Go to the Recipe: Ultimate Sliders
holy shit these look to die for! what ratio of lean-to-fat do you guys recommend for the beef?
Mmmm...sliders (Homer Simpson's voice)
GOOD Q! I like standard 20/80 fat/lean. But you can go fattier or leaner honestly. These sliders are a way of life—not a strict recipe;) BUT HERE IS THE MAIN SECRET to epic sliders—let them be trashy and cook them hotter, faster, and more “almost burnt” than you think—you won’t regret it. And you may never go back to regular burgers.
Oh yeah! So glad chef steps is doing a subscription model! I have loved so many of your recipes... Corn bread, honey butter, sticky toffee pudding, herb crusted rib roast, biscuits, etc etc etc!
Just did these today. These are the first home made burgers that I actually enjoyed. Good job on the recipe. Glad to see you back!
YES! Welcome back Grant and CS....whaddya know, the comments and forum have sprung back to life....!
So weird...because I thought that "smashing patties meant juicy going outside =>> less good" ? Your advices are very contrarian ;-)
What cut of beef is the go to for sliders?? Im experimenting , any suggestions? Thanks!
We use classic chuck beef. 20:80 blend of fat:lean for classic sliders. But you can use any sort of product - even salmon, veggie patty mix etc. Sliders is more a technique IMO.
So, smashing may certainly squeeze some juices out. But in the grand picture of the meal, the beef juices are as about as flavorful as the lettuce juices. So, what we are going for in the patty is flavor and texture where moisture can easily be made up in mayo and cheese;) Once you get comfortable with the idea of overcooking the tiny beef patties to be super crispy - you may never go back.
Grant. Making sliders as I type. What happened to salt and pepper?. Fantastic recipe.
That dynamite went boom! Welcome back, Grant.
I love sliders, and I definitely want to make these sliders! I have a question about the griddle though...I believe I have the exact same model of Weber grill that you are using, and I'd like to know what you're using for the griddle. It sort of looks like a Baking Steel, but how thick is it? (I was wondering if the big thick 1/2" version would be too heavy.)
Returning to this site after years of hiatus. And this is the first video I see. I gotta go fire up my grill and make some burgers for dinner. Love the King's rolls for burgers.
Welcome back Grant, the site needed you to return.
I think I'd whip up a batch of the melty cheese slices to add to the sliders, for extra gooey-ness
He seasoned after the smash, see it in the second short (10sec) video.
I've been really curious about planchas. I know they're really popular in commercial kitchens, but not at home. Curious what various people have? Thinking of getting a slab of metal to throw on top of my burner or grill. What thickness should I be looking for? How do different metals perform?
Hey Grant, What would be too hot of a griddle? I can throw my pizza steel on my infrared and hit 750F pretty easily. Is that too hot?
I have the exact same question Johnny B
@zrst!
Hi @Stuart,
We use a rectangular piece of steel on the grill here at ChefSteps. Either one of these Lodge cast iron griddles/grills will work fine.
Hi Dennis,
We use a 14" x 21" rectangular piece of cast iron on the grill here at ChefSteps. Either one of these Lodge cast iron griddles/grills will work fine—they are .50" and .81" thick respectively.
@Johnny B and @Rob, You are going to want to keep that around 550 °F, to avoid the fat just catching on fire on the griddle itself.
Hi @Johnny B and @Rob,
750 °F is too hot for sliders. The fats will burn and catch on fire too easily. Tone it down to 550 °F.
What’s the purpose of mixing the egg into the beef? I’ve read a lot of opinions on this and seems really split on this vs just beef loosely held
Sliders are home!!
Magic on the electric griddle. 32F outside in PJ pants was a little on the frosty side. Kept the beer cold though...
What about this piece? I assume it's steel or stainless steel? How thick is it?
I find it very difficult to find 80/20 in my local supermarket since people are scared of fat. The closest I get is 85/15. Sometimes I supplement with a little bacon grease or butter mixed in. I also have been using some Maldon flaky salt which I know is normally a finishing salt. But I think having little pockets of salt in the burger is really tasty.
We went to a local metal shop and had them cut that for us—it is a half inch slab of steel that we seasoned.
Got my wagyu ground beef from our 1/2 cow. Tomorrow: sliders. @Kyl Haselbauer any opinions on kewpie mayo? Dont have Hellman’s at home at the minute, but will get if necessary for peak deliciousness
Damn
Any mayo will do!
Out of curiosity, why 16 sliders. Buns normally come in a pack of 12. Just seemed like an obscure number to shoot for. BTW, these look damn delicious.
Because I like 8 singles and 2 doubles;)
godness... i am going to start a business with these sliders :DDD
Let's see who gets there first!!
The patties didn't shrink up much. I improvised a bit to get all the patties on the Hawaiian rolls. My patties were 55 grams (raw).
Flavor was good. It's definitely a keeper. Just need to get the size right.
Did another technique tonight. Instead of making small patties, I made a big "mega patty" that would be the size of a package of Hawaiian rolls once smashed. I was going to cut the rolls apart anyway, so we just cut the one big patty along with them. I used a pizza peel to flip it. I didn't have to fold the cheese either--I just laid it out on top of the mega patty.
This was easier than managing a whole bunch of smaller patties. I'm doing it this way from here on out.
Would the addition of beef gelatin (like in the ultimate smash burger recipe) enhance these further or be a wasted addition?
I wouldn't say its necessary.
Thanks Kyl. In your opinion, do you think adding beef gelatin would make a noticeable or even miner difference with 2oz patties at 20% fat?
Does beef gelatin lend itself better to items with a higher fat content / a slightly longer cook time or is it a great addition to most ground meats .etc .etc?
Thanks in advance!
It's more helpful with the higher fat content for sure. A juicier burger. But honestly once you start adding sauces and cheese it's hard to pick it out. If you're just trying the patty side by side it makes a big difference.
Will using oil instead of Mayo ruin this recipe?
No, it will be very similar in performance since the mayo breaks and is mostly oil anyways.
Where did you get the "B"elman's mayonaise in the photo?
Good eye! West of the Rockies Hellmann's is branded as Best Foods. They're the same line of mayo, owned by the same parent company, but with slightly different formulations. People tend to find Best Foods mayo to be a bit tangier than Hellmann's. Read more here.
