Sliders AKA Mini Burger Recipe

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Sliders aka Mini Burger Recipe

Sliders seem to have invaded more than a few menus lately and that’s a good thing ’cause I love them.

If I have one complaint about restaurant sliders it’s the limitations. For instance, usually there’s only one kind of slider on the menu. On the rare occasion that there is a little variety, I’m not allowed to mix and match. Tsk-tsk restaurateurs.

A simple remedy to this situation is to make own your sliders at home. They are super simple to prepare and you can use as many different flavors as you like.

Here’s a cooking technique I committed to memory a little over a year ago.

Tools

1. Griddle – To achieve the proper slider, a griddle is the best choice. A frying pan will do but you’ll only be able to do a few at a time and you’ll need to drain the fat often. The goal is to get a lot of browning on the meat patty. Forget using a BBQ altogether (unless you’ve got the griddle sitting on top of the grate).

2. Spatula – Leave that flimsy, fly-swatter spatula you bought at Navarro for $0.54 in the drawer. You’ll need one with a little rigidity to it.

3. A Metal Bowl or a Pot Lid

Meat

80/20 is the magic ratio for sliders (and regular burgers too). 80% meat to 20% fat. It’s important to stick to this ratio because we’re looking for a very specific texture that can only be achieved by some fat melting out of the patty. Texture is what it’s all about. We want a patty with lots of nooks and crannies, think air and lace. The easiest way to achieve this texture is by using the 80/20 ratio and by not handling the meat after it’s been ground.

The meat blend is up to you, it doesn’t matter what you put in there. I’m lazy so I use 80/20 ground chuck straight from the grocery. You can mix it up with short rib, sirloin, goat, bison, veal, etc, etc. Knock yourself out. Although if you are going to make your own meat blend you’ll want to grind your own meat. That way you’ll have better control of both the fat content and more importantly the texture, we want this meat to be unhandled out of that grinder.

Seasoning

A dash of kosher salt and a grind of pepper from the mill, and whatever seasonings you want to use. There’s no need to season the beef ahead of time though. Sliders are very thin so you can season them while they are cooking. Again, don’t stick your hands in there – you are only going to make the meat dense.

Technique

Not much to this, start off slow, fire a test shot to make sure your pan is heated properly and you’re good to go.

1. Preheat your griddle to MED-HI heat.

2. Begin with a chunk of raw beef about the size of a Persian lime. Drop the beef on the griddle and smash it with a spatula so that you make a patty that is less than 1/4″ thick.

3. Season exposed side with salt/pepper, to taste.

4. Wait. Let it brown. You want the patty to develop a crisp, crunchy crust. Flip it, brown it some more.

5. When its almost ready top it with a slice of cheese. Cover the patty with the metal bowl (or pot lid) to melt the cheese.

6. (Optional) Place the bun, sliced side down, on the griddle to toast.

7. Serve.

Now lets talk toppings.

dowhatchalike. I copied some of the flavor’s featured on the Burger Beast Menu at John Martin’s.

- BBQ Bacon Cheddar Slider with Caramelized Onions
- Francophile Slider topped with Brie cheese and Roasted Peppers
- The Angry Italian Slider topped with Diced Cherry Peppers, Spicy Salami and Tomato Basil Cheddar Cheese.

The possibilities are endless. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments section.

And let me know how it works out, mine were really good. Better than any I’ve had at a restaurant.

Thanks to GhenghisJuan for submitting his recipe for Sliders (or Mini Burgers)

jjb

Sliders on the grill are GREAT!. 2 minutes one side, flip and add diced sauted onions, bacon and cheese – close lid for 1 minute and finish.

Throw buttered rolls on the last minute as well and top with sauted mushrooms and you've got a feast.Martin rolls or the new slider rolls from Pepperidge work well.
GhenghisJuan

I hate to play food police but…BBQ "Sliders" are delicious, but technically they aren't sliders, they're small burgers.

A slider is what you'd get at a White Castle or Krystal burger. They are too thin to cook properly on a grill.
Carlos Miller

I've read that a true slider recipe requires baby food.

I've never tried it and don't intend to.
Michaelangelo Cordero

regarding sliders and baby food.
the recipe above is for mini burgers not sliders. sliders have a much softer texture and are less of a patty and more like a thick filling in consistency. i have been making my castle style sliders for years and it never fails. the mixture turns out more like a batter.
1lb ground beef
1 and 1/2 jars beef baby food
3/4 cup beef broth
mix well
spread to about a quarter inch thick on a cookie sheet. cover in plastic wrap and set in freezer for 15 min. score thru plastic wrap with blunt edged spatula. making squares no bigger than 2 inches. freeze completely. remove from sheet and break patties apart by hand. refreeze until ready to use or cook right away.
in order to complete the experience i use dehydrated onions. rehydrate in water for 10 minutes and cook on griddle next to sliders. sliders cook in about 2 to 3 minutes total.
use hot dog buns cut into thirds or mini party rolls. enjoy!!!
you'll love them.
Michaelangelo
Anonymous

Fry 1/4 pound bacon very crisp (do it slowly, so it doesn't burn), drain completely, and crumble. Mix it into 1 pound 80/20 beef, (coarse ground, if you can get it), and 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar with 1/2 cup grated american cheese. Toss lightly, and make ping-pong ball size sections. Drop onto a very hot griddle (coat with bacon greast, or just oil if you have to) and smash to about 1/3 inch thick with a spatula. Cook about 90 seconds, until brown, then flip over and cook about 90 seconds more. Serve on Angel biscuits (look up the recipe!), split, toasted on a buttered griddle, with hot, sweet mustard, and heirloom tomatoes. YUM!!!
Anonymous

I make my own Meatballs ,so it would be very easy to make sliders. Can I cook them in 600 degrees. My pizza oven is constantly at that temp.Can it be done?
Anonymous

It took me a while to search on the net, only your site explain the fully details, bookmarked and thanks again.

- Kris