I filmed this video recipe for beef sliders with no real intention of editing and posting the results (which explains the yellow buns). Sometimes I'll just turn the camera on, not worry about shadows, angles, quality, etc., and just cook. I felt like some sliders, and if a postable recipe was the result, so be it.As I worked, I couldn’t help but wonder how a "how to make little hamburgers" video recipe would come off. I'm always afraid of going over that fine line between humorously helpful and annoyingly condescending… "Now we're going to cut the buns in half…see that…through the middle of the bun…I like to use a knife."
But, as seemingly obvious as making little burgers may be, I realized there are two main challenges in the slider process. Forming the burgers, and consistently cooking them to the desired doneness. To achieve both I used a muffin tin to shape the burgers, and since they are exactly the same size and shape, they will always cook evenly according to your specific time.I like mine medium-rare, so I did 3 minutes per side in a nice hot pan. As usual with all burgers, resting is imperative. Your times will vary, depending on fat %, pan used, and heat, but after a couple test sliders you'll know exactly how many minutes per side for the perfect petite haché de boeuf. I would explain the physics, but I'm sure you wouldn’t understand it. Enjoy!
Secret Sauce Ingredients:
2 parts mayo
1 part ketchup
1 part mustard
1 part relish
Approximate cooking times:
3 minutes per side: rare to med-rare
4 minutes per side: medium
5 minutes per side: med-well to well
View the complete recipe
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44 comments:
What a great idea for making those uniform pieces of meat for the sliders. What I was really thrilled about was the muffin pan you used looked just like my dogeared muffin pan. I am not ashamed of my very used bake ware anymore. Great sauce for those sliders too.
muffin pans are like chefs, never trust one that isn't all dinged-up and stained.
Chef John,
Do you have some OCD w/ your muffin cups? I can relate.
Thanks for the recipe!
Jeff
Yes! I was hoping someone would catch that.
Please do explain the physics. I would love for my physics major to have some yummy purpose. I'm making these and your gauc mix for superbowl. Yay!
It's basically like E=MC2 only with ground chuck.
thats your "perfect burger"?
nice....T_T (^_^)
your Zen koan for the day,
All burgers are perfect, but I've never had a perfect burger.
Chef, any idea on how to get the same flavoring that White Castle sliders have?
You're a gentleman and a scholar, Chef John.
I was going to email you to request a sliders recipe before Superbowl Sunday, but I had the same misgivings about asking for one as you had about publishing one.
I'm definitely making these this weekend. Now I just need to find a good bun.
Thanks for all the great recipes. i found your site through the chili rubbed pork chops that proved to be a delicious and easy change from the ordinary.
I wonder a little about your cooking the burgers on the rare side. While tasty and moist is it not rather dangerous to eat ground beef this way?
how would these taste drizzles w/ oil and baked in the muffin pan? I thought thats what it was going to be. lol.
Btw, you don't mix the meat w/ anything at all?
Why is resting so important?
if you cut into any hot of the pan meat, the juices will run out and the meat won't be as nice. resting let the heat even out and more of the juices will stay in.
i didn't add anything, but you can.
Hygienist, yes it can be risky to eat rare beef, but this adds welcomed excitement to my life. Better the occasional stomachache than dry beef.
it's impossible to get the flavor that White Castle sliders have. Don't even try. People have tried. You can't do it. Forget about it. Not gonna happen. Just give up on that idea.
Indeed White Castle Sliders are far too amazing and unique to replicate.
On my trip to my home in Indiana I grabbed a Crave Case of 30 sliders to bring back to our home here in San Diego. You can't get fresh White Castle Sliders west of the Mississippi, only frozen, which nothing like the same thing.
There is another way to get good portions. Use a sheet pan, roll out the meat to the same thickness as the sheet pan, add salt and pepper (which is all good beef needs), and fold in half. Then cook. Pan, grill, whatever, good sliders.
Your sliders, Chef John, are more of a rustic slider :-)
I don't know if you have Merita bread but at the Merita bread outlet, they sell the perfect rolls, pack of 12 for those sliders. They look good.
Hey Chef,
When I saw the beef in the muffin tin, I thought you were trying to win a date with Rachel Ray :o) ... Nice trick with the tin!
