Lamb Sliders with Goat Cheese and Pepper Jelly

These Lamb Sliders are just what your get together is looking for. Tender lamb sliders topped with tangy goat cheese and sweet and spicy hot pepper jelly!

Why Lamb Sliders?

Did you know May is Burger Month? I didn’t! To me it has always been the last month of the school year, the time we celebrate moms, and of course MY BIRTHDAY!

But May is so much more than that. It is the start of summer vacations and grilling season. What can be more fun than hanging out with your friends and chowing down on some burgers?

I know, I know!! Chowing down on some sliders, because I’m all about the smaller sizes. But not just any sliders…LAMB SLIDERS!

Now, if you haven’t tried lamb in your burgers before, don’t fret. These sliders are the perfect size to let you try them out before you buy the whole thing.

A subpar analogy because I wouldn’t really buy a WHOLE lamb, just a loin, a few chops, and some ground up for these sliders.

Buckle up for some extremely good lamb sliders that have a little kick to them!

Lamb Burger Recipe

If you are worried that a lamb burger recipe is different than a beef burger, you can stop worrying right this instant. It’s the same!!! Just switch out ground beef for ground lamb. It’s as easy as that!

You might also be tempted to turn this ground lamb recipe into something with a Greek or Mediterranean spin, but you don’t have to. I am adding some “Greek” items to it but the end result isn’t really Greek at all.

It’s just full on delicious!

If you are thinking that ground lamb might have a “gamey” taste to it, think again. I only experience a slightly “gamier” taste when eating chops or a loin and even then it is not as extreme as you might think.

What are the ingredients for Lamb Sliders?

The ingredients are few in number but big on flavor!

• Ground Lamb (of course)
• Goat Cheese
• Greek Seasoning
• Lemon Zest

That’s all she wrote, folks! You might think I am weird putting goat cheese IN the burger mixture but I did that for two reasons.

1. I love the tanginess of goat cheese and it pairs well with the taste of lamb. Maybe that’s why you see Greek Lamb Burgers all the time that have goat cheese on them. Don’t get me wrong, I will hoover the mess out of a few of those babies in a nanosecond. But that is not the direction I want to go here. I am leaning toward the hotter side of life:)
2. The goat cheese is added to keep the slider juicy and cream cheese is just too heavy for it.

Don’t give me grief about adding my Greek Seasoning to the mixture either. Go ahead and say it. Ground lamb, goat cheese, and Greek seasoning is a Greek lamb burger…. True in some sense but not this one.

I chose the Greek seasoning instead of any of my other spice mixes because the thyme, lemon pepper, and oregano in it really keeps the flavors bright. This is important because I am adding some pretty intense flavors to the lamb sliders later!

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Ground Lamb Burgers vs Sliders

Making sliders is essentially the same as making burgers just smaller. I know that sounded dumb for me to actually have to say that but making something smaller isn’t just about size.

Tips for making sliders

• First off, mix the slider ingredients together as shown above. Mix with your hands because it’s gentler and be sure NOT to over mix. Over mixing, like with baked goods, makes your burgers come out crumbly and dry. You are making them smaller, you certainly don’t want to make them tough!

• Second, portion the sliders evenly so when you cook them, they all cook for the same length of time. You don’t want 3 small hockey pucks and 1 large one that is raw in the middle. I use an ice cream scoop to make sure they are all the same size.

• Third, make them flatter and more spread out than you might think. Burgers tend to shrink up when you cook them and if you are starting out with smaller burgers you might end up with meatballs instead of sliders.

• Lastly, once you have the ingredients mixed, portioned, and pressed into patties, chill them for about 10 minutes. Chilling them will help keep the inside from cooking too fast while you are getting that great sear on the outside of the slider patty. That’s my favorite part!

Thinner might scare you because they can easily over cook, but that is why you only need to cook them for a couple of minutes. A shorter cook time for sure but I also want my lamb slider to cover my slider bun and not be a speck inside of all that bread.

Don’t worry about them drying out, the goat cheese is there to help!

FAQ about lamb sliders:

• Q: Do I need to mix any other meat in with it?
  A: No you don’t. Lamb is great all by itself!
• Q: What if I don’t want to add the goat cheese?
  A: That’s perfectly fine. Leave it out if you prefer.
• Q: Is lamb fatty?
  A: Depends on the cut. Most 1 pound packages of ground lamb is about 80-20.
• Q: How long is ground lamb good for?
  A: 1-2 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Best way to cook sliders?

If you are grilling that is great for burgers and hot dogs, but sliders are small and tend to slip through the grates on the grill.

I prefer to cook mine in a cast iron skillet on the stove, but you can also do this on the grill too. Oh the joys of using cast iron!!

Just get the pan, grill pan, griddle pan screaming hot, add a little oil to it. I use avocado oil because of the high smoke point but feel free to use canola or vegetable oil too.

Sear your lamb sliders a few at a time. Don’t crowd the pan or you will drop the temperature too much and you won’t get a good sear. It only takes a minute or two on either side to get a good crust and keep the inside medium to medium rare.

Everyone likes their burger a different temp so be sure to check them often. And touch them with your finger or use a thermometer. DON’T, I repeat, DON’T cut the slider open to see if it’s done. All the glorious juice will run out and leave you with a dry patty.

When they are done to your liking, remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Now comes the fun stuff. I mean the spicy stuff….

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Just before serving, top with some cheese and either stick back on the grill with a minute to melt it, or I like to use my broiler. It concentrates the heat to the top of the slider and doesn’t really cook the inside of the patty, thus keeping it juicy!

A sprinkle of this fiery goodness and melted over that delicious lamb slider still isn’t the end of this epicness. Oh no, I keep going. With hot pepper jelly!

Yes, that hot pepper jelly you pour over a block of cream cheese and eat with crackers, or your fingers, or what ever makes you happy. That hot pepper jelly!

Just mix the jelly with a little water to thin it out and then spoon it on top of that melty, hot, spicy cheese. Then top with a bun and you are good to go!

Small, portable, juicy, meaty, cheesy, and spicy. All the qualities I enjoy most in a man. I mean burger! Burger, I mean burger…

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