KRATZMC

I like food so in order to satisfy my likes, I dabble in cooking. I cook but don’t bake very much. Baking requires the use of formulas, kind of like chemistry. If you mess up on any one ingredient you’ve messed up your goods. Cooking just involves flavor and you can take poetic license as long as you don’t over, or under cook your food.

I hope you enjoy my recipes. My friends do….or they say they do.

Lets start off with one of my favorites foods, Hamburgers.

ZEKE’S SLIDERS

I’ve always liked “White Castle” Hamburgers. Some people call them “Cravers” but they are commonly known as “Sliders” or “Slyders”. People are said to become addicted to the little two bite burgers and that phenomenon was featured in a movie called “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle”.

The White Castle Burger…..Hamburger Crack

White Castle is the oldest Hamburger Chain in the U.S. and you can only find their stores east of the Mississippi. You can get their mini burgers in your frozen food section at most grocers, if you’ve never had them. They are pre-cooked, micro-wavable and Yummy for your tummy in under one minute.

Visit their site and they actually show you their patented cooking method. Basically you are steaming the thin patty with the onion impregnated steam. You’ll smell what I mean.

Note: White Castle bakes their own buns, which is part of their secret.

http://www.whitecastle.com/_pages/secret.asp

There is a chain in Texas, called “Krystals” which also makes “Sliders” and are just as good.

There are also many web recipes, each with a different method to replicate the White Castle Burger. Try mine, or tweak it to make your own version. I tried three different recipes before deciding I liked this method best.

Here is my version that I cook at home. I have a commercial flat griddle at home, so I can cook 18 burgers at a time. You can make batches of meat patties ahead of time and freeze them. So when you get a Burger craving, you can create a quick burger in just a few minutes. They are great to serve at small home gatherings, or for the kids.

A slider Mini-Hamburger

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground chuck, I like a 80/20 blend the best for burgers.

1 ½ cups of minced onion….very finely chopped is the key

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sliced dill chips

*optional Cheese Whiz or thinly sliced velvetta

Hot dog buns cut in thirds or small dinner rolls, sometimes you can find some small round ones in your bakery section.

Mustard, Ketchup, Mayo or Miracle whip (salad dressing)

Optional burger topping:

3 Tbs Miracle whip, or Mayo

1 Tbs each of Mustard and Ketchup

1 Tbs minced onions

1 Tbs dill pickle relish or sweet relish

Pinch of black pepper

*Optional, 1 dash or two of Tobasco and Worchesthire if you want to spice it up.

Mix it all together, refrigerate and cover until ready to serve

Equipment:

Flat griddle or cast iron fry pan works best but use your largest fry pan.

Spatula

12”x 14” Baking sheet or cookie sheet

Parchment paper, Saran wrap or equivalent

Lid for pan or aluminum foil…sometimes I cover a paper plate with foil as a makeshift lid to cover the burgers

Rolling pin

Knife or pizza cutter

Patties

Allow beef to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, kneed into a loaf.

Cover baking sheet with layer of parchment paper or plastic wrap

Place loaf onto baking sheet, cover with another layer of paper or wrap

Spread loaf until it covers about a third of the pan by pressing with the heel of your hand

Once the loaf is spread, use the rolling pin finish the job until the beef covers the bottom of the pan in one layer.

Remove plastic and season to taste with salt and pepper

Use spatula to score the meat into 3” squares. White Castle cuts then into 2.5 inch square and cuts holes in them so they cook faster. I find the patties shrink and there is no need to cut holes. It is just more work, trust me. You should get about 16 or 18 little patties. You are not trying to cut the meat yet but you are going to score them with a spatula.

Now, you can return them to the freezer for 30 minutes and allow the beef to firm up, which will make it easier to cut the thin patty.

After firming, using the pizza roller or a large knife, complete cutting the patties. Sometimes if the beef is frozen, you can just break the patties off along the score lines you made. If you wrap them good after cutting the patties, you can freeze and keep them for weeks and cook as you go.

OR: Use an small ice cream scoop and place one scoop of meat on a piece of parchment paper. Fold the paper over the meat and press into a single thin, flat, round patty. These are better and faster, especially if you found a nice round bun to use.

Preparation

Heat griddle or pan on high. You want the pan or griddle high to help keep the heat when you add your ingredients. You will be steaming, rather than grilling.

Add a layer of onions, covering the entire bottom of the pan. Let them sizzle for a moment and take in the odor. Place as many patties as you can on the layer of steaming onions. Then put a single dill chip on the patty. Place the top bun on the patty and cover with a lid or foil. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. No need to flip. *If you want cheese, place your cheese product on after the pickle.

Prep bottom half of bun with favorite condiment or burger sauce.

Serving

After cooking, place patty and top bun on bottom bun and serve

4 – 6 sliders per person

ENJOY!