Kick up your mini burger game by making these mouthwatering animal style burger sliders! You may want to double the recipe because they will get gobbled up quick! I’ll walk you through the simple process below.
What is Animal Style on a Burger?
Animal style has it’s origins from In-N-Out Burger and is a flavorful combination of the following ingredients:
- Grilled onions
- Pickles
- Cheese
- Burger sauce (also known as “spread”)
- Mustard-grilled beef patty
- Toasted buns
In this recipe, we will walk you through the process to make these In-N-Out animal style burgers in slider form. Note that animal style is also used on fries (minus the beef patty, pickles, and toasted buns).
Form and Cook Your Beef Patties
Using a pound and a half of ground beef (about 24 ounces), break it up into 12 portions and form beef patties. You’ll want them to be about an inch thick and 2.5 to 3 inches wide. Season each patty with my Rocky Mtn Beef Rub, and cook on a grill or griddle at medium-high heat, around 400 degrees. Brush the tops of the patties with mustard.
Grilling the Onion
The type of grilled onion used in animal style is diced white onion. Simply dice half an onion and cook on the griddle (or in a large skillet) with a tablespoon of avocado oil. As with the burgers, cook them at medium-high heat, doing so for five to seven minutes. They are done when the diced onions become translucent and start to brown on the edges.
Depending on the size of your griddle, you can cook the onions side by side with the burger patties. If cooking on a grill, move the patties to one side and place a skillet with the diced onions on the other side.
Toast the Slider Buns
Another element to the In-N-Out burger sliders is the toasted buns. These can be done on a grill, but are best achieved on a full, even surface such as a griddle. Lightly butter the inside of your slider buns (I use King’s Hawaiian rolls cut in half) and place face down on the cooking surface for 30 to 45 seconds.
The goal is to have a golden brown toasted crust on the inside. If the buns don’t have this after 30 to 45 seconds, then place back on the griddle face down again for 15 second intervals until they are exactly how you like them. Remove from the griddle and set the slider buns onto a cutting board.
What is Spread (aka – Burger Sauce)?
In the In-N-Out vernacular, the term “spread” is used to refer to a burger sauce. Making the burger sauce is quite easy. For my own burger sauce recipe, I use the following:
- 1 Cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 Cup ketchup
- 1/4 Cup BBQ sauce
- 2 Tbsp relish
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, stir for 20 to 30 seconds, and it’s done! This sauce is also great for dipping french fries!
Assemble the Animal Style Burger Sliders
With everything is cooked and prepped, it is time to assemble the sliders! Make sure to follow in this order:
- Bottom bun
- Burger sauce
- Pickle
- Burger patty
- Cheese
- Grilled onion
- More burger sauce
- Top bun
That’s it! You now have some of the best burger sliders you’ll ever make. You will become a legend at parties for bringing these.
Which Type of Cheese Should I Use for Animal Style?
The classic type of cheese to use for animal style burgers (and fries) are the American cheese slices, such as Kraft Singles. This cheese melts better and are identical to what is used at In-N-Out. With that said, no one is stopping you from classing it up with other types of cheese.
How Long Are these Sliders Good For?
While the animal style burger sliders are best eaten right away, you can always put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds if they get to room temp after sitting out. If eating later, then sliders can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Similar Recipes to Try:
Hawaiian Roll Cheeseburger Sliders
Animal Style Burger Sliders (In-N-Out Copycat)
Kick up your mini burger game by making these mouthwatering animal style burger sliders! You may want to double the recipe because they will get gobbled up quick! Burger sauce recipe (aka - "spread") also included.
Ingredients
- 24 oz. ground beef
- 12 slider buns or 12-pack of Hawaiian rolls
- 1/4 Cup mustard
- 3 Tbsp beef seasoning
- 1/2 Cup white onion, diced
- 12 sliced pickles
- six cheese slices
- 3 Tbsp butter, softened
Burger Sauce (or "Spread")
- 1 Cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 Cup ketchup
- 1/4 Cup BBQ sauce
- 2 Tbsp relish
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat griddle to medium high heat (around 400 degrees)
- Form 12 beef patties that are 2.5 to 3 inches wide. Season with a quality beef seasoning such as my Rocky Mtn Beef Rub.
- Place patties on griddle and brush tops with mustard. Flip after a few minutes and cook until done. Remove and set aside.
- Cook diced onion on the same griddle at the same time (if possible) with a Tablespoon of avocado oil. Cook until onions become translucent and edges are brown. Remove and set aside.
- Apply butter to insides of slider buns or Hawaiian rolls) and place face down on griddle, cooking for 30 to 45 seconds or until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Make burger sauce by combining mayo, ketchup, BBQ sauce, relish, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Mix for 20 to 30 seconds or until ingredients are well blended together.
- Place bottom portion of slider buns on cutting board and apply the following ingredients in order: burger sauce, pickles, burger patties, cheese, grilled onions, more burger sauce, and crown them with the top half of the toasted buns. Separate into 12 individual sliders and serve.
Notes
- While 80/20 ground beef is preferred for its flavor, any other meat-to-fat ratios of ground beef are fine.
- A 12-pack of Hawaiian rolls sliced in half are what I use, but individual pre-cut slider buns are great too.
- Kraft Singles are the cheese of choice as they melt the best and most closely resemble the cheese used at In-N-Out.
- Can be cooked on a grill on in a skillet.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 sliderAmount Per Serving: Calories: 290Total Fat: 100gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 750mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 15g
NOTE: Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
