Melt butter and onions in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Stir in brown sugar, 1/4 cup of beer and salt; add onions and stir for 5 minutes.
Turn heat down to medium-low and cook onions for 40 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in remaining tablespoon of beer.
Notes
Stir: As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn. The trick is to leave them alone enough to brown.
Baking Soda: The baking soda changes the pH which causes the onions to brown more quickly. The higher pH also causes the onions to soften more quickly, which we cover below when we discuss the texture
Variation tip: Feel free to add peppers to this dish. Red, yellow green peppers are all fabulous with this dish.
Flavor additives: Bay leaf, a pinch of salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, caraway seed or thyme sprigs. A little salt makes everything better.
What to Cook them in: large nonstick skillet or a dutch oven.