This gourmet Slider Bar is a people pleaser, so the minute the sun starts to shine – fire up the grill and get cracking!
A variety of unique condiments, made days ahead, will not only enhance your Slider Bar but they will be the proverbial cherry on top! A good bun assortment, and flame grilled burger patties, rounded out with lettuce, tomato, onions and some sides, will have your friends wanting to make this a weekly thing!
A Slider Bar is not hard to put together. A little forethought and time is all that is needed.
Ingredients
Buns
The first point to make, is the bun size. The bun size needs to match the size of the beef patty. Choose buns that have a smaller diameter than the standard burger size .
Yeast based bread rolls are the most common type of bun to be included in a Slider Bar. Serve a variety such as traditional seeded, sourdough, brioche buns and pretzel rolls. Slice them if they are not already sliced.
Include gluten free and low carb buns also. Providing flour wraps or large lettuce leaves are also great alternatives instead of traditional buns.
Condiments
Condiments will set this Slider Bar apart from others. Besides having the usual and almost mandatory ketchup and yellow mustard, consider upping the game by providing fun, unique, pre-made condiments that will have your guests asking for more. These condiments include (top left and going clockwise):
- Onion Chutney, a sweet tangy condiment made from caramelized sweet onions, warm spices, and balsamic vinegar.
- Chunk Blue Cheese Dressing, creamy crème fraîche combined with chunks of your favorite blue cheese.
- Pickled Mustard Seeds, simple ingredients with absolutely no bitterness coming from the mustard seeds.
- Baconnaise, everyone’s favorite combo – bacon and mayonnaise.
- Cherry Tomato Jam, a delightful alternative to tomato ketchup.
Beef Patties
The beef patty can be pre-made store bought from the grocery store or butcher shop. Homemade patties are also a nice touch. Which ever path you choose, make sure the patty is the same size or a little smaller than the bun size. The first bite should contain meat and not be all bread. Season (salt and pepper) both sides and grill or broil for best results. Make sure beef patties reach 160 degrees F. internal temperature with a digital thermometer.
Other meat patties can be used such as bison, venison, pork or any type of meat combination.
With the addition of Chunk Blue Cheese Dressing, I omitted cheese slices for the beef patties, but feel free to include them. Try to stay away from processed American cheese, there are other delicious and better quality cheeses out there to choose from. Instead serve Harvarti, sliced Cheddar, Provolone and Mozzarella.
Additional Ingredients for the Slider Bar
Additional ingredients include:
- Lettuce: romaine is the best in my opinion. It holds up well, even after a couple of hours and still provides crunch. Other lettuce options are Bibb / Boston lettuce, spinach and arugula.
- Tomato: round beefsteak tomatoes are probably the best tasting and size to serve at a Slider Bar. Romas or other larger tomato will also work.
- Pickles: bread and butter pickles, gherkin pickles or any type of burger pickle are a welcome vegetable accompaniment. I like to serve my homemade Dill Pickle and being lacto fermented, they’re also good for you!
- Onion: sweet or red onions are the best choice when serving raw onion. They have crunch and are a little gentler on the palate. However, if you have yellow or white, that’s fine too. Onions can be sliced or diced, your choice.
- Sides: serve some side dishes along with the Sliders. I chose salads – a Caesar salad and a pasta pesto salad. Potato salad and slaw are also great choices. Use this recipe for Strawberry Vinegar to make a Strawberry spinach salad. Potato chips, wedges, fries and my favorite Potato Skins are also delicious and welcome sides.
A Tip From Me
Try your very best to open your home and invite friends and family over. Covid decimated community spirit. Those days are well and truly over but for some, the feeling of isolation still exists. Start afresh or start anew and instigate get-togethers. Who would refuse attending especially if a Slider Bar is served?!
Slider Bar
Ingredients
- 8 Beef patties
- 8 buns provide an assortment.
- 2 beefsteak tomatoes
- 8 romaine leaves
- 1 red onion
- 1 bowl Dill Pickles https://prepareandserve.com/lacto-fermented-pickles/
- 1 batch Baconnaise https://prepareandserve.com/baconnaise/
- 1 batch Cherry Tomato Jam https://prepareandserve.com/cherry-tomato-jam/
- 1 batch Onion Chutney https://prepareandserve.com/onion-chutney/
- 1 batch Pickled Mustard Seeds https://prepareandserve.com/pickled-mustard-seeds/
- 1 batch Chunk Blue Cheese Dressing https://prepareandserve.com/chunk-blue-cheese-dressingl/
- 1 bowl leaf based salad such as Caesar salad
- 1 bowl vegetable salad such as coleslaw
- 1 bowl potato salad
Instructions
- Preheat the grill.
- Prepare the slider accompaniments by slicing the tomatoes, onions and buns. Wash and dry to lettuce.
- Arrange the side dishes into bowls, cover with plastic wrap up until use.
- Arrange the slider condiments, either leave them in their respective mason jars or put some into small dishes.
- Grill the burger patties until an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. is reached.
- Place cooked patties onto a serving plate and present it with all the other food. Remove plastic wrap from food, ensure serving spoons and tongs are available. All that is left is to enjoy your Slider Bar.
Comments