These smash burger sliders are the perfect game night appetizers and probably the quickest and easiest burgers you will ever make! And the best. They are our favorite way to cook a burger and we’re willing to bet they become your favorite too!
In this smash burger slider recipe, we have just taken the classic smash burger and made it mini so that they are perfect for serving to a crowd at your next game night party.
What Is a Smash Burger?
A smash burger is a beef burger that is cooked on a very hot grill and pressed (or smashed!), onto the grill while cooking so that it gets all crispy on the bottom and edges.
It’s very quick to make, its crispy, and juicy all at the same time! They taste just like an old fashioned burger joint burger and we love them!
The Best Ground Meat
The best meat to use in this smash burger recipe is regular ground chuck. However, mixing in a little ground brisket or sirloin as well can give your burgers an awesome beefy flavor!
We used a ratio of 70% protein and 30% fat for these. Normally we would say that the best burger ratio is 80% lean protein and 20% fat for burgers. However, because we want these sliders to get nice and crispy on the grill, we want a little extra fat.
We want the fat to render when the burgers cook so that it helps get the the burgers nice and crispy on the outsides!
The patties for these burger sliders are all ground beef. Nothing else is added except for salt and pepper which makes these the easiest burgers to make!
How To Make Smash Burgers
As mentioned, these burger sliders are super quick and easy to make. Being mini sized, they cook very quickly. Just a min or two and they are done so make sure to prep your buns, toppings and condiments before getting these on the grill. Here’s how its done:
- Get out your ground beef and simply roll the meat into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place them on a plate or parchment lined tray till your ready to cook them.
- Place a cast iron flat griddle or large cast iron pan or stainless steel pan on the stove or on your bbq. Heat your stove or grill to medium-high. You want it nice and hot.
- Place a few burger balls on the hot griddle. Space them out so they won’t touch when you smash them.
- Don’t wait, right away get a flat meat tenderizer (like in the pictures), strong spatula, bacon press, or something flat to smash your burgers with and firmly smash them to about 1/2 an inch thick. Twist slightly as you lift if it sticks to the patty a little. Salt and pepper the burgers.
- Cook for the longest on the side touching the grill first. About one minute. Then flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Too long will dry out the burger. Don’t press again when you flip.
- As soon as you flip, salt and pepper the other side and then put the cheese on. You may have to close the lid to get the cheese to melt enough in 30 seconds. If the cheese goes over the edges, scrape those bits up too and pile it on the burger. They are my favorite!
- Add the burger patties to the buns with your favorite toppings. We like to do a double patty with these smash burgers because the patty is quite thin.
Tips to Make Them Perfect
- You must use a flat surface. Cast iron or stainless steel works the best.
- Before you start cooking, open the windows and turn on the vent above your stove—this is a high-heat operation.
- OR… better yet, heat up your cast iron pan on the bbq outside.
- Make sure your grill pan is nice and hot before you start!
- Smash your burgers right away and smash them firmly.
- Make sure to press your burgers when they are cold. Don’t wait too long or you will smash out the juice.
- Press your burger only once! Don’t keep squishing it or you will press out all the juices and your smash burgers will suck.
- Make sure you have a thin spatula for flipping so that you can make sure to scrape up all the crispy edges and bits when you flip or remove the burgers.
- Don’t remove extra fat in the pan during the cooking process. You want to keep all that fat so that the burgers get super crispy in it!
What Buns to Use for the Sliders
The best burger buns to use for these sliders are soft buns. Like potato buns or brioche. Something that’s going to squish and not take away from the crispy delicious burger patties.
Debbie made the buns we used in these photographs. They were delicious and here is the recipe: Cheddar Beer Bread Rolls
Best Burger Sauce
Every burger needs a good burger sauce. Of course you could use your regular old ketchup, mustard and mayo, but we think a good burger sauce really makes the burger. This is our go to burger sauce and its similar to a homemade thousand island kind of taste.
It’s made by mixing mayo, ketchup, green relish, Frank’s hot sauce, garlic and onion power, and salt and pepper all together. It’s sweet, tangy, and creamy. Delicious on any burger! Give it a try!
The recipe is in the recipe card below.
Burger Topping Options
We love our burger sliders with cheese, onions, tomato, pickles, lettuce, a kick ass burger sauce, and maybe a little mustard. We also like bacon. But your’s could have any of these:
- mayo, mustard, or ketchup
- crispy lettuce
- tomato slices
- dill pickles or sweet pickles
- sliced onions
- caramelized onions
- sauteed mushrooms
- cheese of any kind
- crispy bacon slices
- banana peppers or jalapenos
What are your favorite toppings? Have we missed them here?
What’s the Difference Between Burgers and Sliders?
Sliders are typically just a little smaller than regular burgers. They often are served in a trio or at least two.
Why are They Called Sliders?
The term “sliders” comes from the 1940’s when US sailors referred to these small burgers as sliders because they are so greasy and small that they “slide right down”!
How Many Ounces Should a Slider Be?
The typical slider patty is about 2 oz.
Tools You Need
Other Burger Recipes You Might Like
If you’ve tried this smash burger sliders recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
We love to see your creations! Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM
Smash Burger Sliders Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGERS
- 1 kg ground chuck
- 10 slices cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
- 10 soft mini slider buns
FOR THE SAUCE
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp green relish
- 1 tbsp Franks Hot Sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
TOPPINGS
- iceberg lettuce
- tomato slices
- cooked bacon slices
- pickle slices
Instructions
MAKE THE SAUCE
- Mix the mayo, ketchup, green relish, Frank’s hot sauce, garlic and onion power, and salt and pepper all together in a bowl and set aside until you are ready to use it.
MAKE THE BURGERS
- Get out your ground beef and simply roll the meat into balls about 2 inches in diameter or about 1/4 cup of beef. Place them on a plate or parchment lined tray till your ready to cook them. (You can also measure the patties out to be about 2 oz each)
- Place a cast iron or stainless steel pan or griddle on the stove or on your bbq. Heat your stove or grill to medium-high. You want it nice and hot.
- Place a few burger balls on the hot griddle. Space them out so they won’t touch when you smash them. Don’t wait, right away get a strong spatula or something flat to smash your burgers with and firmly smash them to about 1/2 an inch thick. Twist the spatula slightly as you lift if it sticks to the patty a little. Salt and pepper them well.
- Cook for the longest on the side touching the grill first. About one minute then flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Too long will dry out the burger.
- As soon as you flip, salt and pepper the other side and put the cheese on. You may have to close the lid to get the cheese to melt enough in 30 seconds. If the cheese goes over the edges, scrape those bits up too and pile it on the burger.
- Add the burger patties to the buns with your favorite toppings. We like to do a double patty with these smash burgers because the patty is quite thin.
Hope these ones were a hit! These look delicious. Love the pics! Thanks for sharing.