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

Print

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.