Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Teriyaki Pork Sliders

Well it seems as if every type of food is going to the "mini" stage. It may be psychological that if we eat items called "mini" we do not consider it as eating much.  It also could be that we want finger food that is eaten easily on the run.  One of the recently made popular "mini" foods is the slider burgers.  This is now followed by "mini" hot dogs.  I just hope that in the future we are all not slaving in the kitchen making 100 tiny foods to support 1 actual meal!

Regarding this recipe, I wanted to make an appetizer in a slider form, but did not want the standard burger.  After reviewing several types of sliders, pork with an asian flavor was the choice.

It proved to be a good decision. If you make these, be prepared to deflect feelings of regret and guilt that you did not make more.  Kindly remind your guests staring at their empty plates that these are appetizers-not a meal. This recipe makes 12 sliders or 4 "appetizer" servings by restaurant standards.

Teriyaki Sliders
adapted from real mom kitchen
 
6 rings of pineapple, each cut in 1/2*
Honey teriyaki bbq sauce ( I found teriyaki only and mixed in honey to taste)
3 slices of provolone cheese, each cut in fourths
4 mushrooms, sliced  ( I used Shitake)
2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup teriyaki or teriyaki stir fry sauce
4 chopped scallions (separated in 1/2)
1 lb ground pork
1 pkg dinner rolls (I used Kings Hawaiian)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
mayonnaise ( for bread spread)
flour ( may need to add in)

The first thing to do is the prep work.  Chop, slice, grate as stated in above ingredients and place each separately in a small bowl.

Take a small food processor and pulse together the mushrooms and 1/2 of scallions until finely chopped. These are small burgers, so it is important that this mixture is fine.  Put mushroom/scallion mixture in medium bowl and add teriyaki or teriyaki stir fry, breadcrumbs, pork and ginger.  Mix until evenly distributed.

Then you will need to shape the burgers.  Divide mixture into 12 portions by using 1/4 cup for each.  If you find mixture too runny, mix in flour until you reach the right consistency-this issue may be caused by using teriyaki instead of teriyaki stir fry sauce. I was unable to find teriyaki stir fry sauce.

Turn on broiler.*  Take a baking sheet and line with foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Set oven rack 4 or 5 inches from broiler.  Place patties on baking sheet.  Prepare another sheet and place the pineapple on it and a third sheet placed with split rolls (cut side up).

Each pan will need to go in separately to be broiled.  Place the rolls under the broiler in the oven and watch closely.  As soon as the edges brown, remove pan and set aside.  Do the same with the pineapple.  Lastly, broil the patties broil in oven about 3 minutes then turn and broil for another 3 minutes. Remove pan and place 1 piece of provolone on each burger and place back in oven. Leave in oven to melt (watch closely). Once cheese is melted, take out pan. 

After all is broiled, spread the top half the rolls with mayo.  Assemble the sliders by placing a pineapple piece on the bottom of the bread roll. Then add the pork patty and top with 1 tsp bbq sauce and a sprinkle of the sliced scallion.  Place the other half of the roll on top.  If you want to garnish, stick in a toothpick with a small piece of a dill pickle (or any veggie of your choice) speared on the other end.

*You can also opt to use the grill instead of the broiler for all cooked or toasted items (pork patties, pineapple and rolls). To make things easier, do not cut the pineapple rings and rolls (only split) until after grilling.