CHOW Slider Recipe
Real estate and insurance agent Edgar Waldo “Billy” Ingram teamed up with cook Walter Anderson to open the first White Castle hamburger stand in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. Anderson is credited with having invented the modern hamburger: It was his idea to cook patties of ground meat on the griddle, push a mess of diced onions into the beef, top it with a pickle slice, and serve it on a soft yeast bun. His creation’s come to be known as a slider, but you can just call it deliciousness. This recipe pays homage to Anderson’s burger, which is quicker and easier to execute than the modern method used by White Castle.
Game plan: This recipe is made on a griddle. If you don’t have one, you can use an electric skillet, a large cast iron pan, or a nonstick frying pan, though you may have to work in batches.
This recipe was featured as part of our Hamburger Through Time story.
- 1/2 pound lean ground chuck (15 percent fat content)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 5 teaspoons minced white onion
- 9 CHOW Slider Hamburger Buns warmed and sliced in half
- 9 (1/8-inch-thick) dill pickle slices
- Mix together meat, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Shape mixture into 9 (2-1/2-inch-wide) patties and brush both sides of each patty with vegetable oil.
- Set a griddle over two burners and heat over medium heat. When the griddle’s hot, place patties about 1 inch apart and sprinkle onion evenly over top. Press firmly on patties with a spatula to push onion into meat and flatten patties to 1/4-inch thickness. Cook until patties start to brown and release some juice, about 3 minutes.
- Flip patties and place bottom bun halves, cut side down, on top. Place top halves of buns on bottom halves to rewarm, and cook burgers until they are firm and juices run clear, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat, top each patty with a pickle slice, and close with top bun.
Beverage pairing: Bitburger Pils, Germany. These slick sliders, which tempt us to eat them quickly, are best paired with something thirst quenching, like a crisp, easy-drinking beer. The mildly bitter flavor of a classic German pilsner like this one, coupled with its light, brisk body, make a pleasing foil for the sliders.
Okay, but the best burger I've made uses this recipe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/23/dining/231mrex.html?ref=dining
This takes me back in time and tummy, too.
15% is not even remotely lean.
Really, this recipe is wholly unnecessary. At a maximum, it should read:
Step 1: See regular hamburger recipe. Prepare.
Step 2: Contact Wayne Szalinski.
Step 3: Shrink.
Tried it w/ a 50/50 mix of veal & lamb. Lots more flavor and buttery texture.
Ummm - let's think - maybe because there are no white castles anywhere within a reasonable distance of where you live?
Sometimes you folks should just leave things alone...White Castle made a fortune doing something very simply, and very good. You are trying to take a proprietary method and convert it into something every Tom,Dick and Harry could do at home. WRONG!!! No one has the proper grill equipment, the meat had those little holes in it, and on and on...THIS IS WHY THESE PLACES EXIST>>>IF EVERYONE COULD DO IT...+READ
Sometimes you folks should just leave things alone...White Castle made a fortune doing something very simply, and very good. You are trying to take a proprietary method and convert it into something every Tom,Dick and Harry could do at home. WRONG!!! No one has the proper grill equipment, the meat had those little holes in it, and on and on...THIS IS WHY THESE PLACES EXIST>>>IF EVERYONE COULD DO IT AT HOME, WHY WOULD THESE TYPE OF PLACES EXIST?????-COLLAPSE
Those burgs look like way too much bun and way too little meat. Like jfood said....8 oz of meat into 9 burgs? Not in my house.
I had my first Krystal burger last month. It's been so long since I've had WCs that I really prefer the Krystals. I just wish they still had Little Taverns (DC's version of the miniburger).
Those buns look a little firm (HA!) The softer, spongier potato roll is what I go with. Good mouth feel and not bland like the regular whitebread rolls.
This is a joke. 8oz of meatinto nine burgers. Then you place on a griddle, smash onions into it and cook for 3 minutes then flip and cook more. Blech. Then call it a white castle replica. Wrong-o.
First WC has onions, first then meat with holes in them then buns. The meat is steamed on top of the onions and the holes let the steam through to moisten the buns.
Whoever created this recipe...+READ
This is a joke. 8oz of meatinto nine burgers. Then you place on a griddle, smash onions into it and cook for 3 minutes then flip and cook more. Blech. Then call it a white castle replica. Wrong-o.
First WC has onions, first then meat with holes in them then buns. The meat is steamed on top of the onions and the holes let the steam through to moisten the buns.
Whoever created this recipe needs to go to a WC for some real slyders.-COLLAPSE
imitating fast food on the home front is boring. what's next? making your own rice crispies?
Um, divide into thirds and then do it again. Shouldn't really be too hard.
White Castle effectively steams their patties -- by layering the griddle with a layer of minced onions, and then placing the burger patties on top of the onions. Their signature patties, with the holes in them, permit the patties to cook quickly on the sauteing onions. The holes also permit the buns to become steamed, as well.
I suspect that your method will result in somewhat underdone onions....+READ
White Castle effectively steams their patties -- by layering the griddle with a layer of minced onions, and then placing the burger patties on top of the onions. Their signature patties, with the holes in them, permit the patties to cook quickly on the sauteing onions. The holes also permit the buns to become steamed, as well.
I suspect that your method will result in somewhat underdone onions. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but is not truly a White Castle-type slider.
And, how can you divide any amount of meat into nine equal parts? Eight -- sure. Ten -- maybe. Nine? No way.-COLLAPSE
White Castles always saute a bed of onions first, until they're transparent. Then they place the perforated square burgers on the onions to steam. You get a layer of onions on other side of the burger. I'm also convinced that mixing salt in with the meat dries it out. A sprinkling on the cooked burger before serving preserves the juciness of the burger, and compliments the sweetness of the cooked...+READ
White Castles always saute a bed of onions first, until they're transparent. Then they place the perforated square burgers on the onions to steam. You get a layer of onions on other side of the burger. I'm also convinced that mixing salt in with the meat dries it out. A sprinkling on the cooked burger before serving preserves the juciness of the burger, and compliments the sweetness of the cooked onions.-COLLAPSE