BBQ Beef Sliders

Name: BBQ Beef Sliders
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 12 ounce Hawaiian Rolls; 1 pound ground beef; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 Tablespoon minced garlic; 3 Tablespoons BBQ sauce (plus extra for a quick squeeze over everything before placing the bun top and baking.); 6 ounces shredded Pepper Jack Cheese (about 1 ¾ cups); 6 ounces shredded Colby Jack Cheese (about 1 ¾ cups); 6 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled); 2 Tablespoons salted butter; 1-2 Tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning

JUMP TO RECIPE

These easy BBQ Beef Sliders are loaded with seasoned beef, melty cheese, and crispy bacon on soft Hawaiian rolls. Good for dinner or gameday!

SIMPLE SLIDERS DINNER RECIPE

BBQ Beef Sliders are an easy weeknight dinner, great game day hand held food, or party-perfect appetizer. We love sliders at my house. Just search for “sliders” here on my site and you’ll see how much I love them – ha! I make them pretty often because they’re pretty simple to make and you just have to add some chips or fries and dinner is done!

Close up looking at a few BBQ Beef Sliders being pulled apart.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What to serve with BBQ Beef Sliders?

I like to serve them with French Fries or tater tots and call it a day. It’s even good just with some chips. But you can serve with steamed veggies and a salad too.

What type of cheese is best to use?

You can use whatever form of cheese you have on hand, whether it’s slices, pre-shredded or shredded off the block. I prefer off the block if possible as it’s generally cheaper at the moment and usually melts better.
Feel free to experiment with the types of cheese you use. If you want a bolder flavor opt for sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack. For smokey flavor try smoked Gouda. For a yummy, nutty meltier cheese try Havarti, Gruyere or Swiss.

What other things can I add?

If you have fried onions on hand, this is a delicious option to add on top of everything before adding the roll top and baking.

How to store leftover sliders?

Leftover sliders can be stored in a container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. The bread may get soggy over time. I don’t recommend trying to freeze these.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

Hawaiian Rolls
ground beef– if you don’t have ground beef, you can use ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork instead.
garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika – my standard seasoning trifecta. I love what the smoked paprika adds to this but if you don’t have smoked, just se regular if you have it.
garlic – I prefer freshly minced garlic but sometimes I forget to buy it so the jarred stuff is fine if that is what you have.
BBQ sauce– grab a bottle of your favorite brand of BBQ sauce or make some Homemade BBQ sauce.
Pepper Jack Cheese – I don’t find pepper jack cheese spicy but if you are worried it will be too much for you, just use all Colby Jack cheese.
Colby Jack Cheese – you can have fun with the cheese here. Use your favorite. Standard cheddar works just fine too.
bacon– cooked and crumbled. I like to make some fresh bacon, but you can make some microwave bacon or use the bagged bacon pieces if that’s what you prefer. If you don’t like bacon, you can omit it and these sliders will still be delicious.
salted butter– you could use unsalted butter and salt to taste later, if worried about sodium intake, but really, salted butter doesn’t have much in it anyway.
Everything Bagel Seasoning– if you don’t have this seasoning, just use some poppy seeds and dried onion flakes.

Hawaiian rolls, ground beef, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, minced garlic, BBQ sauce, shredded Pepper Jack cheese, shredded Colby Jack cheese, cooked crumbled bacon, butter, and Everything Bagel seasoning.

HOW TO MAKE BBQ BEEF SLIDERS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the ground beef to a large skillet. Cook and crumble the meat until it is no longer pink. Drain excess grease and put back into the skillet. Add the minced garlic and cook for about one minute. Add the ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 3 Tablespoons of BBQ Sauce. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside. Cut the Hawaiian Rolls in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a baking sheet.

A pot of seasoned meat and bottoms of the Hawaiian rolls on a baking sheet.

Add the 6 ounces of shredded Pepper Jack cheese to the bottom half of the rolls. Spoon the cooked ground beef over the Pepper Jack cheese.

Hawaiian roll bottoms with cheese and beef.

Add 6 ounces of shredded Colby Jack cheese on top of the beef. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the cheese.

More cheese and bacon being added to the beef and rolls.

Give a healthy squeeze of BBQ over the top of everything. Place the other half of the rolls on top.

BBQ sauce being added to the sliders and slider buns being added to the top.

Add the butter to a small bowl and microwave until melted. Watch carefully and do this in small increments or it may boil over in the microwave creating a mess! (Don’t ask how I know this!) Use a pastry brush to slather the top and sides of the sliders. Sprinkle the Everything Bagel Seasoning over the top of everything.

A pastry brush brushing melted butter and seasoning on top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack for about 10-15 minutes until cheese has fully melted and tops are golden brown. Then remove it from the oven and serve!