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Bacon and Gruyere Sliders with Beer Caramelized Onions

The flavors of these sliders come together to make a perfect meal for a crowd, including your gameday needs. You cannot beat the combo of the Sweet and Soft Sliders from Pepperidge Farm and Warsteiner Pilsener beer. #beerandbuns
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 12 sliders

Ingredients

For the caramelized onions:

  • 4 medium yellow onions
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter unsalted
  • 2 tbsp pilsener beer (I used Warsteiner Premium German Pilsener)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp light brown sugar

For the burger patties:

  • 2 lbs ground chuck (80% lean)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

For the sliders assembly:

  • 12 slider buns (I used Sweet & Soft Slider buns from Pepperidge Farm)
  • 3/4 lb thick-cut bacon cooked and drained
  • 7 ounces gruyere cheese shredded

Instructions

For the beer caramelized onions:

  • Slice the onions into rings, about 1/4 inch thick. You might find this step easier with a mandolin slicer but you can easily do by hand.
  • Grab a large skillet (cast iron or stainless steel works best) and place over high heat. Add butter and oil. Once butter is melted, stir in salt and brown sugar. Stir to combined. Add onions and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. You don't want the onions to burn completely but they should get some color so keep an eye on them.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of beer to onions to deglaze the pan. Give the onions a stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking (uncovered) until deep golden brown, about 40 minutes - 1 hour. Mine took almost the full hour. Stir only every 5-10 minutes. This lets them get more color and form brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Brown bits=flavor.
  • When the onions are done, add the final tablespoon of beer and stir until mostly evaporated. Set aside for slider assembly later.

For the burger patties:

  • Add all ingredients to a large bowl and gently mix with your hands. Using your hands, create 4 even sections of burger meat. I do this by making a cross so that there are 4 even quadrants of meat.
  • Grab one quarter of meat. Divide into 3 even balls of meat. Using your palms, flatten balls into flat patties, making the edges thicker than the middle. This will make sure they stay flat during cooking. Don't worry if they aren't perfectly round; mine never are.
  • Grab a large skillet and set stovetop heat to medium-high. Spray a little nonstick spary onto the pan so they don't stick. Add about 4-6 burgers to the pan. Don't crowd the pan. Cook until the edges are crisp, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add gruyere cheese to each cooking patty so it melts while the other side cooks, about 1 tbsp per patty. Remove from heat and set aside to rest while you finish the other patties.

To assemble sliders:

  • Split buns in half. Place buns on sheet pan, rounded side down. Broil in oven to lightly toast them.
  • Add a patty to the bottom half of each slider bun. Top with caramelized onions and 1/2 piece of bacon. Place top bun on bacon. Serve immediately. The beer you used serves as the perfect accompaniment!

Notes

Recipe for beer caramelized onions adapted from Home Brew Academy