Our sliders recipe is perfect for any cookout

Planning any type of cookout and want a summery burger recipe to flip on your grill? Delight your family and friends with a platter piled high with these juicy baby burgers, inspired by a recipe from Jenny Steffens!

The best sliders start with the best ground beef. Our preference is ground chuck with 15 to 20 percent fat; it’s cut from the shoulder and is renowned for its moistness and rich flavor. Avoid ground round, which can be tough, and steer clear of packages labeled “ground beef” — they’re typically any cut or combination of cuts that may or may not lead to quality burgers. Ground chuck is always your best bet for juicy burgers.

Sliders — those little mini-burgers — are a simple summer party food. Standard-sized burgers are great, but sliders give every cookout a more festive flair. Once you have the best ground beef, all you need to do is season it, shape it, and get it on the grill.

Place your ground beef in a bowl and add salt, pepper, mustard, steak sauce, and egg. The mustard and steak sauce give these sliders a double punch of extra flavor, while the egg helps your sliders keep their shapes without falling apart on the grill.

Shaping your sliders: No more bubble burgers!

Have you ever gotten a backyard burger that looked like a burger bubble while the bun rocked back and forth on it, spilling your condiments in your lap? Don’t turn your sliders into little bubble burgers! To make uniformly flat slider patties, simply shape your patties, then use your thumb to make a shallow divot on the top of each patty.

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Why the divot? As the beef cooks, the connective tissue shrinks, which makes the outside of the patties tighten up around the middle of the patties. This forces the surface of the patties to expand upward, creating a rounded shape … and the dreaded bubble burger. Pressing a round, shallow indentation allows the middle to expand the surface of the patty into a flat shape — and a perfectly-cooked platform for your condiments and bun.

Grilling tricks

Start with a hot, well-oiled grill. This will keep your patties from sticking. Place your slider patties on the grill and cook for three to four minutes. Flip and grill for another two to three minutes or until beef is cooked to the desired doneness. Don’t press your slider patties with a spatula! This squeezes out the precious juices and leaves you with a dry burger.

While the patties are sizzling hot, nestle them in slider buns and serve with your favorite condiments. Venture beyond the usual ketchup and mustard: Surprise your guests with quality add-ons like red onion and avocado slices, Thousand Island dressing, lettuce leaves, extra cheese and bacon. Yum!

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Combine ground chuck with salt & pepper to start sliders

Add steak sauce and mustard to burger mixture

Mix the slider meat mixture gently

Form meat into equal size burger patties

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Place the slider burger patties on a sheet pan

Transfer patties to preheated grill

Flip your sliders to cook other side

Grill to desired doneness

Transfer to clean sheet pan

Prepare mini bun on plate

Add Thousand Island dressing and slider to mini bun

Add bacon and cheese

Top your patriotic sliders with tomato and onion

Finish with lettuce and the top mini bun

Delicious deluxe sliders! Hungry yet?