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Cheeseburger sliders with melted American cheese and diced onions

Copycat White Castle Venison Burgers

  • Duration

    1 hour

  • Skill level

    Beginner

  • Serves

    6
Chef’s notes

White Castle burgers are in a class of their own. Their size makes them more like sliders (you could easily eat several in one sitting), and the meat and buns are steamed. While you won’t get crispy patty edges and fresh-off-the-griddle aromas, the pillowy, moist buns and tender patties packed with onion flavor certainly stand for themselves. There’s something distinctly homey and comforting about the simplicity of White Castle.

So, here’s my version made with venison. Although this recipe isn’t exactly like the steamed method that White Castle uses to make their burgers, I think the texture and flavor are pretty darn close. You could use straight venison, but I prefer a 90-10 mixture of grind to pork fat.

white castle burger

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. ground venison
  • ½ cup milk
  • ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 (1 oz.) packet Lipton Onion Soup/Dip Mix
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 packet dinner/slider rolls (12 rolls)
  • 12 slices American cheese
  • Salt, to taste
  • Bread and butter pickles, optional

Also works with

Any ground meat

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine milk and Panko breadcrumbs and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the milk. Next, combine ground venison, milk, and breadcrumb mixture with the onion soup/dip mix in a large bowl.

  2. Lightly spray a rimmed 10x15 cookie sheet and evenly spread out the venison mixture from edge to edge, using a rolling pin to help achieve even thickness. Bake in a 375°F oven, on the middle rack, for 10 minutes. Then add diced onion around the edges of the meat–the meat will shrink as it cooks. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes to soften the onion. While the meat is cooking, use a bread knife to split each roll.

  3. Evenly distribute the softened onion over the meat and lightly sprinkle with salt. Cover with cheese slices. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Assemble burgers and serve immediately with pickles.

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Save this recipe

Copycat White Castle Venison Burgers

Recipe by:Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Cheeseburger sliders with melted American cheese and diced onions
  • Duration

    1 hour

  • Skill level

    Beginner

  • Serves

    6
Chef’s notes

White Castle burgers are in a class of their own. Their size makes them more like sliders (you could easily eat several in one sitting), and the meat and buns are steamed. While you won’t get crispy patty edges and fresh-off-the-griddle aromas, the pillowy, moist buns and tender patties packed with onion flavor certainly stand for themselves. There’s something distinctly homey and comforting about the simplicity of White Castle.

So, here’s my version made with venison. Although this recipe isn’t exactly like the steamed method that White Castle uses to make their burgers, I think the texture and flavor are pretty darn close. You could use straight venison, but I prefer a 90-10 mixture of grind to pork fat.

white castle burger

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. ground venison
  • ½ cup milk
  • ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 (1 oz.) packet Lipton Onion Soup/Dip Mix
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 packet dinner/slider rolls (12 rolls)
  • 12 slices American cheese
  • Salt, to taste
  • Bread and butter pickles, optional

Also works with

Any ground meat

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine milk and Panko breadcrumbs and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the milk. Next, combine ground venison, milk, and breadcrumb mixture with the onion soup/dip mix in a large bowl.

  2. Lightly spray a rimmed 10x15 cookie sheet and evenly spread out the venison mixture from edge to edge, using a rolling pin to help achieve even thickness. Bake in a 375°F oven, on the middle rack, for 10 minutes. Then add diced onion around the edges of the meat–the meat will shrink as it cooks. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes to soften the onion. While the meat is cooking, use a bread knife to split each roll.

  3. Evenly distribute the softened onion over the meat and lightly sprinkle with salt. Cover with cheese slices. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Assemble burgers and serve immediately with pickles.