There is arguably no hotter (no pun intended) segment of the outdoor cooking industry than griddles. In addition to new high-end equipment from such manufacturers as Weber and Traeger, as well as the continued dominance of the Blackstone brand, the creativity in recipes being shared via social media is truly remarkable. As such, we have teamed up with one of the most visible faces in the griddling arena — Neil Williams, a.k.a. The Flat Top King — to share some of his amazing recipes!
Kicking things off is his recipe for what he refers to as “smashed meatball sliders,” a unique twist on the uber-popular smash burger! Check out the recipe below and be sure to browse all of the other great recipes from The Flattop King on his official website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And without further ado, here’s the king!
If you’re looking for some fantastic Blackstone sliders to make on the griddle, then this easy smashed meatball sliders recipe is for you! Learn how to make these fantastic griddle sliders with a homemade meatball recipe!
Introducing your new favorite griddle sliders recipe… smashed meatball sliders!
Picture this – You’re serving homemade meatball sliders at your next backyard get-together, and a guest bites into one of your messy sliders, only to have the perfectly round meatball push right through the backside of the bun and escape down the front of her dress.
If you’ve ever eaten a meatball slider or a meatball sub, then you know what I’m talking about. The round shape of a meatball isn’t exactly conducive to being sandwiched between two pieces of bread.
So what’s the fix? Smashed meatball sliders!
You can smash everything on the griddle from the best smash burgers to these unique and incredibly tasty smashed potato skins stuffed with barbecue pulled pork, so why not flatten some homemade meatballs, too!
Here’s how to make this awesome griddle sliders recipe that combines everyone’s favorite mini sandwiches with some classic Italian meatballs!
NOTE: For even more on this recipe, please visit the original recipe here.
Makes
24 slidersSpecial Tools
Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Air dry the bread slices on the counter overnight.
- Chop the basil and parsley. Mince the garlic cloves. Set aside.
- Tear 2 slices of bread into small pieces and add to a large bowl. Or, you can grate the day-old bread to a finer consistency.
- Add eggs, the ground meats, grated onion, ricotta, Pecorino Romano (or grated Parmesan), basil, parsley, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Use your hands to combine all of the meatball ingredients thoroughly, but don't over-work the mixture.
- Roll the meat mixture into individual meatballs that are equal in size. You can use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion out the meat so that all of the balls are uniform. The balls should be medium-packed – if they are too loosely packed, they may fall apart when smashed on the griddle.
- Fire up. Heat griddle to about 400-425°F.
- Cook. Add about 2 cups of marinara sauce to a small saucepan. Place the pan on the heated griddle to warm, stirring occasionally.
- When the griddle reaches about 400-425°F, place the meatballs down and allow them to start cooking for about 60-90 seconds. Then, flip the balls over to the other side.
- Use your spatula to gently press down on each meatball to flatten them out to about ½" thick and about the same width as your slider buns. NOTE: You don't want the meatballs to be too thin like a smash burger, because then they may fall apart on the griddle.
- Allow the flattened meatballs to cook on the first side for about 4-5 minutes, or until a nice crust develops, then flip to the second side and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- While meatballs are cooking, add about 1-2 tablespoons of butter to a clear area on the griddle and spread the melted butter around with your spatula. Toast the slider buns cut side down in the butter until lightly golden brown, then remove from the griddle.
- When meatball patties are just about done, top with about ½ slice of mozzarella cheese and about ¼ slice of provolone cheese. Allow the cheese to melt, then remove the cooked smashed meatballs from the griddle. You can use a melting dome if you wish.
- Serve. Assemble the meatball sliders. Add a bit of warm marinara sauce to the top and bottom toasted buns. Sprinkle on some chopped basil for garnish. Add the smashed meatballs and serve warm.
Sign up for a free trial of the AmazingRibs.com Pitmaster Club and experience everything that the world's largest membership-based BBQ and grilling community has to offer!
Before you can post a comment or question you must sign into our commenting partner, Disqus. This helps make sure everyone hanging around the grill is civil. We do not tolerate nastiness, racism, porn, inappropriate language, or attacks on others. All comments are the property of AmazingRibs.com and we reserve the right to quote them, edit them, delete them, and block people from making future comments.
Please leave comments and questions on the same page that is devoted to that subject so others can see questions and our answers when they are reading about the subject. You must enable JavaScript to use the comments section, and you must accept cookies to post comments. Note: the software that runs Disqus is different from the Pitmaster Club, so members need to sign into the Pitmaster Club separately.