white castle sliders: one man’s journey for truth

How To Make white castle sliders: one man’s journey for truth

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  Step 1
  MYTH BUSTING: There have been a lot of rumors on what exactly a White Castle hamburger is composed of… just go out on the Internet and see for yourself. Some of the wilder ones are that White Castle hamburgers contain: • 30% liver… (Yummy) • 20% beef baby food (I’m not kidding) • 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter per pound of beef Can you imagine the lawsuits that White Castle would have if they put a nut product in their burgers, and didn’t mention that to anyone? Think of all the people who have allergies to nuts. For the record, White Castle hamburgers are 100 beef… FULL STOP. How do I know… Well, because I had one analyzed at a food lab. 100% pure ground beef with a 20% fat content… okay I’m a geek, forgive me.
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  Step 2
  THEY’RE NOT COOKED… THEY’RE STEAMED: A White Castle hamburger never touches the grill; in essence it rests on a bed of gently cooking onions, and they slowly steam the meat, and the buns.
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  Step 3
  THE MUSTARD: At the White Castle that I occasioned, they had this wonderful brown mustard. To me, it wasn’t a White Castle hamburger without that mustard. I assumed that all White Castle’s used that mustard; however, they do not. It’s more of a Midwest thing… go figure. Anyway, for me that “special” mustard was part of the experience. I NEEDED that dang mustard to complete the experience. You can purchase “White Castle” mustard, but it’s hard to find. I wanted to see if there was a commercial mustard that might do the trick, and 15 bottles of brown mustard later, the winner is: Lowensenf Extra. It’s German brown creamy mustard with just a wonderful hint of vinegar.
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  Step 4
  SECRET INGREDIENT: If there is a secret ingredient to the White Castle Burger, it’s not peanut butter, baby food (yuk), or liver (double yuk); it’s in the onions. The onions have to be dried, and rehydrated before using.
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  Step 5
  THE PICKLE: Only one pickle per slider, please. But to cook the pickle or not, that is the question. In the end I cooked the pickle along with the burger. It was a marriage made in heaven.
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  Step 6
  Movie Trivia: In the movie Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (yes, they did actually make a movie about White Castle), the actor that played Kumar was a strict vegetarian, so at the end of the movie when they’re scarfing down all those sliders, Kumar’s are veggie burgers… kind of ruins the point of the whole movie.
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  Step 7
  PREP/PREPARE
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  Step 8
  Gather your ingredients.
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  Step 9
  Chef’s Note: In order to get the best visual experience, your patty needs to be the same size as the bun. Mine were 2.5 inches (6.3cm), so I made the raw patties 3 inches (7.5cm), and when they cooked they shrank down to the proper size.
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  Step 10
  Press the meat out into a square to the dimensions of the four sliders.
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  Step 11
  Chef's Note: We have enough beef for 4 sliders, so make a square 6x6 inches (12.5cm). We're adding a bit extra to account for shrinkage during cooking.
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  Step 12
  Chef’s Note: The beef should be 1/5 inch (.5cm) thick.
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  Step 13
  Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
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  Step 14
  Remove from freezer, and cut into four equal burgers of 3 inches (7.5cm) each.
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  Step 15
  Use a soda straw or other small hole punch to create the iconic five holes per burger.
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  Step 16
  Chef’s Note: Those five holes are not for decoration they are very important to the cooking process. They allow the burger to be cooked without flipping.
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  Step 17
  Return the burgers to the freezer until completely frozen, about 60 minutes.
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  Step 18
  Add the onion powder to the hot beef stock and mix to combine.
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  Step 19
  Rehydrate the onions in the hot beef stock, about 15 minutes.
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  Step 20
  Chef’s Note: White Castle began using dehydrated onions back during World War II, when most fresh produce was going to the troops. They liked how they worked with the sliders and never stopped using them.
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  Step 21
  Place a skillet or griddle over medium heat and allow to heat up.
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  Step 22
  Place an area of onions on the griddle/skillet with a bit of the liquid.
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  Step 23
  Chef’s Note: the minimum number to cook at a time is 4 sliders.
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  Step 24
  Place 4 patties on top of the onions, and separate by 1/2 inch (1.2cm).
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  Step 25
  Place the bottom of the buns, cut side down, on each patty.
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  Step 26
  Place the top buns across the gaps between the patties.
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  Step 27
  Allow to steam/cook for 4 to 6 minutes.
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  Step 28
  Remove the top buns and set aside.
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  Step 29
  Use a spatula to remove the burgers with the bottom buns, and place on a serving plate.
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  Step 30
  Add a bit of the mustard, if using, and place the tops on the burgers.
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  Step 31
  Serve while still warm. Enjoy.
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  Step 32
  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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