Butter lovers rejoice!! Behold! The infamous “Butter Burger” made famous in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at Solly’s Grille! A diner-style burger with “steamed” onions, cheese, and a toasted bun slathered with butter that melts into a glorious pool by the time it gets to the table that’s perfect for dipping and sopping to the very last drop! And now you can make these famous burgers right at home!
Butter is a glorious thing indeed. Let’s face it, everything is better with butter! So why not burgers too, right?
Solly’s had the right idea eons ago, when they developed their “poolside” butter burger, and I had to give it a shot in my own kitchen!
So as to not copycat them completely, and put my own stamp on mine, I ran with Minerva Dairy’s Garlic Herb Butter instead of plain, and…let’s just say….these incredibly rich burgers will be a special treat that we’ll enjoy for years to come!
But before we get to the burgers, we need to make the “steamed” onions! So grab a pot and let’s go!
Place some largely chopped onion and some Minerva Dairy Butter with Sea Salt into a small stockpot.
Sauté the onions until golden and starting to get soft.
Then add the white wine and cook a bit longer….
…then add the beef consommé, bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce…..
…until the liquid has condensed down to just a thick, buttery, deeply rich-colored sauce!
Don’t they look AMAZING?!!
Next make the burgers! I added a little bit of some reserved consommé to the meat, then made just 3 patties from the one pound so that they’d be hearty enough to stand up to all that butter!
I didn’t salt them, but I did add a nice amount of pepper to them. There will be enough salt in the onions from the consommé that we won’t need to add any additional salt to the burgers themselves.
Once the burgers are almost done, pile them with those fabulous onions….
…and top them with cheese! I used (dye-free white) American cheese slices to keep it traditional.
I also placed a dome lid over the burgers so that the cheese could melt faster.
And while the cheese is melting, place the buns in the pan, or run them under the broiler, to toast them.
Then SLATHER them with GOBS of butter!! Seriously. Just do this, and don’t look back.
Then immediately place the buttered lid on top of the hot burger….
And slice the burger in half. You’ll need to do this and scooch the halves over to the edge of the plate to make room for what happens next!
The butter will begin to melt, and pool in the center of the plate!
The perfect place to be able to dip the burger, sopping up all of that incredibly rich and delicious garlic herb butter!
This may seem too over-the-top for some, but believe us when we say, it was absolutely DELICIOUS!
Obviously not something you’d want to eat very often, not by a long shot! But perfect for a once in a blue moon treat when you just want to have a little fun and spoil yourself!
So, if you’re looking for an unusual burger that’s absolutely to DIE for, just make this Garlic Herb Butter Burger Variation of Solly’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!
We all need a little spoiling now and then. Don’t wait. Make today that day.
*This recipe is my own interpretation and variation of a “butter burger” like the ones made at Solly’s Grille in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Garlic Herb Butter Burger Variation of Solly's Grille Milwaukee
Ingredients
For Onions:
- 2 Tbl. olive oil
- 2 medium sweet onions, largely chopped
- 3 Tbl. Minerva Dairy Butter with Sea Salt
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup beef consommé
- black pepper
For Burgers:
- 1 lb. extra lean ground beef (*with 1 Tbl. beef consommé added in)
- black pepper to taste
- 3- 6 slices cheese, white or yellow american, provolone, or havarti
- Minerva Dairy Garlic Herb Butter, softened for easy spreadability, 3 Tbl. per bun tops
- 2 - 3 toasted or grilled buns
Instructions
Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan, once hot add the onions and sauté. Unlike Solly's, we want the onions to be lightly golden, so keep the heat at medium, stirring regularly.
Once the onions are light golden, add the wine, and let it cook, over medium-low to low heat, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, (uncovered). Then add 1 cup beef consommé and pepper to taste, crank up the heat to medium-high and bring it up to a boil with the lid off to reduce out all the liquid, stirring occasionally. Turn down to medium-low towards the end. When done, (after about 20 - 25 minutes), set aside at room temperature. (*Onions can be made in advance.) *DO NOT add salt, as consommé is salty enough.
Okay! Time to make the burger! Choose meat that’s at least 90% lean, simply because of the amount of butter used in this recipe. Add a 1 Tbl. reserved consommé to the ground beef and form into 3 (1/3 lb. each) patties suited for the size of your buns. Pepper tops well.
Heat a frying pan or griddle until hot, then place the patties onto the hot surface, peppered side down. Add pepper on top, but no salt on either side, as the consommé and onions will be plenty salty enough. (*Solly's butters their grill first, but I wanted the patties to brown on the outside.)
Flip the patty when the juices start coming through the top. With a slotted spoon or fork, pile some of the onion topping on top leaving the excess butter behind, then place 1 - 2 slices of American cheese on top of the onions. Cover with a dome lid to melt the cheese. Remove to a plate when done.
Toast the buns, either on a griddle, in the same pan, or run under the broiler. (Remove a little of the butter from the onion pan if you need to oil the pan so the bread doesn't stick.) When burger is ready, spread at least 3 tablespoons of the softened butter on the inside of each top bun (told you it was going to be a lot!) and assemble the burger. You can make 3 single-patty burgers, or one single and one double. Slice burger in half and spread apart. Cover with a dome while the butter on the bun melts, and the buns stay warm.
Enjoy by dipping the burger into the melted pool of butter on the plate, sopping up every last drop!
Notes
Makes 3 - *1/3 lb. burger patties (*before cooking), with single or double cheese.
