In the last few years, sliders have been popping up like daisies on menus everywhere, from greasy spoons to gastropubs. In no place are they more ubiquitous than in Tennessee, home of “The Great Slider Debate.”
Depending on who you ask, a slider is either (a) a mini-hamburger, or (b) a mini-sandwich. Unless you ask Adam Kuban, Editor Emeritus for the website Serious Eats, who unequivocally states “A slider is something very specific. It is not just a mini hamburger. It’s a thin, thin slip of beef, cooked on a griddle with onions and pickles piled atop patty. The steam from the onions does as much cooking as the griddle. The buns are placed atop the onions, absorbing the pungent aroma and flavor.”
No disrespect, but I prefer to use the broadest interpretation possible – a slider is a little bun with some yummy, mostly protein-based stuff inside. Nevertheless, while I may not agree with Mr Kuban on the defining points, I do have to give him some serious props: he has constructed what I think is probably the best traditional (i.e., beef-n-onion) slider copycat around. (I’ll drop the recipe link for you at the end of The Great Slider Debate below.) Now, moving on…
In the last few years, sliders of every make and model have been popping up like daisies on menus everywhere, from greasy spoon dive-ins to upscale gastropubs. In no place that I’ve experienced are they more ubiquitous than in Tennessee, home of The Great Slider Debate.
The Great Slider Debate
Before we get on to the Good Stuff (i.e., some amazing slow-food slider recipes), I need to introduce you to Mister White Castle and his southern cousin, Krystal.
White Castle, which first opened it’s doors in Wichita, Kansas 1921, usually gets credit for introducing sliders – little two-inch square burgers with ridiculously thin meat patties – to the world. Krystal was founded eleven years later in Chattanooga, Tennessee. If you live west of the Mississippi, you may not be familiar with either of these two burger chains, but everyone else in the country has at least a passing familiarity with at least one of them.
Currently, White Castle has a soft monopoly on the Midwestern and Northeastern states, while Krystal dominates the Southern States. In some sort of modern-day Mason-Dixon fast food standoff, Tennessee and Kentucky are the only two states in which they cross paths. Since Mr. B and I had to grab a couple of quick meals on our Tennessee trip, we decided to seize the opportunity to weigh in on what is apparently known as The Great Slider Debate. [dundunduuuun….]
Both White Castle and Krystal sliders take up about the same amount of real estate as a Saltine cracker.
Going into this, it had been at least 15 years since either Mr B or I had eaten a White Castle slider, so I thought we could be pretty objective. (Neither on of us had ever had a Krystals slider before.) However, after I took my first bite of that first White Castle slider last month, I knew it wasn’t going to be a fair contest. Nostalgia has a way of masking actual food flavors and textures by blanketing your senses in warm, fuzzy memories of days gone by. (Case in point: my Grandma Lucy’s fried bologna sandwiches.) Nevertheless, here’s our slider critique:
White Castle vs. Krystal
In both cases, we sampled the basic Cheese Slider (or Cheese Krystal, as the case may be).
- Appearance: The sliders look basically exactly the same. The White Castle slider seemed a bit loftier; it was almost as tall as it was wide. By comparison, the Krystal slider was a bit flatter and had more the appearance of a miniature burger.
- Size: I didn’t get out a caliper gauge or anything, but by all appearances, they seemed to be exactly the same size.
- Buns: White Castle buns seemed much lighter and airier than Krystal buns. More importantly, they had a very slight, yet distinct sweetness that I missed in the Krystal bun. The Krystal bun felt a little more dense, and would probably hold up a bit better if you had to take it home before eating it. [Point: White Castle, because Mr B and I liked it more.]
- Cheese: Standard fast food yellow processed cheese. Nothing distinctive in either case.
- Meat: The meat in both sliders was the same size and thickness (just under 1/4′ high). White Castle’s slider meat seemed to be slightly seasoned, whereas Krystal‘s tasted a little flat to me. (It’s possible I’m just making that up in my own head.)
- Onions: In both cases, the onions used were reconstituted from dried onion bits, or at least they tasted like they were. The onions were better on the White Castle sliders; they tasted like maybe they put a little Worcestershire sauce or beef stock or something on them to season them, or perhaps it was just “flavor crystals” from the grill. In any case, the Krystal onions were just not as flavorful. [Point: White Castle]
- Other Condiments: White Castle sliders come with a pickle. Period. Krystal sliders come with a pickle and mustard, which Mr B and I both liked, so…[Point: Krystal]
WINNER: White Castle, by a slim margin, with what was probably an unfair advantage.
Summary: If you want a sweeter, lighter slider, White Castle is the place to go. If you like a more tangy slider with a denser bun, go with Krystal. In any event, if you’ve never even once sunk your teeth into one of these little east-of-the-Mississippi coronary cloggers, it’s an experience you might want to try. At least once.
Make’em yourself: Yes! You can make traditional White Castle-esque sliders at home! Try out this recipe from the aforementioned Adam Kuban: WITE KASTLE KLONES.
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Now that’s out of the way, here are some sliders you can make at home that you can really sink your teeth into!
Seven Savory, Slow-food Southern Sliders
(Try to say that ↑ six times fast, why don’t you!)
“Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders” from Buy This Cook That
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Who could resist these Carolina Pork Sliders with Sweet Coleslaw from Little Family Adventure? (Besides the obvious vegans & vegetarians, of course.)
Carolina Pork Sliders with Sweet Coleslaw from Little Family Adventure
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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders from What a Girl Eats are the perfect comfort food, without all of the work! Pork is dry rubbed with spicy, smoky flavors, then cooked and topped with homemade BBQ sauce and creamy coleslaw. Yum!
