The Best-Ever Patty Melt

The patty melt has been having a bit of a resurgence in my life lately. A few months ago, I was eating at the Seawolfe Diner in my hometown of Kingston, Washington, when I encountered a juicy, flavorful, perfectly toasted patty melt. Their beef patty was thin, and the bread was toasty with little pockets of butter that would burst with every bite.

After I ate it, I went chasing the unicorn, trying to recreate my own as perfect as theirs. I’m happy to report I nailed it, and learned some great tricks along the way. Here’s how to make it at home.

A patty melt consists of a thin burger patty topped with deeply caramelized onions and melted Swiss cheese, all sandwiched between two slices of rye bread that are griddled until toasty and crisp. It’s said to have been invented by Tiny Naylor, the owner of Du-par’s restaurant in California. It’s thought that Du-par’s brought the sandwich to mainstream popularity in the mid-century, where it became a diner classic.

For me, the best patty melts have thinner beef patties, which I think makes for a more balanced bite. I aim for 1/4-inch when forming, and am sure to press the patty down once it starts cooking. While any ground beef will work in a patty melt, I like to purchase grass-fed, dry-aged ground beef to really bring in some flavor.

I also prefer my onions deeply caramelized. Deeply caramelized onions add more intense flavors and better texture when you bite. Then, I griddle my sandwich directly in the skillet, so that the residual onion flavors the bread as it toasts. I found that the best patty melts have deeply griddled bread that’s crispy and toasty on the outside and tender in the center.

1. Caramelize the onions. Start by cooking the onions and garlic in a large skillet until they’re deeply caramelized, then reserve on a plate.
2. Form and cook the patties. While the onions caramelize, divide the ground beef into four balls, flatten into thin patties, then season with salt and pepper. Cook in butter in the reserved skillet, pressing with the back of a flat spatula to keep them from getting too thick. Cook until the beef is just cooked through, then transfer to a plate.
3. Build and cook the patty melts. Add more butter to the skillet, then build the melts on top: rye bread, beef patty, Swiss cheese, caramelized onion, more cheese, more rye. Press down on the sandwiches once, and peek underneath: When they’re deep golden-brown, add more butter to the skillet and flip. Cook until the bottoms are deeply golden-brown and toasty and the cheese is melted, then finish with salt and serve.