Barbeque Bacon and Cheddar Sliders

Everbody loves it when I serve these little hamburgers at get-togethers and they are a great thing to make when serving a large crowd at parties. The fact that the burgers are slowly simmered in hot barbeque sauce makes them very easy to stay warm in a 200 degree oven at a party and then simply put together as you need them. I have made batches of several dozen this way in the past. You can even set up a slider bar and let your guests put together their own.

I have included a barbeque sauce recipe here as well and it is a good idea to bring the sauce up to boiling before pouring it over the patties as this will speed up the oven time and not cool down the burgers.

2 pounds extra lean ground beef
2 cloves minced garlic
½ small red onion finely chopped
1 egg
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp black pepper
4 tbsp hot sauce (optional)
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seed

Sauté the garlic and onions in 2 tbsp olive oil until softened. Add to the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Form the mixture into 16 small patties and fry in a little oil until completely cooked. Place in a roasting pan and cover the patties with the heated barbeque sauce. Place on a 300 degree oven for half an hour before serving on toasted dinner rolls with melted cheddar and crisp cooked smoked bacon.

Blackstrap Barbeque Sauce

One 14 ounce can plain tomato sauce
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup blackstrap molasses (substitute fancy molasses if necessary)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional or to taste)
1 tbsp ground fennel seed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground dry oregano
½ tsp kosher salt

Simmer all ingredients together for about a half hour.