Homemade frozen sliders

[RedDenver]

My kids love burgers and especially those frozen sliders that are really convenient - microwave for less than a minute, put on bun with ketchup and mustard, and serve. This is about the easiest recipe to make sliders that can be frozen and then reheated in 30 seconds.

Ingredients:

ground beef (whatever quantity and quality you prefer, I can make about 9 sliders per pound but it'll vary based on how thickness and size)

salt

optional: ground spices (black pepper, garlic, onion, whatever you like on burgers)

 

Preheat oven to 375 F. Put ground beef in a rimmed baking sheet and push/pound/knead it into a rectangle about a half inch in thickness (if you prefer a different thickness then just adjust the cooking time). Sprinkle salt and spices over the ground beef. Put in the oven until the beef reaches >145 F (about 15-20 minutes, use lower temps at your own risk especially if you're going to freeze the sliders). Optionally, switch the oven to broil for the last minute or so to give the top a bit of crispiness. (The beef will shrink as it cooks by about the same percentage as the amount of fat, so leaner beef will shrink less. I just use whatever ground beef looks good at the store and don't carry about the fat/lean proportions.) Let the beef cool enough to be handled, then cut into rectangles (or whatever shape, I use the King Hawaiian rolls so I cut the sliders to that size). Place the sliders onto a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until completely frozen. Then put the frozen sliders into a resealable bag and keep them in the freezer.

 

Reheating will depend on the size of the sliders and your microwave. Mine take about 20-30 seconds per slider.

 

This is really very simple and can be modified however you like your sliders: use ground turkey or sausage instead of beef, switch up the spices, put some diced onions in the meat before cooking, etc.

[teachercd]

I love this!

 

Any reason you use the oven and not a frying pan?

[RedDenver]

12 hours ago, teachercd said:

I love this!

 

Any reason you use the oven and not a frying pan?

The oven is just easier to get consistent results. I used to make sliders by making a bunch of small circular patties and then either grilling them or frying them in a pan, but that's a lot more work and the frying pan makes a mess.

[teachercd]

2 minutes ago, RedDenver said:

The oven is just easier to get consistent results. I used to make sliders by making a bunch of small circular patties and then either grilling them or frying them in a pan, but that's a lot more work and the frying pan makes a mess.

Ahhh, does it taste different?

[RedDenver]

7 minutes ago, teachercd said:

Ahhh, does it taste different?

If you're making burgers to eat right away, the grill will always taste better IMO, but I like the oven and frying pan about the same even though they taste a bit different. But after freezing and reheating, the sliders are never going to be as good as eating them right when you make them, so the three methods end up about the same in the end. But these homemade sliders are much better than the frozen sliders from the store.

[RedDenver]

I haven't tried it with frozen sliders, but if you want medium-rare burgers (around 135 F) that are just as food safe as the higher temps, you can sous vide the burgers for an hour at your desired temp (must be >130 F though). You can then freeze them without opening the bag (vacuum sealed bags would be better for this method).

[teachercd]

3 minutes ago, RedDenver said:

If you're making burgers to eat right away, the grill will always taste better IMO, but I like the oven and frying pan about the same even though they taste a bit different. But after freezing and reheating, the sliders are never going to be as good as eating them right when you make them, so the three methods end up about the same in the end. But these homemade sliders are much better than the frozen sliders from the store.

Okay, thanks.

 

I love using the Kings role too...those things might as well have crack in them because I can't stop.

 

I am going to try this, love the idea and it seems super freaking easy.

Just now, RedDenver said:

I haven't tried it with frozen sliders, but if you want medium-rare burgers (around 135 F) that are just as food safe as the higher temps, you can sous vide the burgers for an hour at your desired temp (must be >130 F though). You can then freeze them without opening the bag (vacuum sealed bags would be better for this method).

Let me ask you this, when you bake them in the oven does it come out still together in one big piece, like a big (thin) meatloaf?

[RedDenver]

1 minute ago, teachercd said:

Okay, thanks.

 

I love using the Kings role too...those things might as well have crack in them because I can't stop.

 

I am going to try this, love the idea and it seems super freaking easy.

Let me ask you this, when you bake them in the oven does it come out still together in one big piece, like a big (thin) meatloaf?

FYI, you can also freeze the Kings rolls and reheat them in about 8 seconds in a microwave. Also it's easier to slice them in half while they're still frozen.

 

Yes, the oven method produces a big, thin meat loaf that you then cut into whatever size you want.

[teachercd]

I am all over this...this sounds like a great idea.