Teriyaki Steak and Pineapple Sliders meld steak sandwiches with Asian flavors and sweet pineapple for a shareable entrée that everyone will love. There is no need for expensive steak for this recipe. The steak is marinated in a sweet and spicy Asian infusion that tenderizes the meat while imparting big-time flavor!
What is it about sliders that are so damn endearing? Is it their cute, small stature, or the fact that you can hold a slider in one hand and a cold beer in the other with ease?! Both…both of these facts make sliders the shit, but I also love them because they’re the perfect addition to any party buffet.
You can have a slider and still try all the other offerings of a party buffet without growing an enormous food baby!
The slider that started it all, the hamburger slider, is a delightful classic, but I wanted to do something a little bit different for this recipe. I kept the beef and went with sirloin steak. I always love the combination of sweet, spicy and savory flavors, and Asian ingredients are a great way to achieve this flavor combo.
My Asian marinade is a bit different than a typical teriyaki marinade because I include sweet Thai chili sauce. I love this stuff! I use it as an ingredient in recipes often because it packs such a punch for one single ingredient. I also use some of the pineapple juice from the pineapple rings for a little tropical vibe.
For the steak marinade, I use plenty of soy sauce along with chili garlic sauce and ginger to bring some heat to the party. After marinating, a good sear and a little time in a cast iron ensure the steaks end up with beautiful caramelization that seals in all the juices.
The final trick to getting tender, juicy steak in every sandwich is letting the steaks rest after cooking and then slicing thinly and against the grain. If you’re thinking, “against the what?!” then think of the steak like a piece of fabric that is woven one direction.
Direction of the grain
Cut against the grain
Once you locate the direction of the fibers, turn your knife 90 degrees and get to slicing.
Slicing against the grain ensures you don’t get that doomsday situation where you bite into a sandwich and half of the goodies inside come pouring out. Thin steak slices that have been cut properly will give you nice clean bites!
You really don’t need to add much more to this steak, but for ultimate deliciousness, I did! First, a Hawaiian style slider bun is just the right match for the sweet and spicy flavors. They are so soft and sweet and soak up all the juices from the steak.
I’m always a fan of a good sauce for my sandwiches and sliders, and it typically starts with mayo because I f*cking love it. ? For my Teriyaki Steak Sliders, I just combined a little sweet Thai chili sauce and mayo for a creamy sauce that echoes the flavors of the steak. I also like a little extra heat, so I added Sriracha but that’s optional if you don’t like your food too spicy.
Last but not least, the sliders are adorned with sautéed onions and jalapenos, shredded green cabbage, and half a pineapple ring to brings some freshness, color, and crunch to the sliders.
Teriyaki Steak and Pineapple Sliders offer so much flavor in a cute little package. Umami, sweet, spicy, bitter, tropical, salty…the list of flavors in this recipe are almost endless! Try out the recipe and see for yourself!
Helpful Utensils
Take the guesswork out of a perfectly cooked steak with a digital thermometer!
Teriyaki Steak and Pineapple Sliders
Ingredients
Marinade
- ⅓ C soy sauce
- ⅓ Thai sweet chili sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tb chili garlic sauce
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 Tb honey
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ C pineapple juice*
Sliders
- 1 lb sirloin steak
- 8 Hawaiian slider buns
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 large jalapenos
- 1 can pineapple rings in juice*
- ½ head green cabbage
Sweet Chili Mayo
- ¼ C mayonnaise
- 1 Tb Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1-2 Tb sriracha optional
Instructions
- Make the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Place the sirloin steaks into a gallon size Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the steaks. Massage the marinade around to make sure the steaks are totally covered. Marinade for a minimum of 4 hours or preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the onion in half and slice each half into ¼-inch thick strips. Split the jalapenos in half vertically and remove the seeds. Slice into thin strips.
- Once marinated, remove the steaks from the marinade, blot with a paper towel and place on a cutting board. Season the outside lightly with salt and pepper. Allow the meat to sit at room temperature while the oven preheats or about 10 minutes to take the chill off the meat.
- Place a large cast iron or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is smoking hot, add the steak. Cook for 2 minutes or until a hard sear develops on the first side. Turn the steak over. Add the onions and jalapenos to the empty space in the pan and stir to coat in oil.
- Place the steaks and veggies into the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the steaks over and toss the veggies around. Bake for another 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your steaks (Mine were about 1.5-inches thick) or until the steaks reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees for a steak cooked to medium. A digital thermometer is super handy for checking your steak. Check out the link above if you're interested in purchasing one.
- Once the steaks have reached the right temperature, remove from the oven and take them out of the hot cast iron. Leave the veggies in the pan to stay warm. Set the steaks on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. The steaks will continue to cook while resting.
- While the steaks are resting, prepare the mayo by mixing together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Split the slider buns in half and place on a baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven while the steak rests or for about 5 minutes. You want a nice light toast on the buns.
- Remove the pineapple rings from their juice and blot dry with a paper towel. Cut the green cabbage head in half and finely shred one half.
- Once the steak has rested, thinly slice the steak against the grain (see the blog post and photos above for reference).
- To make the sandwiches, first layer on the sliced steak then top with sauteed onions and jalapenos and shredded cabbage. Slather the top bun in Sweet Chili Mayo. Top the cabbage with a pineapple ring and the top bun.
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