Tappan Out Patty Melt

 

2 pounds ground beef

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Montreal steak seasoning, to taste

12 slices good quality bread (I use rye)

½ cup Secret Sauce, recipe follows

3 medium Vidalia onions, thinly sliced

6 slices American cheese

1 stick, or so, of unsalted butter

 

Secret Sauce

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

½ teaspoon hot sauce

 

In a small bowl, stir together mustard, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Worcestershire and steak seasoning. Shape ground beef into 6 oval patties.

In a medium cast-iron skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden brown, approximately 35 minutes.

In a large cast-iron skillet, cook patties over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, approximately 2 minutes per side.

Remove skillet from heat. Remove patties from skillet; wipe out skillet.

Layer 1 bread slice with 1 tablespoon Secret Sauce, 2 to 3 tablespoons caramelized onions, 1 slice cheese, 1 patty, and another 1 tablespoon Secret Sauce. Top with another bread slice. Repeat with remaining bread, Secret Sauce, caramelized onions, cheese, and patties.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Working in batches, cook sandwiches, flipping once, until golden brown and heated through, approximately 3 minutes per side. Add more butter to skillet as needed.