What constitutes the best sandwich looks a little different for everyone. Some may like theirs with toasted bread and melty, gooey cheese, where others prefer a classic deli-style sub. Guy Fieri, one of the most iconic chefs in the industry today, has a different take on what makes the ultimate sandwich. Or shall we say, how to make any sandwich “off the hook.”
To Guy, the best sandwiches consist of a fat, something sweet and, most importantly, an acid to cut through it all. (And something with a little crunch…if you can fit it in.) He kept all of these key sandwich elements in mind when making his all-time favorite meatball slider recipe. Guy explains, “This slider has a good balance between the meaty richness of the beef, the smokiness of the bacon and the sweet, smoky and tangy BBQ sauce between the fluffy, but sturdy, King’s Hawaiian bun.” Talk about YUM!
How to Make Guy Fieri’s Meatball Sliders
Piled high with smoked bacon, BBQ meatballs and sandwiched between a sweet and soft King’s Hawaiian bun, there’s no wonder why Guy Fieri thinks it’s one of the best slider recipes of all time. Here’s how to make this delicious slider recipe in under an hour.
BBQ Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound Hickory smoked bacon
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 3 slices King’s Hawaiian Original Sweet Sliced Bread
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ tablespoon Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Topping Ingredients
- 1 package King’s Hawaiian Original Sweet Slider Buns
- ½ cup garlic butter, melted
- 9 slices hickory-smoked bacon
- 2 cups lettuce, finely sliced
- 1 Roma tomato, sliced thin
- ¼ sweet onion, finely sliced
- 2 Kosher dill pickles, finely sliced
- 5 slices cheddar, cut in half
- 1/4 cup Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
Directions
Step 1: Crisp up the bacon
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lay nine slices of bacon on a sheet pan and bake until crispy (or for about 10 minutes). Trust us: Baking bacon is a game-changer.
Step 2: Prepare the panade
In a mixing bowl, tear up King’s Hawaiian Original Sliced Bread into small pieces. Then, add milk and mix together into a paste.
Guy’s tip: Make sure to mix the panade until it’s fully combined, then mix it into the meat. That way, you’ll avoid over-mixing the meat, which can result in tough meatballs.
Step 3: Make and form the meatballs
In a food processor, ground the pound of bacon until meat it’s fully grounded up. Then, in a large mixing bowl, combine the ground bacon, ground beef, bread mixture, BBQ sauce and garlic. Season it with salt and pepper and then form the mixture into nine golf ball-sized meatballs (or about three ounces each).
Step 4: Cook the meatballs
Spread the meatballs out on a roasting pan and cook for 25 minutes at 350°F. Then, remove the meatballs from the oven and top each meatball with half slice of cheese. Return them back into the oven for five more minutes until the cheese is melted.
Step 5: Butter and toast those buns
Separate the King’s Hawaiian Sweet Slider Buns and brush the inside with melted garlic butter. Toast the buns on both sides on a griddle until golden brown.
Guy’s tip: Make sure you don’t skip this step! Texture is everything for making the best sandwich. These King’s Hawaiian buns toast up very nicely.
Step 6: Dress it all up!
Place onion and sliced pickles on the bottoms of each bun. Top each with a cheese-covered bacon meatball and a slice of crispy bacon. Then, drizzle BBQ sauce and add a slice of tomato and some shredded lettuce. Finish it all off by topping with a slider bun and securing it with a 6-inch skewer.
Guy’s tip: Try playing around with other topping ideas like pickled jalapeños or crumbled kettle chips.
Try out even more of Guy Fieri’s favorite foods.
The post Guy Fieri Shared His Favorite Slider Recipe with Us—and It’s Ridiculously Easy appeared first on Taste of Home.
Christina Herbst