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Cheeseburger Sliders are an easy way to make delicious food for a crowd. And they are so much better with melted cheddar cheese and the amazing flavor of caramelized onions. And we have a great hack that allows us to avoid making 12 individual slider patties. Read on to Vindulge in some incredible slider flavors.

Cheeseburger Slider Recipe Ingredients

A good cheeseburger slider starts with good quality 80/20 ground beef. If you can only find 85/15 that’s fine too. The ratio refers to the lean-to-fat level, which adds flavor and juiciness to the burger.

• Hawaiian Sweet Rolls – The sweet rolls come 12 to a pack and the perfect dimension for sliders. And because we are prepping the beef in one sheet tray, these make it easier to just place the beef directly on the rolls.
• Beef Seasoning – Add just a touch to the ground beef for flavor.
• Red Onion – We love caramelizing red onions for the sweeter profile.
• Dill Pickles – Slices of the pickles add a nice crunch and bite.
• Cheddar Cheese Slices – It’s a rich cheese with distinct flavor.
• Melted Butter – Apply to the rolls and then sprinkle on more seasoning.
• Everything Bagel Seasoning – Adding this seasoning to the top of the rolls.

If you want to use leaner beef, consider adding an egg and mixing to make sure it stays combined. See recipe card for quantities.

Preparation

Start by preparing your smoker and setting it to 250 degrees Fahrenheit using fruit wood or oak. In a large bowl combine the ground beef and the beef seasoning. Mix lightly. Then on a sheet pan with parchment paper start forming the burger patty into a large even shaped rectangle. You want the rectangle to be slightly larger than the dimensions of the Hawaiian sweet rolls pack because the beef will shrink slightly as it smokes. About 1 inch wider by length and width. To be specific, we rolled out the beef rectangle to 10″ by 7″ wide.

This is a great hack I saw trending online awhile ago, and works great to get one large “patty” that you can cook then easily slice for individual sliders.

How To Make Cheeseburger Sliders

After the patty has been formed, place onto the smoker and cook until the internal temperature of the ground beef is between 158 – 160 degrees Fahrenheit using a good instant read thermometer, like the Thermapen One. Remove when it reaches that temperature and prepare sliders and then get the heat in the grill up to 350 – 400 degrees F.

Alternatively you can finish them in the oven.

While the patty is smoking, caramelize the onions. In a large cast iron pan add oil and butter over medium heat. Add the diced onions and slowly stir every few minutes. Continue for 20 minutes or until they are a golden brown color. Adjust the heat down to avoid burning.

Now that the patty is smoked and the onions are caramelized, it’s time to finish the cheeseburger sliders on the grill. Cut the rolls in half. Start by layering on the ground mustard. Next add the smoked hamburger patty. Cover with the cheese slices and then the caramelized onions. Add one pickle per slider and then the tops of the rolls. Finally apply the melted butter and then sprinkle the everything seasoning.

Place the cheeseburger sliders back into the grill (as one whole piece) and finish for 5-10 minutes. The rolls will turn a golden color and the cheese will melt. Remove and place onto a cutting board. Slice into individual sliders using a knife and then the sliders are ready to serve.

Variations

You can easily replicate this recipe with ground turkey (or chicken) if you prefer that over ground beef. If you make this with ground turkey be sure to add an egg as a binder because of how lean it is. If you don’t it will not hold together as easily as beef.

You can also add or swap out your favorite cheeseburger ingredients like ketchup, mayo, pickled peppers, or even a different cheese.

Grilling – When testing this recipe we also grilled the patty over indirect heat. Smoking adds more flavor, but you can speed up the entire process by grilling. Target 400 degrees F and the patty should be done in 20 minutes. Then follow the recipe to make the sliders and finish in the grill.

Oven – You can also pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F while the patty is smoking. Then when the patty is done, you can make the sliders and finish in the oven.

About Vindulge

Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.

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