Ultimate Beef Slider Recipes for Meat Lovers
Due to their similarities to burgers, sliders have become one of North America’s cuisine staples. Unlike full-sized burgers, sliders can be made quickly and easily since all the ingredients are simple and easy to get. With a pack of buns, anyone can easily form long pieces of ground beef or pork and barbecue them. Just like burgers, sliders don’t need much seasoning to be delicious.
Due to this fact, there is a wide range of slider recipes among the barbequing community, with many of the most classic ones being beef sliders. Their smaller sizes are often what make sliders a great option to make for a party since, at their very basic ingredients, they’re just meat and buns. Their versatility allows sliders to have any toppings, but that same fact can make them harder to make.
What exactly is a slider and how can you make them? To help you make some great BBQ beef sliders for your next potluck or party, we’ve gathered some of the best recipes for you to try. And if you need a new barbecue grill or some sauces to go along with them, we’ve got those too in our catalogue.
What exactly are sliders?
For quite a long time, sliders were exactly what they look like – mini burgers, with the patties, buns, and even the cheese being shaped or cut to a smaller size. In modern American cuisine though, what qualifies as a slider is much larger. As long as they’re about the size of your palm, a slider can have any fillings, from fried chicken to meatballs to an actual mini burger patty.
While the term “slider” has broadened immensely, so has the food’s versatility. The ability to put all sorts of fillings in it to create sandwiches and mini burgers has opened up many new possible beef slider recipes for barbecue lovers and enthusiasts to fire up their barbecues to try.
The best slider recipes for beef
Many of these recipes are miniature versions of classic burgers, which makes them great ideas for a party. However, since sliders are a staple of quick and easy finger foods, some classic recipes might not be the best idea. Fortunately, since beef sliders can be topped with nearly anything, some ultimate recipes can be considered even better than the classics.
Cheeseburgers sliders
To make the mini patties, you’ll need to start by mixing salt, pepper, and ground beef. For the ideal juicy sliders, you can use a higher fat-to-meat ratio – about 80 percent meat to 20 percent fat – but you can also use leaner ground beef. Shape the patties into small balls before flattening them down to roughly about ½ an inch thick and putting them into the fridge.
Turn your grill up to medium heat and let it preheat while you prepare your cheese and buns. Once the grill is hot, place your patties onto the grate and cook each side for two to four minutes per side. Set them aside to rest for a few minutes before assembling the sliders. If you want to melt the cheese further, add your cheese a minute before you take them off the grill and close the lid, being careful to avoid any more flipping.
Enchilada sliders
Another great option for parties and potlucks is enchilada sliders, mixing some of the great parts of Mexican and American cuisines. To start, mix half a cup of butter, 4 tablespoons of your enchilada sauce, brown sugar, and dried onions in one bowl. In another, mix the remaining sauce and the ground beef and set both bowls aside for later.
Preheat your grill to medium heat and – once it’s reached 350 degrees Fahrenheit – place your buns on the grate to brown. At the same time, form small patties about the size of the buns and grill them for two to three minutes per side. After the patties are cooked, add your choice of cheese on top, and move the patties to the buns. To finish it off, pour the butter mixture over the tops and serve.
Simple BBQ beef sliders
To make some simple beef sliders, start by mixing your ground beef with salt and pepper. For additional flavour, you can also add two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. After leaving the burgers to rest in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, form them into patties that are just a bit larger than the size of your buns.
For a more classic American-style slider, make sure that the patties are roughly three-quarters of an inch thick or a little less. Otherwise, a good thickness for these beef sliders is half an inch throughout. Then, fire up your grill to medium-high heat and grill them for 3 minutes on each side before topping them with cheese. Once the beef patties are done cooking and the cheese has started to melt, move them to your buns and add whatever sauces and toppings you’d like.
Pizza mini burgers
Start these pizza sliders by mixing your choice of tomato sauce with brown sugar, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper before setting the bowl aside. Then in a pan or a skillet, add half a cup of salted butter and combine it with Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, onion flakes, garlic, and pepper. Let it cook on low heat until the butter is melted, stir it then set aside.
Preheat your grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit while you season your ground beef with salt and pepper. Shape and divide your beef into small patties before grilling them for four to five minutes per side. Spoon your tomato sauce mixture on top of the slider patties and top them with shredded mozzarella cheese – or another cheese of your preference. Close the lid for another minute or until the cheese is melted then move the patties to your buns and serve.
Takeaway
Beef sliders are a great choice for parties and get-togethers due to their small size and versatility. Though all you need to make a good beef slider is ground beef, salt, and pepper – much like a full-sized burger – the toppings you put on can be anything you want. This allows you a much greater range of styles and flavour combinations that an ordinary burger doesn’t have, making it one of the best choices for your next BBQ party.