Ummmmm. I'm gonna have to make another batch.
Last sliders I made, I put some bacon through the Kitchen Aid grinder and mixed that in with the ground beef. I stuck a bit of gorgonzola in the center and had a bacon / gorgonzola slider.
Incidentally, as a former employee of Dairy Queen I can tell you that your secret sauce recipe is the exact same as their's. There's probably some unwritten kitchen rule I'm violating there but I'm ok with that.
Hello chef John!
First of all, thank you for a great site, it's been my favourite for ages and I visit foodwishes almost daily.
This might be a little off-topic, but I've always wondered that is the US scale for doneness different from the European? I mean for us (I'm from Finland) a US medium-rare steak looks kind of medium or even medium-well at some times. We use the French approach: bleu (rare), internal temp max 40 degrees Celcius, saignant (med-rare) 45-50C, a point (medium) 55-60C, bien cuit (med-well) 65C. And that's it. No well done as it comes to tender cuts such as fillets etc.
Keep up the great and very professional work!
-elias-
thanks! sorry I dont so Celsius so I can't tell if its the same.
Diary Queen? My sauce? Those bastards!
Sorry chef, I was in the metric world..
The same temperatures converted to Farenheits: rare 105, m-r 120, m 135, m-w 150. Any similarity?
-elias-
yes those are basically the same.
Hi, Chef J.
I am wondering if you could do a video on the poke method of testing meat doneness. I saw you give those sliders the touch test, and I'd really like to know how the touch test works.
I will certainly be making some sliders in the future here using your technique.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
people try too, but it's too abstract to "teach" it's a feel you get after years and years, and varies for every meat, and every cut and every thickness. That's why I laugh when a TV chefs shows how to do it.
Chef John...
you totally have a cold.
Have some soup, and rest up.
Gotcha. Thanks, Chef. I'll just have to start touching everything I cook. :)
My dad came up with an addition to the recipe--we were out of relish for the sauce, so along with the tomato slice, we added half of a bread and butter pickle slice. They're sweet and tangy and don't take up much space, so they're perfect for sliders. Highly recommended. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Sorry John, but as good as these look, they're not sliders - they're mini-burgers...See also:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/07/slider-defundefinedion-mini-hamburgers-onions-pickles-steam-awesomeness.html
Awesome!! I'm addicted to your website. I didn't find out how to post a comment until now so...heyho, at least I am posting...
I love cooking, and that secret Slider sauce recipe looked awesome, but I was wondering: What is relish? In the video it looked like some kind of pickle mix. Please answer, I want to make that slider relish sauce! Thanx.
thanks! relish is just chopped sweet pickle relish from the market.
Hey Chef John, how long would it take for a burger about 3/4 of a pound to cook until medium? How many minutes per side? More power to the site and "as always, enjoy!" :D
impossible to say exactly, depends on the thickness and heat of the grill. cant give a time. sorry
it's ok chef. still a fan! hehe.. would you recommend putting aioli on burgers?
We made the sliders yesterday - exactly as written. They were amazing... even better with the BBQ sauce your wife made... Thanks for the great recipe AND the delicious sauce. We sprinkled the rub in the cupcake tin and on top of the beef too. My kids now think I am so clever!
Hailing from the home of the Krystal, I grew up on sliders. This is a super recipe, and the "secret" sauce is wonderful (though I can't believe DQ keeps any Dijon mustard on the premises). Chef, your secret sauce is very versatile, too. Many thanks.
I made these for dinner tonight and am so pleased with the results...I guess I'm an idiot because I found all the tips very helpful...dividing the meat...the cupcake papers...and especially the muffin tin...I'm not confident cooking meat but like med/rare so I set the timer for 3 minutes and felt a little idiotic but it worked...:-)
Chef John, do you have stovetop non-stick pan, or griddle recommendations? By the time my burgers are done, my oil always seem to be burnt and stuck on after the first round of burgers come off. Or is it me? Is my fire too hot? Am i using too little oil? Should I use a certain type of oil?
Thanks!
Sorry that's one of those questions I can't answer unless I was there with you. I just used a regular non-stick pan. Maybe the heat is too high.
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