Grilled Burger Skewers
These Grilled Burger Skewers are mini cheeseburgers on a stick. Small beef patties come off the grill in about 10 minutes, then get stacked with melty cheese, homemade burger sauce, and all the classic burger fixings on a cocktail pick.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the Burgers:
- 1 lb ground beef 80 or 85% lean
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 slices thick-cut sandwich bread cut into quarters
- 4 slices cheddar or American cheese cut into quarters (optional)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes or campari tomatoes sliced
- ½ cup pickle chips
- 16 pieces of butter lettuce
- 16 cocktail picks
For the Burger Sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped pickles or pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or pickle juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Burgers:
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, about 400°F.
- Shape the ground beef into small, thin patties about 3 inches in diameter. You should get about 16 patties from 1 pound of beef. Press a shallow dimple into the center of each one so they don't puff up on the grill. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place the patties on the hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. They're done when there's no pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 160°F.
- Optional: during the last minute of cooking, top each patty with a quarter slice of cheese so it melts.
- While the grill is hot, toast the quartered bread for 30-60 seconds per side until golden. Don't skip this. Toasted bread is what keeps the skewers from getting soggy.
- Spread about a teaspoon of burger sauce on each piece of toasted bread, then set a patty on top. Layer in this order: lettuce, tomato, pickle chip. The lettuce goes down first to keep tomato juice out of the bread.
- Push a cocktail pick straight down through the center of each mini burger. Serve right away.
For the Burger Sauce:
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.
- Stir in the chopped pickles or relish, vinegar, and seasonings.
- Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
- Don't overwork the beef. Handle it as little as possible when shaping. Packed-tight patties turn out dense and tough at this size.
- The patties should look too big. A 3-inch raw patty shrinks down to roughly the size of a quartered bread slice as it cooks.
- Watch them closely on the grill. These are small and go from juicy to dry fast, so stay put and pull them as soon as they're done.
- Use a grill basket if your grates are wide. Small patties can slip through. Heavy-duty foil with a few holes poked in it works too.
- Sauce the bread, not the patty. It keeps the base from going soft while the skewers sit out.
- Toast the bread every time. It's the difference between a skewer that holds together and one that falls apart.
- Bread options: Thick-cut sandwich bread quartered is my go-to. Slider buns or Hawaiian rolls also work if you want a more traditional mini burger, though they're softer and best assembled right before serving.
- Beef choice matters: Stick with 80 or 85% lean. Anything leaner than 90% comes out dry at this patty size.
- Make ahead: Grill the patties and mix the sauce up to a day in advance, then assemble within an hour of serving.
- Storage: Keep patties separate from the bread and toppings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- How many to make: Figure 3 to 4 skewers per person as an appetizer, 5 to 6 as a main.