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Homemade White Castle Sliders (That Actually Taste Like White Castle!)

on $s by $s in Appetizers, Beef, Hot, Main Dishes, Sandwiches 12 Comments

 

Ok. Maybe they do taste exactly like them…or… maybe they taste even better! 😉 Judge for yourself, but my Copycat White Castle Sliders taste more like what they used to taste like back when I was a teenager in the ’70’s and early ’80’s when we’d hit them up on a Friday or Saturday night heading north up Calumet Avenue and into Hammond, Indiana, after a, oops!!, “wee bit of partying” for a sack or two! 😉

Oh yea. GOOD times!!!!!

Hey, we all had a little too much fun during our later teenage years and, let’s be honest, into our 20’s, too! Those were the days to just cut loose, have fun, grab the brass ring, and enjoy everything life has to offer!

I had a blast and don’t regret a single day!

 

I think that’s the true “secret of life”. The journey. What you’ve done and experienced.

Your experiences and adventures are the secret keys.

You treasure the memories, and can open them any time you want with one of those special keys throughout your whole life. Remembering, enjoying them like watching an old favorite movie or reminiscing through an old photo album, keeping them safely in your heart.

And as silly as this might sound, trips to the ol’ White Castle in Hammond, Indiana, holds one my special keys.

The whole ’70’s era, really!

The music. The concerts. The best of friends. Backroads and road trips!

And the food.

OH, MAN!! Those glorious sliders!! At 2 a.m. Yep.

Life’s experiences.

The secret of life. 😉

 

 

Pin to your Pinterest boards to save for later!

 

 

 

So when our little town here on the east coast opened one, I was beyond thrilled!! They were still pretty good, don’t get me wrong, but not nearly as good as they were years ago. (Is anything ever?)

Plus, get this, they put….wait for it…..

waaaaiiiiit for it…….

……KETCHUP on them!!!!

 

WHAAAAAT? *gasp*!!!!  Yep. KETCHUP.

That’s a NO-NO back where they originated and all across the midwest. It just plain ruins them. So, I had to special order mine with NO KETCHUP. (It must be an “east coast thing”??)

 

My hubby likes them that way, but he had never had them before, as he grew up in the Pacific Northwest, so he never had the whole “White Castle experience”.

So, I have to “special order” them to make sure that they make them the “original way”. Sometimes they get it right. Coin toss.

Don’t get me wrong, I love ketchup on any other burger. But it just doesn’t jive with the White Castle flavor. Diehard White Castle fans know exactly what I’m talking about!!

Anyways, I get tired of a 50/50 chance that they get our order right and we have to go back. So, I decided I’d just try to make my own. Just like the ones we used to get. Made right. 😉

 

Meat pressed, scored, and holes bored! Then cover and freeze!
*When cooked, you won’t have holes anymore as the meat shrinks during cooking.

 

 

 

And the verdict is….we might not have to go to White Castle anymore. Except for convenience’s sake when I need a break, because we just don’t eat out anymore. Almost never.

Especially “fast-food”. Ugh.

 

 

 

 

So if you want to make a great slider, please do give my Copycat White Castle Sliders (That Actually Taste Like White Castle) a try! I think you’ll really enjoy these! (Just don’t let this midwestern girl catch you putting ketchup on them.) 😉 😀

 

 

 

Yield: 12 sliders

Copycat White Castle Sliders

Copycat White Castle Sliders

Ingredients

  • 12 small soft dinner rolls, my package measured 9" x 7"
  • 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
  • 1 (10 1/2 oz.) can beef consommé, [i]divided[/i] (I used Campbell's)
  • 1/2 cup dried minced onions
  • 1/8 tsp. garlic salt
  • 1/8 tsp. regular ground pepper
  • 1/16 tsp. onion powder
  • a little regular table salt and pepper, about an 1/8 tsp. each
  • 6 American cheese slices, sliced into fourths, *optional to make cheese burgers
  • 12 dill pickle slices, or double for 2 on each if very thin or you'd just like more (I liked two!)

