With the start of football season I wanted to show off some fun new sliders I’ve been working on. The trick to all these sliders is that you don’t need a grill to make them great. It’s all in the toppings! Each slider variety has a few fun toppings that are easy to make but very unique.
You can make a big batch of one of the varieties or change it up and make an assortment for your guests.
Sliders are always a hit!
What kind of beef works best for sliders?
When it comes to sliders, it’s important to use a ground beef that isn’t too lean. The little beef patties will dry out if they are too lean so make sure you use at least 85/15 or 80/20 ground beef.
Of course, you can always make your own ground beef for burgers if you have a good meat grinder.
If you only have lean ground beef, I would mix in a little butter to the meat to give it some fat before cooking it. Otherwise it’ll just dry out and won’t be very juicy.
To Grill or Not to Grill Sliders
Personally, I like to cook sliders on a griddle or in a cast iron skillet. If you are going to grill sliders, I like to use my grilled sliders method which basically cooks them in a large patty and then chops them up.
Honestly, if you are set on grilling sliders, I really like to use chicken thighs for sliders like these grilled chicken thigh sliders.
Of course, you can grill these sliders but it’s just a lot of flipping and flare-ups and you have to be careful not to overcook them.
How to cook perfect sliders
Here are some tricks for cooking great sliders!
First, let’s talk buns. The exact bun doesn’t matter much but I do recommend toasting them lightly so they have some crunch to them. It also helps hold the toppings on and prevents the sliders from being soggy.
Second, for cooking sliders, use about a 2.5 oz ball for each slider. This means you should get about 6 sliders for a pound of ground beef.
Try to keep the sliders loosely packed so they stay tender.
Season the sliders well with salt and pepper.
When you are ready to cook the sliders, cook them with some high heat oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side. Press down on them slightly to get a good sear on each side. They will cook really fast!
If you’re adding cheese to your sliders, add it right away when you flip them so the cheese melts without overcooking the little sliders.
Let’s move on to the exact slider variation recipes!
Three Fun Slider Variations
Elote Corn Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, split into six sliders
- 6 Slider buns
- 1 cup cooked corn
- ¼ cup sour cream or crema
- 1 tablespoon Tajin seasoning
- 3 slices queso fresco
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Non-stick spray for cooking sliders
Instructions
For Elote Mixture:
- Add corn to a small pot with crema. When corn is hot, stir in Tajin seasoning and set aside.
For Sliders:
- Season sliders with salt and pepper. Toast buns and then cook sliders on a griddle for a few minutes on each side.
- When you flip the sliders, add queso fresco cheese to each slider (1/2 slice per slider).
- When sliders are cooked, place a cheesy slider on each bun. Top with a big spoonful of elote mixture and fresh cilantro as a garnish.
- Serve sliders while warm.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
The trick to these fun Elote Sliders is the corn topping. I like to mix cooked corn in a pot over low heat with a little crema or sour cream. Then season well with Tajin seasoning. When it’s warm, it is basically ready to use.
Top your slider burger with queso fresco and then a big spoonful of the elote mixture and fresh cilantro. So good!
Mushroom Gouda Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, split into 6 sliders
- 6 slider buns
- 4 ounces gouda cheese, grated
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Chives or scallions, garnish
Instructions
- For mushrooms, add butter to a small saucepan. Over medium heat, add mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes until mushrooms have softened and are browned in spots. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Toast buns for sliders and cook sliders on a griddle over medium-high heat. Add gouda cheese after flipping the burgers and let melt. When cheese is melted and sliders are cooked through, top each slider with sauteed mushrooms.
- Serve sliders immediately garnished with chives or scallions.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Out of the three variations in this post, this was my wife’s favorite version. The combo of gouda and mushrooms feels really decadent and special, but is also dumb simple to make.
Just saute the mushrooms and then top the sliders with some grated gouda cheese and the mushrooms. Easy to make and really delicious!
Gochujang Kimchi Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, split into 6 sliders
- 6 slider buns
- 6 teaspoons gochujang chili paste
- Kimchi
- Scallions, garnish
Instructions
- Toast buns on a griddle. For each slider patty, add a teaspoon of gochujang to the patty and mix it in. Season with salt and pepper and cook sliders on the griddle for 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through.
- Add sliders to toasted buns and top with kimchi and scallions.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
And now for something completely different!
I wanted one of these slider varieties to be without cheese and this Korean-inspired slider is, in fact, cheeseless but it also has incredible flavor. Assuming you like kimchi!
The key to this slider is to mix some gochujang right into the slider meat.
That will give the slider a huge amount of flavor on its own.
Then top the burger with your favorite kimchi and some scallion and it’s done! Easy but has really deep and savory flavors.
Which slider is your favorite variety? Leave me a comment on which one you want to try!
