, yet tasty. You gotta try it. It's too cold outside so had to do it inside. keep your windows open...lol

[@seotenin]

I’ve been working on these, they taste amazing, currently using a skillet, hope to move to a griddle soon

[@papahajek5383]

A flat potato masher works real well in a red hot iron skillet. Add pico de gallo and mustard for a great alternative.

[@wingandhog]

I will be in that area in a few weeks. I will stop by

[@msr1116]

I let the sear season the burger then add salt and pepper only after it comes off the grill. Otherwise, I find that the salt pulls moisture out of the meat and the tiny pepper flakes burn and turn bitter.

[@b0ater2]

so I had to get a new wedding ring after breaking my finger trying my son's Oculus headset that was one expensive 5 minutes. Love the burgers

[@BallisticBurgers]

LOL! I was so immersed in the "virtual world" it was crazy!