Hamburger Sliders with Bacon Cherry Compote

Fire up the grill this summer and make a twist on a classic: Beef Sliders with homemade Bacon Cherry Compote! Juicy all-natural USDA Choice beef burgers are topped with a smoky-sweet-tart compote to make the ultimate summertime entertaining finger food! Makes 12 sliders.

Since it’s the summertime, we’ve been firing up our grill recently and having a blast cooking all of our favorite foods.

Which is why I’m so excited to share this new recipe with y’all today—because my friends at Sprouts Farmers Market reached out and challenged me to make a summertime grilled finger food that incorporated fresh stone fruit, like cherries.

Obviously, challenge accepted.

And my brain went in the direction of hamburger sliders (because they’re the ultimate finger food) with a Cherry Compote… chock full of the sweet-tart stone fruit and the smokiness of bacon.

When I tell you that these little sliders are the ultimate kind of summer entertaining finger food, please believe me. I’ll be making them from here to eternity because they hit so many levels of savory, sweet, salty and smoky.

More summertime grilling recipes: Cheeseburger Kebabs | Sauerkraut Burgers | Classic Salmon Burgers | Grilled Zucchini Rollatini

What you’ll need to make Hamburger Sliders with Bacon Cherry Compote

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• A saucepan to make the cherry compote
• Grill (or a grill pan)
• Tongs
• A large mixing bowl to mix the sliders in

In addition to these tools, I grabbed all the ingredients for this recipe at Sprouts and chose to highlight all-natural USDA Choice ground beef because a ground beef slider is the kind of slider I adore.

I’ve been a Sprouts fan for years because I love their affordable prices and their awesome products. (HI. Their Hawaiian rolls are a part of this recipe for a reason. They’re SO fluffy and perfect when paired with a savory slider like this one.)

I highly suggest you visit your neighborhood Sprouts to gather the ingredients for this recipe, too!

How to make Bacon Cherry Compote

First and foremost, pit and seed the cherries. You can use a cherry pitter if you have one, though you can also run a knife around the equator of the cherry to half it before popping the pit out. Set ‘em aside.

Chop the bacon into a fine dice, and chop the onion, too.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, get the onion and bacon cooking. Stir ‘em regularly until the bacon crisps up and the onions begin caramelizing. This should take around 10 minutes.

Next, add the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar. Stir ‘em into the mixture, letting the vinegar deglaze the plan. This step will take 2-3 minutes, tops.

After that, you’ll measure in the halved cherries, and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook them for an additional 15-20 minutes, uncovered, or until the cherries are soft and the juices have boiled off, leaving a thick and luscious compote.

How to Make Hamburger Sliders

Preheat your grill before you make the slider patties.

In a glass bowl, measure out the ground beef, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Use your hands to massage them together until the ingredients are incorporated.

Using your hands, roll the sliders into 2 ½ oz. balls, and then press into patties. We used our kitchen scale to accurately weigh these hamburger sliders, but if you want to eyeball yours, be my guest! Ours were ¾” tall and 3” across when we flattened them out into a patty.

Repeat the process until all the slider patties have been made, and place them all on a plate that you can easily take outside to the grill. (We cut individual pieces of wax paper to separate ours for easy placement on the grill, but truly, you don’t have to do this.)

When the grill has reached the optimal temperature, place the hamburgers onto the grates. Grill the first side for 5 minutes and the second side for 2 minutes, and then remove from the grill.

Please note that you can always adjust the cooking time based on what doneness you want for your burgers. Since these are sliders and we were feeding our kids, we wanted them to be more on the well-done side.

Turn off the grill, and place the Hawaiian buns on the top rack. Let them toast in the ambient heat for 5 minutes.

Serve the Hamburger Sliders

Place the slider patties onto the grilled buns.

Add a dollop of the Bacon Cherry Compote.

Add the bun’s top and enjoy immediately.

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

Hamburger sliders are an incredible and delicious finger food for summertime entertaining. And when you add this Bacon Cherry Compote, guests and hosts are in for a treat because these are truly something special!

Here are a few tips and tricks for making these beauties for any entertaining event this summer. Also, these would be an amazing meal on Father’s Day or for any patriotic holiday.

