Sliders with Hawaiin bread and leftover Christmas or Easter ham have been popular for years for a good reason: They are excellent snacks, feed a group, and are perfect for enjoying while relaxing on the couch. My version of the Best Ham Sliders deserves your attention at the next gathering as we will amp up the flavor. This is a relatively simple recipe, so the best flavor comes through adding some extra touches that most people don’t. Keep reading to make your ham sliders the best ever!
It all starts with the Ham
I love ham. I grew up around my grandparent’s smokehouse, where they would cure hams and bacon in the fall. It was always a treat when the hams would be cured and could be eaten. Since then, I’ve kept various ham recipes at home as part of my cooking. I serve my double-smoked hams at my holiday dinners, plus several times throughout the year (They’re great to get just to make sandwiches with!) They are flavorful and so tasty. While I serve them at Holiday dinners, my favorite uses involve leftovers- including this recipe for the Best Ham Sliders!
What makes these Ham Sliders the Best?
These are the best ham sliders because of a couple of tweaks to the standard recipe (you know, the one you’ll find copied on many blog sites or, more probably, from your Aunt or Grandmother.) First is the most important- fire up the grill! I use a pellet grill for this as it’s super easy to fire up and cook this recipe. A gas grill would be fine as well.
We want to impart some grilled flavor and toasting to the bread. This created a better texture and more flavor and helped keep from overcooking the bottoms of the sliders to finish baking them. In addition to the grill, my recipe adds flavor with my Woo Woo Sauce and Lucky 7 Seasoning.
Ingredients to Make These Into the Best Ham Sliders
Butter– I use cultured, unsalted butter for this recipe.
Cheese—This is a pick-your-favorite cheese item. Traditionally, it is made with sliced Swiss cheese, which is delicious. But pick your favorite. I have routinely made it with provolone, pepper jack, cheddar, and Havarti.
Buns– Hawaiin buns are traditional and bring some sweetness to the party. I also love this dish on potato bread slider buns as they aren’t sweet. However, my favorite way is to use mini pretzel buns.
Dijon Mustard- just works with ham, but for a flavor tweak, I prefer to make this with stone-ground mustard.
Woo Woo Sauce-my version of Worcestershire sauce. It’s full of umami, herbal flavor, and a delicious richness. It’s a must-try!
Cherry Bomb Hot Sauce– my Cherry Bomb Hot Sauce is the perfect “table” hot sauce. It has the heat level of a Tabasco or Louisiana hot sauce but an entirely different flavor. Hints of smokiness, depth of flavor, and a better texture set this apart. If you don’t have any, get some soon, but use your favorite hot sauce with this (optional.)
Season it up! I use my Lucky 7 seasoning. It’s made for lighter meats, seafood, and veggies, but it fits here. It adds some needed seasoning without overpowering. Feel free to use your favorite season-all, but watch out for salt-heavy seasonings as they may overpower the dish.
Poppy Seeds– Poppy seeds are traditionally added to the butter mix. I generally don’t use them.
What else do I need to know about the Best Ham Sliders?
Can these be Frozen? Yes, but I do not recommend it. Smoked Ham freezes very well, however. It’s best to freeze the ham and get fresh buns when ready to make these sliders. Leftovers are good for 2-3 days if covered in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave.
How Many Will These Feed? You can make just a few sliders by cutting down the recipe and putting as many as you want in a pan for cooking. I recommend 1-2 sliders per person if you are serving as appetizers. If you serve these as a main course, 2-3 per person is a better count. While sliders are relatively small, the richness of the butter makes these very filling.
Can I make these in the house? Certainly! I still like the “toasting of the buns” step in my recipe though, as it adds to the flavor and texture. Toasting them also heats the buns up some in the interior, so they don’t have to cook as long and risk burning the bottom of the buns. Simply toast the buns under a broiler or on a skillet if cooking indoors.
As always, I hope you enjoy!
Looking for other Ham Recipes? Try my Ham with Jalapeno Peach Glaze with or my Ham Bone and White Bean Soup
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The Best Ham Sliders Recipe
Description
These delicious Ham Sliders are definitely taken up a flavor notch by a few added ingredients along with smoky goodness from the grill.
Ingredients
1.25 stick of melted, unsalted butter, divided
1/2 TBS Dijon or stone ground mustard
1 tsp Woo Woo Sauce
1 tsp Lucky 7 Seasoning, divided
1 tsp Cherry Bomb Hot Sauce
12 Hawaiin Sweet Pretzel Slider Buns, or 12 pack of Hawaiin Rolls
6–7 ham slices from spiral-cut ham, or deli ham. Enough to cover buns.
6–8 sandwich-sized slices of Havarti or your favorite cheese slices
2 tsp Poppy seeds, optional
Instructions
Preheat smoker to 275 degrees. Melt butter.
If using Hawaiin rolls, use a bread knife and slice through the entire pack. If using cut slider buns, open them up.
Lightly brush butter on the cut side or interior of the buns, then lightly season with Lucky 7 seasoning.
Mix remaining butter, 1/2 tsp Lucky 7, Cherry Bomb Hot Sauce, Woo Woo Sauce, Dijon or stone-ground mustard, and poppy seeds, if using.
Place both sets of rolls cut side down on the grill to toast for 3-5 minutes.
Remove buns from the grill and place in a 9×13 baking dish (I use disposable aluminum pans for this.)
Layer on cheese and ham over the bottom bun. Place on the top buns, then pour the butter mixture over all of the buns.
Place back in the grill for 20-25 minutes, or until the buns are warmed and slightly toasty, and the cheese is gooey.
Serve!
