Smash Burger Sliders Recipe
Description
When you’re grilling, smashing and assembling these smash burger sliders at the tailgate—the last thing you want to do is layering toppings upon toppings on the burgers. To cut down on prep and assemble, we decided to add the beloved smash burger toppings into the smash sauce. Minced dill pickle (a lot of it) and minced onion gets added to the sauce. That way, when it comes to assembly all you have to do is schmear some smash sauce on the toasted buns, top with the burger (which already has griddled onions smashed into it and melty american cheese), layer on a slice or two of iceberg lettuce, smash the top bun on and enjoy.
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Ingredients
Smash Sauce
- ¼ cup whole-grain mustard
- ¼ cup prepared yellow mustard
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup minced dill pickle
- ¼ cup minced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
Sliders
- 2 pounds ground beef (85/15 or 80/20)
- 12 pretzel buns, split
- kosher salt
- ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 6 slices American cheese, such as Kraft Singles, cut into quarters
- ½ head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated
Instructions
Smash Sauce
- Mix together ¼ cup each whole-grain mustard, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, minced pickle, and minced onion, and 2 tablespoons ketchup. Set aside.
Sliders
- Divide meat into 24 even balls (about 1.3 ounces each). Transfer to a plate or small baking sheet.
- On a stove or grill, heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel skillet over medium-high heat until hot and nearly smoking, about 5 minutes.
- Toast four buns, cut side down, in skillet until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining buns in two more batches.
- Increase heat to high so skillet is ripping hot and smoking.
- Add four beef balls to skillet; season with kosher salt then smash beef balls down with a burger iron or heavy duty spatula (use a potato masher to press down on top of the spatula for extra leverage), until very thin, about ½-inch thick. Cook, without moving, until bottom sides are crisp and browned, about 1 ½ minutes.
- Arrange a couple onion slices onto burger patties then scrape up patties and flip, onion-side down.
- Place one quarter slice of cheese over each burger and continue to cook until cheese is melted and onions on bottom are griddled and golden, 30–60 seconds.
- Transfer patties to a baking sheet; repeat smashing and cooking process with remaining beef balls, onions and cheese. (Wipe out skillet at needed.)
- To assemble, spread scant tablespoon smash sauce on cut sides of buns (tops and bottoms). Stack two burger patties on cut side of bottom bun then top with a folded sheet of iceberg lettuce followed by top bun. Serve immediately.
Notes
A heavy duty spatula or burger smasher is ideal for making smash burgers. It's important to use fatty ground beef (80/20 or 85/15) for a few reasons. One, it makes for juicy, flavorful burgers. And two, the fat of the meat acts as a lubricant to keep it from sticking to the spatula or burger smasher.
If you experience issues with the meat sticking to the burger smasher, instead of pulling the smasher or spatula straight up off the meat, gently slide the smasher off the meat after smashing. Alternatively, you can place a small square of parchment paper over the beef ball and then smash. Simply peel the paper off and proceed with smashing, flipping and assembling.
If you have a flat top griddle or attachment for your grill, this would be a great time to use it. We developed the recipe using a cast-iron skillet because we find most people have access to one.
It can get pretty smoky when making smash burgers in the kitchen. We recommend firing up your kitchen vent or opening some windows before getting started.
This slider recipe can easily be halved.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliderCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 26gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 425mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5g
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