Instructions

  • Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Mix ground beef and 1/3 cup of the beef consommé together until mixture is easily spreadable. Gently press and spread meat mixture onto lined baking sheet until you form an 11" x 9" inch rectangle in a thin and even layer. (Or 1", all the way around, larger than your package of rolls to allow for shrinkage of beef when cooked).
  • Using a pizza wheel, score, cutting through into 12 equal squares. (3 rows of 4). Make 5 holes in each square patty using a toothpick and your index finger resembling the 5-dot pattern of standard playing dice. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pop into freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight for later. (Until firm).
  • When frozen, remove and carefully snap apart frozen patties along score lines, separating each.
  • Preheat oven to 450º F.
  • Pour remaining beef consommé onto a baking sheet, tilt to coat entire bottom and sprinkle evenly with dried minced onions. Let sit for 5 minutes to let the onions absorb some of the broth and rehydrate. Lightly and evenly, sprinkle entire mixture with garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder.
  • With a spatula, squeegee the mixture into a smaller rectangle to place the patties on, leaving about a 1" space all around the outside. Place frozen beef patties on top of seasoned onion mixture, leaving a little space in-between each one. Lightly sprinkle top evenly with a little regular salt and pepper, about an 1/8 tsp. of each. (*A little bit more doesn't hurt!)
  • Pop into fully-preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes to allow burgers to steam-cook, and until browned.
  • While patties are baking, cut rolls in half making buns.
  • Remove patties from oven and place 2 cheese squares onto each patty overlapping slightly, (if making cheese burger sliders). Top each with 1 - 2 dill pickle slices. Top each with a bun top, cover tightly with foil, and pop back into oven for 3 minutes.
  • Place bottom buns onto serving platter. Remove patties from oven. Use a solid (no drain holes) spatula to pick up each slider with the onions and some juice from the pan, and place onto bottom buns. Use the same foil and tightly cover well for 1 minute to let rest and steam. Remove foil and serve immediately. Enjoy!!
  • To Reheat: Place on microwave-safe plate, cover sliders with a damp sheet of paper towel, and zap at 50% for about 1 minute and 20 seconds for 2 sliders, or until heated through.

    • Notes

    *To sprinkle seasonings evenly, always dump your measured amount into your palm, and with your other hand, pick up the spice with your index finger and thumb and sprinkle over evenly well above, rubbing your finger and thumb together. Don't try and just sprinkle from the measuring spoon.

    © Kelly@wildflourskitchen.com

     

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    12 thoughts on “Homemade White Castle Sliders (That Actually Taste Like White Castle!)”

    1. Love, love, love WC! As kids we used to go to the WC on 119th and Indianapolis Blvd. when we were visitng Grandma and Grandpa. Heaven. I think the aromas from Standard Oil and American Mazo added to the experience because they just don’t taste the same where I buy them now! Anyway, I pinned this recipe and will give them a try. And NO ketchup on WC or hot dogs! T Y

      Reply

    2. It’s been so long since I had a White Castle slider I have no idea if these taste close to the original. It would be so awesome if some who had a WC close by did a side-by-side taste test and reported back here!

      That said–these sliders are UH-MAZING! We all just kind of stood around the kitchen island and stuffed our faces and moaned, “Oh! SO GOOD!” between bites. I will surely make these again, because they are kinda cute, fun, and super delicious!

      A few notes:
      – I used 90/10 meat to keep the fat to a minimum. I wouldn’t advise going to 85/15, even.
      – Mix all the seasonings right into the hamburger! It’s easier, and it’s important for the meat to get the full benefit. 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/8 tsp onion powder, 1/8 tsp garlic powder.
      – Put the pickles on the BOTTOM of the bun, as you place the bottoms on the platter. The pickle stay in place better when they aren’t sliding around in the cheese.
      – Before you place the bun bottoms/pickles on the platter? PREHEAT THE PLATTER. A warm platter makes all the difference in that final 1 minute steam session.

