Mexican Sliders. Ancho chile flavored beef patties, topped with the smoky heat of chipotle mayonnaise, Monterey Jack cheese, Cabernet caramelized onions and red leaf lettuce. Don’t forget to start building these sliders with slices of dill pickle.
Are you a slider purist?
Small burgers coined as sliders were created in 1921 by a joint in Wichita, Kansas called White Castle. it’s not just a mini hamburger, but something much more specific. It’s a thin piece of beef, cooked on a griddle with onions and pickles on a small square bun. The steam from the onions is as important as the heat from the griddle when the small buns are placed on top to absorb the pungent flavor. Even Time Magazine puts White Castle’s sliders at the top of “the most influential burger of all time” list.
Even though I was born in Wichita, sadly I’ve never had a White Castle Slider and I’ve resisted buying the frozen packages at the market. The first small burger I ever held in my hand was at a Tapas bar in California. My slider experiences simply have not given me the opportunities needed to be a purist. I put Bob Evans breakfasts in a similar culinary void. 🙂
What About That Slider Craze?
Small, soft, irresistible and very popular, mini burgers have gone gourmet and you can find hundreds of recipes and flavor combinations. How about these small bite, “Classic” Chicago Style Polish Sausage Sliders from Taste With the Eyes, or from Authentic Suburban Gourmet, Crab Cake Sliders With Jalapeño Aioli. For you purists calling these sandwiches sliders are most certainly not terms of endearment, but to me, well I want to try them all.
Let’s Talk About These Mexican Sliders
About the only thing my Mexican themed mini burgers have in common with the original is the small bun and dill pickles. The beef is simply seasoned with salt, pepper and ancho chile powder. I’ve topped them with red wine caramelized onions, Chipotle mayo, Monterey Jack cheese and some lettuce. Full of flavor, we enjoyed every bite. The smoky heat of the chipotle mayonnaise is a great partner for the brighter heat of the ancho chile flavored beef. The sweet onions blended everything together for a wonderful burger.
Recipe for Mexican Sliders, flavored with Ancho Chile and garnished with Chipotle Mayo
I hope you give these feisty little Mexican styile sliders a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating. Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite beef slider recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
Looking for a side dish for these Mexican Sliders? Take a look at this Mexican Corn Salad Recipe with Citrus Aioli. It’s perfect. Or how about Mexican Macaroni and Cheese. Just sayin’.
Let’s Eat!
South of the Border Mexican Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup cabernet wine
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce seeds removed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
- 1 pound 90-10 ground beef
- 1 tablespoon Ancho chile powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- sliced dill pickles
- Monterey jack cheese shredded
- Red leafed lettuce
Instructions
- Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When oil is hot add onions. Turn down to medium low heat and cook onions for about 30 minutes, stirring often. Add the cabernet about halfway through cooking. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Mix well.
- In a bowl combine ground beef, ancho chile powder and salt and pepper. Gently mix to blend flavors. Form into 6 small burger patties.
- In a grill pan or on outdoor grill, grill burgers about 5 minutes per side. Add cheese just before removing from heat.
- To build your sliders, place pickle slices on bottom bun. Top with burger patty with chipotle mayo, caramelized onions, lettuce and top bun. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
If you love sliders, you don’t want to miss:
- Fried Chicken Sliders with Zesty Poblano Mayo
- Smoky Sliders with Chipotle Mayo
- Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Sliders
- Shrimp Sliders with Caramelized Onions and Sriracha Mayonnaise
- Thai Chicken Sliders
- Crock Pot Italian Beef Sliders
- Ina Garten Sliders with Gruyere and Arugula
- Lamb Sliders with Tomato Chutney
South of the Border Mexican Sliders …They’re what’s for Dinner.
Wow! Were sliders really created at White Castle? I used to eat there when I was in high school!
That’s what an article on the internet said.
I’ve never had a White Castle either (and I didn’t know they hailed from Wichita—who knew?) I would take one of these in a heartbeat though.
One of these days I’ll be somewhere with a White Castle location and I will try one .. and you bet with a photo.
I’ve always wondered what was the difference between sliders and burgers 🙂 but now with your detailed post I know a lot. You mad me crave one. Yours look gorgeous, I would like to make these flavorful mini burgers.
Thanks Amira!
Shows you how much I know – I thought they started in California. I love that they started in Kansas! For years, my only knowledge of White Castle came from their frequent appearance in Beastie Boys’ songs. 🙂 I have enjoyed seeing your slider ideas and this one has my mouth watering!
Who knew where I thought they started, but I was surprised to see White Castle Started in Wichita. And you should have seen the photo of the original building … yikes. 🙂