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders from What a Girl Eats
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Southern Charmer Sliders from I am a Honey Bee (and I’m quoting her website here) are “the kind of food that when you eat you do a little shimmy. You know what I am talking about.” Sold.
Southern Charmer Sliders from I am a Honey Bee
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These Pork Tenderloin Sliders with Apples & Onions from Who Needs a Cape? are sure to be a new favorite! With tender pieces of pork and chunks of caramelized apples & onions. Delish!
Pork Tenderloin Sliders with Apples & Onions from Who Needs a Cape?
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A quick and easy dinner is only moments away. These Chicken Sliders with Peach Chutney from Food Done Light will make a delicious weeknight dinner.
Chicken Sliders with Peach Chutney from Food Done Light
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Looking for an easy lunch or dinner idea? Try these great tasting Easy BBQ Chicken Sliders from Ann’s Entitled Life. Fast, fun and simple to make, your entire family will love them!
Easy BBQ Chicken Sliders from Ann’s Entitled Life
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I’m from Chattanooga, original home of the Krystal (the company was bought out a few years ago by an Atlanta-based corporation) so I am 100% on the Krystal bandwagon. We LOVE Krystals! I can’t complain about White Castle, though. We don’t have them here but there are some in Nashville and we like them too!
Thanks, Mary! As I was prepping for this post, I did a little research, and it seems like people tend to prefer the one (White Castle or Krystal) that they grew up on, which makes sense.
Gosh, they all look so good, it’s hard to choose! Although the chicken sliders with peach chutney are calling my name! Awesome!
I love that peach & chicken combo too!
They all look so delicious! Slider really are the perfect summer meal, I think the chicken and Peach is my fave!
I’m with you – ok I haven’t even ever had Krystal, but being a Midwestern girl I have memories of White Castle from my youth, and whenever I go back to visit my family in Chicago there is always a stop at the 24 hours White Castle on the way home. There was one Christmas week where my brother picked me up from the airport and we got WC together, and then a couple hours later he picked up my sister and brother in law and stopped AGAIN at WC – and he still got sliders for himself each time. As a gag gift
for them and also for myself that same Christmas I think they were selling “slider scented candles” which I bought (and they were for charity – 100% proceeds for Autism Speak) but have never unwrapped from the plastic and tried burning…
That’s a great story, Pech! You know, I’m not big on fast food in general, but since we live so far from one, those little WC sliders are a really special treat. The frozen ones? I’m not even going there.
Honestly, sliders are awesome no matter what people think they are. I think these are all lovely recipes and all are perfect for the summer especially if you’re hosting a bbq or a picnic!
I haven’t had sliders in ages and I like your broad description vs the kinda weird one. Definitely keeping these in mind if I ever make it to Kansas or Tennessee
I am a midwestern gal who loves sliders. I have even spent my Valentine’s day at a White Castle. My definition is more like a mini sandwich.
What a great collection of slider recipes. I’ve always liked them for the size and how you can make so many different variations of them.
All of these look amazing! we just make BBQ pulled chicken slider with white american cheese and they were delicious! I can’t wait to try some of these!
I think I might have to work my way through all of them to really decide which side of the debate I agree with! 😉
I’m going with your interpretation! I love sliders! Those Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders look awesome!
I haven’t had a White Castle in years. A once and awhile treat! Never tried Krystal. Love your variety of slider recipes. I will have to try them.
What a fun idea doing the comparison. I don’t think I have wither places out here in Oregon. I also like the wider interpretation of the slider.
We definitely do not have either one here. They don’t go past the Mississippi.
The Great Slider debate- so funny. I have never heard of that…but the Carolina Pork sliders look so yummy! All of these do!
Loving all of these recipes! I have never made sliders myself, they aren’t as well known in the UK but they do look delicious
I don’t think I’ve ever had either brand of sliders, but fried chicken sliders are my thing and I could eat several in one sitting!
We use to always make an obligatory stop at Krystal when we would go to Tennessee for vacation! I’m much more of a fan for a big juicy slider like those Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders!
Thanks for sharing the recipes 🙂
Carolina girl here, and I know all about what you’re talkin’. Sliders are the trendy snack lately, and southern sliders are really the best of the best. I’m from a town that is famous for barbecue so you can find some tasty barbecue sliders on the menu at a lot of places. These look delicious too!
We don’t have a Krystal here but I have eaten at them when visiting my family in Tennessee. Your post just reminded me of them and times we have shared! 🙂 I love sliders and making them for get togethers at my house. They are always a crowd pleaser and I love the different twists these recipes provide!
Sliders can be great as you get loads of tastes of things but it always makes me want more x
I LOVE your definition of a slider… and I’m going to start using these recipes! My mouth started watering reading them. Pinning them for later!
I really like the idea of adding coleslaw to a slider. The crunchy texture and creamy flavor take the meatiness up a notch.
These all look so tasty! I think sliders are just such a fun way to eat burgers. Same ingredients, just smaller bites. Fun!
I have only tried Krystal sliders. I have not had the chance to try White Castle. There isn’t one anywhere near me. I have to say that the Krystal sliders to me are no that good. I am hoping that the White Castle ones are better.
I always thought of sliders as mini burgers or sandwiches and I haven’t really thought about the whole debate about it. So long as the family enjoys them, it doesn’t matter what they are called.
I love how versatile these sliders are. They can be prepared so many ways and are perfect for outdoor family gatherings.