I love me a good cheeseburger, but sometimes I just don’t want all the extra stuff on it, you know? Especially in the wintertime when a dinky, squishy, expensive head of lettuce yields about 2 servings. And don’t EVEN get me started on pale, anemic, hard, mealy-mushy winter tomatoes. Yuck, yuck, yuck. So what to do?  Make a killer good French Dip Cheeseburger & Au Jus for dunking, that’s what!

 

Plain and simple, but, an “elegant cheeseburger”! Now if that’s not an oxymoron, I don’t know what is!

But seriously, these truly were wonderful! Pure and uncomplicated, letting the flavors of the beef shine, only complimented by creamy, mild, white American cheese and buttery sautéed onions!

No sauces or extra junk was needed.

Well. Except for some kick butt au jus for dunking, of course!

 

 

 

 

 

I made these “longboy” style to more resemble a traditional french dip sandwich, and served them on warm, semi-homemade hoagie rolls! And I wouldn’t change a single thing!

So, to get this party started, I highly recommend grilling your burgers on cast iron. I used my double-sided, rectangular grill/griddle combo. But you can use a regular cast iron frying pan, or whatever pan you happen to have on hand. Cast iron just happens to be ideal for cooking burgers indoors to ensure that they get nicely browned on the outside.

You’ll also want to cook your onions and make your au jus ahead of time, too, and have that all ready to go. I make my own au jus, but you can cheat and use a can of beef consommé in a pinch if you need to.

 

 

 

 

 

Next we get the burgers started!  These are big burgers, a half of a pound each before frying, which is equal to a double cheeseburger! So if you have a small appetite like me, you’ll definitely want to split one with someone. (Or just save your other half for the next day!)

I season them really well with salt, regular AND coarse ground black pepper, and a little garlic powder.

 

 

 

 

So many times I’ve said, “Use a large spatula”,….well, this is what I mean by that! One of my favorite kitchen helpers!! I don’t know what I’d do without it!

 

 

 

 

Since it’s just the hubs and I, I only cooked two, and saved the other two to be cooked the next day. But anyways, place them onto your preheated grill pan seasoned side down, and while that side starts to cook, season the top side.

 

 

 

 

When nicely browned on the bottom, carefully turn over with a large spatula, and brown the other side. Turn the heat down a little so that it has time to cook inside.

 

 

 

 

 

Once they’re just about done, top each with two slices of cheese torn in half, overlapping the pieces., and let the cheese melt.

 

 

 

 

Then place the cheeseburgers onto the bottoms of your hoagie rolls.

 

 

 

 

Pile them with your buttery sautéed onions…

 

 

 

 

…and place on the tops!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite a masterpiece, isn’t it?!!

 

 

 

 

 

Then just slice them in half…

 

 

 

 

 

…and serve them with warm au jus for dunking!

 

 

 

 

That bite pictured right above, that end bite that overhangs the bun that’s all meat and onions and yummy melty cheese…oh yeah!!! My favorite part!!

 

 

 

 

 

These burgers were absolutely friggin awesome!!!

 

 

 

 

My Best French Dip Cheeseburgers & Au Jus are simple to make, big on flavor, and actually, very economical to boot!

They would also be perfect for the Super Bowl tomorrow, too!! And if having a party, just make a few long ones, and slice them into slider-sized potions! *You also might want to spoon the au jus onto the insides of the tops and bottoms of your rolls, and that way, they’re all ready to be eaten and you don’t have to worry about finger bowls of juice for everyone.

They really go quite a long way and would make a perfect munchie for you and your friends!

Hope you all like these as much as we do, and enjoy the big game!!

 

Click here for my Easy Au Jus recipe!

 

Yield: 4 large burgers

Best French Dip Burgers & Au Jus

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs. hamburger, seasoned with salt, regular and coarse ground black peppers, & garlic powder
• 8 slices white american cheese, not pre-wrapped preferably

For Sautéed Onions:

• 1 stick real butter, I use Minerva Dairy
• 3 large onions (4 medium-sized)
• salt, regular black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

Rest of Ingredients:

• 4 (5" - 6" long) fresh hoagie rolls, homemade or store-bought, split open
• my easy au jus for dunking, (or use 1 can beef consommé such as Campbell's)

Instructions

Make Onions First: In large cast iron skillet or frying pan, melt butter. Add onions. Season to taste with salt, both peppers, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sauté over medium low heat until softened and golden brown, stirring frequently. When done, set aside.

For Burgers: Divide 2 pounds of hamburger into 4 equal parts. Press into oblong 3 1/2 inch by 8 inch patties (1/2 inch thick) onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Press centers a little so when they cook and plump, they'll be flat and not too rounded. Season tops with lots of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Heat rectangular cast iron griddle using the flat side over medium heat to get hot using two stovetop burners. Oil a little if your cast iron isn't well seasoned. Place patties onto hot grill seasoned side down, season other sides. Turn heat down to medium low. When nicely browned, turn and brown other side cooking until desired doneness inside. Top each with 2 slices of cheese torn in half overlapping pieces. When melted, remove burgers to hoagie roll bottoms.

Top each with sautéed onions, and serve hot with warmed au jus (or beef consommé) for dunking. (*Link to my easy homemade au jus recipe provided in this blog post.)