Pretzel Roll Sliders

I'm just gonna say it, if you're not your own biggest fan, who will be? :)  And, I honestly had to pat myself on the back for these yummy sliders.  My husband actually won't shut up about them either.  And, seriously, they were so good.  He is always begging me to give him my burger secret, and I refuse to even tell him!  My one and only ;)

For a couple of summer's now I've had a "Burger-Off BBQ" at my house on or near the 4th of July.  It's so fun.  Everyone creates burgers, grills them up and then we all judge the burgers.  We even give the winner a trophy!  I of course won the first year....hahaha....with a burger I'll be posting later in the week.  And my friend, Mike won the following year, who will have a burger recipe posted sometime this week as well.  Stay tuned! 

Anyway, every time I make burgers people ask me why the texture is so good?  Or what I put in it to make the actual burger taste soo darn good???  I'm a firm believer that what you do to the actual burger meat is just as important, if not more important than what you put on it.  People are always puzzled when they're eating my burgers, in a good way, and I love that!  I'm so devious- insert evil laugh here. ;)   Anyway, the jig is up!  I am here to say, I'll be posting my big secret, right here, right now, in this post.....I will do this for all my followers and my husband who won't stop bugging me about what is in the damn burger! ;)  LOL.

But, before we move on to the secret spices etc.  I want to mention that one of the other things that made these sliders so good and so unique were the Pretzel Roll Buns.  I got them at Whole Foods, but you can get them at your local bakery as well.  I loved these because they were the perfect size for a slider and were hearty enough to hang on to the burger!  Sometimes Pretzel buns or rolls can be skinny and flimsy.  Keep an eye out for Pretzel Rolls at your local bakery or Whole Foods and whip up some sliders.  Your family will be impressed!

So, here goes.  It's not rocket science, but it will change the landscape of your burger consumption.  Well, I may be over shooting a bit here ;) but, honestly, when you do this, you'll never, ever be able to eat a burger at a restaurant without wondering what's missing?  It's a secret spice/ingredient mixture that will make your burger taste out of this world!

Housepitalities Pretzel Roll Sliders

INGREDIENTS:

The Burger.....

• 1.5 lbs Ground Chuck
• 1/4 Cup Grated Red Onion (great egg substitute and is lower in fat and makes the burger less greasy)
• 3 Garlic Cloves Grated
• 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 2 Teaspoons Cumin
• 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• About 3-4 pinches of salt and a 3-4 turns of the pepper mill.

The Accompaniments....

• 1 Red Onion sliced thinly
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• Asiago Fresco (a soft, mild Asiago...but you could use mozarella, gouda etc.)
• Pretzel Roll Buns
• Spicy Brown Mustard & Mayo

DIRECTIONS:

The Burger:  Grate the onion (this is my biggest secret, keeps it moist and adds so much flavor) and the garlic into a small mixing bowl.  Add the balsamic vinegar and the spices, including the salt and pepper and mix well.  In a large mixing bowl add the ground beef and then add the spice and onion/garlic mixture slowly to the meat.    Patty your burgers to a size that's about half an inch bigger than the bun you're using.  They'll shrink while cooking.  Make sure they've had a chance to sit for about 10 minutes to the let flavors marry.  Pan fry on each side for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat.  These will be medium well, so if you want them to be more rare, adjust accordingly.  Add the cheese during the last minute of cooking and put a lid over the pan to speed up the melting process.

Carmelized Onions:  Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and add the onions with salt and pepper.  Keep it on low-medium heat for about 20 minutes- stirring occasionally.  Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and let it burn off a bit, bring the heat up and let it bubble if necessary.  Cook about another 3-4 minutes.  Your onions should be translucent and buttery with a sweet taste!  Super good.

Put those burgers on buns with the onions and add your favorite condiments.  I love spicy mustard with a little touch of mayo.  But, you can add whatever you want.  My personal feeling, though, is that lettuce, tomato and all those other burger regulars don't belong on sliders.  It just gets tooooo messy! 


A few tips when it comes to burgers....

1.  DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT over mix your burger meat.  You shouldn't mix or fold it more than 6-8 times.  Incorporate the ingredients in a very efficient manor, otherwise, you'll have really mealy, grainy burgers.  Do not over-work the meat too much, you'll definitely taste a difference.  This is why everyone is always asking me about the texture?  Most burger makers feel it's necessary to mix burger meat like they're mixing a cake, turning the ingredients over and over again.  Your warm hands and the mixing just destroy the integrity of the texture. 

2.  A HUGE mistake that people make is throwing cold meat onto a grill or in a pan.   Imagine this....you've just come in from being outside shoveling for a few hours.  It's 10 degrees outside and you are freezing.  You jump right into a hot shower.  What happens?  You've scorched yourself!  The hot water feels 10 times hotter than usual and your skin feels like it's being ripped off!  It's the same concept.  Let your meats come to temp on the counter for about 10 minutes before you throw them on the grill or in the pan.  They'll cook more evenly, and will stay more tender.  Otherwise, you'll end up with hockey puck sliders ;)