• Double or triple the recipe for a crowd.
• Don’t have a grill? Make the hamburger sliders on the stovetop on a griddle or in a cast iron skillet.
• Form your hamburger patties in advance so all you have to do when guests arrive is to grill them! Keep ‘em cool in the fridge until it’s grilling time.
• Make the bacon cherry compote in advance. This goodness keeps in the fridge for up to a week, so make it and keep it cool.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some other recipes I can pair with these sliders?

I would pair these sliders with No Mayo Potato Salad or Grilled Shishito Peppers because they both play nicely with the red meat.

I’d serve it with a class of Cherry Lemon Tea or even an Arnold Palmer mocktail.

Quick tips for making Hamburger Sliders and Bacon Cherry Compote

• Make these homemade sliders gluten free by serving them on gluten free slider buns. (Read the ingredients to confirm your Worcestershire sauce is GF, too!)
• Store your leftovers separately—meaning the buns, hamburger sliders and compote should all have their own food-safe containers in the refrigerator. They’ll easily last 2-3 days.
• If you want to get out ahead of this recipe, make the Bacon Cherry Compote 1-2 days beforehand, and store it in the fridge.

Other burger recipes to try:

• Pan Fried Hamburgers
• Classic Salmon Burgers
• Louisiana Cajun Turkey Burgers with Étouffée Relish and Creamy Cajun Sauce

Grilled Hamburger Sliders with Bacon Cherry Compote

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

Fire up the grill this summer and make a twist on a classic: Beef Sliders with homemade Bacon Cherry Compote! Juicy USDA choice beef burgers are topped with a smoky-sweet-tart compote to make the ultimate summertime entertaining finger food!

4.50 from 2 votes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings 12 sliders

Calories 396 kcal

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Chilling Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

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Classic Slider Burgers

• 2 lbs. 85/20 ground beef
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground if possible
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 12 Sprouts Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls or 12 slider burger buns

Bacon Cherry Compote (Makes 1 ¼ cups)

• 1 lb. fresh cherries
• 3 slices bacon diced
• ½ onion finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Tongs

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Instructions

 

• Make the Compote
• Pit and seed the cherries. Cut them in half.
• Chop the bacon into a fine dice, and chop the onion, too.
• Place the onion and bacon in saucepan over medium high heat. Stir regularly, mixing the ingredients, until the bacon crisps up and the onions begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
• Add the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar. Stir until incorporated and the vinegar has deglazed the pan, about 2-3 minutes.
• Measure in the halved cherries, and lower the heat to medium-low.
  Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, uncovered, or until the cherries are soft and the juices have boiled off, leaving a thick and luscious compote.
• Transfer to a glass jar or another food storage container, and chill in the fridge. While you can enjoy the compote hot, we found that it holds together better once it’s been refrigerated for 1-2 hours.
• Make and Cook the Burgers
• Preheat the grill to 600F. This may take a few minutes, so I fire mine up before I form the slider patties.
• Place the ground beef, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl together. Using your hands, massage them together until incorporated.
• Roll burgers into 2 ½ oz. balls, and then press into patties. (Ours were ¾” tall and 3” across.)
• Repeat the process until all the slider patties have been made, and place them all on a plate that you can easily take outside to the grill.
• Place the burgers onto the hot grill. Grill the first side for 5 minutes and the second side for 2 minutes, then remove from the grill. (You can always adjust the cooking time based on what doneness you want for your burgers. Since these are sliders and we were feeding our kids, we wanted them to be more on the well-done side.)
• Turn off the grill, and place the Hawaiian buns on the top rack. Let cook in the ambient heat for 5 minutes, or until they get a little color.
• Serve the Sliders
• Place the slider patties onto the grilled buns.
• Add a dollop of the Bacon Cherry Compote.
• Add the bun’s top and enjoy immediately.
  

Notes

Please note the total cook time is for the combined compote and burgers. The sliders WILL NOT cook for 40 minutes on the grill.

How big should slider patties be?

Your slider patties can be as big or little as you like. Ours ended up being ¾” tall and 3” across after we flattened them out and before we grilled them.

Can I use frozen cherries if I don’t have fresh ones?

I think part of the beauty of these sliders is the fresh cherry compote, but if you can’t find fresh cherries (or they’re out of season), you could absolutely use frozen cherries. Just be sure that they’re thawed so they cook up a little faster.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 396kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 25gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 858mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11g

Keyword beef, cherry, entree, finger food, grilled, grilling

Course Entrees

Cuisine American

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