Sliders on a Stick — An Easy Party Fix for Hamburgers
The first taste and thought that comes to mind when wine tasting are typically the most powerful. Here’s what I’m talking about: the Belmonte Cellars Conner’s Blend is advertised as their go to steak wine. The minute I took a sip, I knew this wine just had to be served with a good, juicy hamburger. The flavor profile hit me and my mind immediately went to a summer afternoon in the yard, enjoying a hamburger hot off the grill while enjoying this bold and flavorful wine.
I eat vegetarian a good percentage of the time and the flavors of roasted cauliflower or even a grilled Portobello mushroom would also pair perfectly with a wine like the Conner’s Blend.
Belmonte was the featured winemaker at my studio during Vino in the Village last week and I wanted to stay true to my first taste and so I paired the wine with — you guessed it — a take on the hamburger. Hamburgers aren’t the right size for a wine tasting and a slider wouldn’t have been cost effective because I was prepping for upwards of 400 people.
That is when the idea of a Slider on a stick came to me. I wanted this taste to be bite size and yet still get the flavor profile of a hamburger. Serving the components of a slider on a stick was easy to prepare and easy to eat; how good is that?
I realized that the hamburger would have to be in the form of a meatball to stay on the stick and this worked perfectly, along with tomato, cheese and pickle.
Whether you are having a wine tasting or a summer party with friends, try my Sliders on a Stick!
- Brioche burger buns
- Pickles, sliced into thin rounds
- Cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- Cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
- Dijon mustard or BBQ sauce for dipping
- 6 inch bamboo skewers
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 eggs
- salt
- pepper
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup favorite bbq sauce
- ½-1 cup dried bread crumbs
- Mix all ingredients together and mix in enough breadcrumbs so that mixture isn’t wet but not dry. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line baking sheets with foil. Using a 1 inch scoop, make meatballs and roll in your hand to form perfect rounds. Place up to 48 meatballs per baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until fully cooked.
- Slice each bun half into 6 pieces, toss on a baking sheet and toast in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, you don’t want them dried out just crisp.
- Start by sliding a tomato half on skewer, followed by pickle then cheese, next a meatball and finally to finish a piece of bun.
- Serve when meatballs are warm or at room temperature. Serve with your favorite condiments for dipping. I used a Blackberry Dijon Mustard with Cabernet and I’m working on making my own version of this, coming soon!