      Just a few changes that make the process easier..

      Kelly, this recipe is well-written and the results are awesome–it’s a real keeper!

      Reply

    3. Hey Kelly, I grew up in the region in the 70’s and early 80’s. Graduated TF South in 82. Remember the late nite White Castle runs in Calumet City at River Oaks Mall. Going to give this a try. I also own a restaurant in Bristol TN. It is all Chicago style food..

      Reply

    4. Great recipe, turned out great! I too grew up in Hammond Indiana in th 60s, actually in Hessville, left for the Marines in 1970, miss my late night trips to White Castle, we don’t have any here in Idaho, thanks for the recipe!

      Reply

      • Hi Greg!! Nice to meet someone from the midwest! I miss it there!! Living out on the east coast has not been fun! LOL!! So happy to hear you enjoyed them! I’m currently working on the “airy, spongy, squishy” bun as we speak! And I think I’ve figured out an easy copycat! That was the only thing that was different, and is very important to get that authentic overall WC experience! Take care and have a great day!! 🙂

        Reply

    5. The only thing is, WC makes them on a griddle and placesnthe buns over the meat because that helps them to cook and makes the buns super moist and adds to the overall Slider experience.

      Reply

      • Actually, they’re made on a flat, 6 – 8 foot commercial-grade grill. (Depending on how much room the store has.) A “griddle” has ridges.
        And since home cooks do not by any imagination have this in their home, this actually works well. I hope that you can realize that and appreciate the effort that I have put in to provide a simple way of making this sandwich so that the home cook can make them at home…SANS the grease and chemicals of manufactured frozen patties. Happy holidays!

        Reply

        • Most people conflate grill/griddle for home cooking so I don’t think Steve was being overly argumentative or anything. Just providing some info.

          I do appreciate by the way the recipe and plan to use it…mostly as is except I will be using my own homemade, fat and chemical free consommé instead of canned, and fresh onions instead of dehydrated ones.

          I will cook them on an electric griddle (yes, griddle).

          It’s always nice to have a taste for something like this (insert childhood food item here) and be able to find a recipe for it in a couple seconds.

          Now if only I could remember the name of that hole-in-the-wall donut shop in Baltimore.

          To be able to fake a copy of their fried, cream filled, powdered sugar donuts…

      • Just to be perfectly clear, this is the type of grill they use, and it’s same type of FLAT TOP GRILL that I had at my restaurant (we NEVER called them “griddles”: (*ours was even larger than this one, though!)

        http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/231588070187-0-1/s-l1000.jpg

        And this is what I use at home for just my husband and I (unless baking them to actually achieve the mushy texture that actual WCs have): and yes, Steve, I am WELL aware of how they make them. I grew up eating them, and watched them cook them, as I said.

        https://wildflourskitchen.com/2016/03/14/oklahoma-onion-burgers/

        We NEVER called them “griddles”. That term was always attached to the dinky tabletop flat grills that you’d see in small gas stations, small grocery store deli’s, food trucks, etc. But not the giant 6 – 7 FOOT grills that you see in a real restaurant. They are always referred to as “grills”, and always called “flat top grills”. At least, that’s what people like me and everyone else who have actually been in the restaurant business call them.

        I hope that finally clears things up for you and your friend “MizAnnoyed”.

        Reply

        • MizAnnoyed, you can use whatever onions you like, but WC uses dehydrated onions. They have a distinct flavor and anything else used will not create the same end results. Just to let you know!

        • Also, MizAnnoyed, Steve’s FIRST comment was extremely rude and was deleted. I left his second one there after he calmed down. But I don’t tolerate rudeness and snotty comments on my blog. Life is too short for that kind of nonsense.

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