Farmers Market Beef Sliders

Yesterday I was lucky enough to do a cooking demonstration of beef sliders at the Warren Farmers Market. This is a great farmers market on historic courthouse square in downtown Warren, OH. This was a lot of fun, I met some great people and I look forward to doing a few more cooking demos during the market season!

I cooked up a dozen Farmers Market Sliders, which get their name because most of the ingredients come right from the Warren Farmers Market, plus a few extras. Sliders are essentially small burgers on a bun. What makes a good slider? Great ground beef and great toppings! I cooked up some great grass fed ground beef from Grass N Grace Farm and added some great toppings like Maple Hot Pepper Jam from McDivitt Family Maple. I browned the buns in olive oil butter oil (OOBO) which is blend of olive oil and clarified butter from Flavor Benders.

What makes a good burger topping? I can’t think of a bad topping… so pretty much anything goes. The Farmers Market is a great place to find fresh produce as well as many different and unique products that you cannot find at a grocery store. I also offered more traditional toppings like ketchup, mustard and mayo.

There are three good reasons to shop at a farmers market. First, you can buy local. You can talk to the people that grow the food and build a relationship with them. Get to know your farmer; your dinner depends on him or her. At the Warren Farmers Market all the food is grown with about an hour of Warren, Ohio. Second, you can but the freshest produce at the farmers market. Since the food is grown close by and did not travel half way around the world. Third, you can find some unique items at a farmers market like Maple Hot Pepper Jam and OOBO that you cannot find anywhere else. I hope to see you at the Warren Farmers Market!

 

Ingredients

1 lb. Ground beef (Grass N Grace Farms)

Dinner rolls

Maple Hot Pepper Jam (McDivitt Family Maple)

Cheddar Cheese

OOBO (Flavor Benders)

Lettuce

Instructions

1. Divide ground beef into about 1 oz portions and press flat
2. Place in hot skillet
3. Cook for two minutes then flip
4. Continue cooking and add a slice of Cheddar cheese when almost done cooking
5. Add a little OOBO to the skillet
6. Cut roll in half and place cut face in hot OOBO
7. Remove bun when it is golden brown
8. Add some Maple Hot Pepper Jam  and some lettuce
9. Place burger on top of lettuce and add bun top
10. Use a napkin to wipe up the juice after you bite into it!