Smash Slider and Brats Bar with Quick Chili and Pimento Cheese Recipe

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Active Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours 20 minutes
Ease of Preparation: Intermediate

Ingredients

Quick Chili:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 pound ground beef (85 percent lean)
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Two 14.5-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• Two 16-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Oven-Roasted Brats:

• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large red onion, sliced into half moons
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 bratwurst sausages (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 5 hearty brat buns, split

Pimento Cheese:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• One 4-ounce jar diced pimentos, drained
• 2 cups shredded yellow sharp Cheddar (about 8 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons grated onion
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pink Himalayan salt

Secret Sauce:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 2 teaspoons pickle brine
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Sliders:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (85 percent lean)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 12 soft slider buns, such as King's Hawaian Sweet Rolls or Martin’s Potato Rolls, split Bread and butter pickles, sliced tomato, lettuce and thinly sliced white onion, for serving

Directions

For the quick chili: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until browned. Sprinkle in the chili powder, smoked paprika and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and beans. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the flavors marry and the chili thickens up, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

For the oven-roasted brats: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add both the red and yellow bell peppers, onion and garlic to a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss together to combine, then spread in an even layer. Arrange the brats on the baking sheet, also in an even layer. Roast, turning everything about halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and the brats are cooked through, about 25 minutes.

For the pimento cheese: Add the cream cheese and mayonnaise to a medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the pimentos, Cheddar, onion, hot sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes more. The pimento cheese will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

For the secret sauce: Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle brine, yellow mustard, sriracha, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

For the sliders: Combine the beef and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands, then form the mixture into 12 slider patties slightly bigger than the buns you purchased. Place on a plate.

Spray a large cast-iron skillet with cooking spray, then set it over medium-high heat until very hot. Add 4 of the slider patties to the skillet and press down on them with a metal spatula to flatten. Cook until crispy and browned, about 2 minute per side. Remove the burgers and add to the split buns. Repeat with the remaining sliders.

Serve the sliders on their buns with pickles, tomato, lettuce, white onion, special sauce, chili and/or pimento cheese.

Serve the brats on their buns topped with the chili or pimento cheese.

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