Amazing Chopped Beef Brisket Sliders with Apricot Barbecue Sauce

I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m at a party, there never seems to be very many sliders leftover! People love a good slider! These leftover chopped beef brisket sliders are made with leftover beef brisket, tangy barbecue sauce, and white cheese for a tangy slider recipe worth sharing at your next gathering. Typically, we use leftover smoked brisket for these sliders, and they always turn out great.

At every party I have ever brought these leftover chopped beef brisket sliders to, they have been devoured. People love brisket. Lately, brisket prices have been quite high – at least in our area. So we make sure to make good use of every last bite!

Ingredients

• Brisket, finely chopped – SEE NOTES
• Kings Hawaiian Rolls – 12 count
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue Sauce – 16 ounce
• Apricot Preserves
• Brown Sugar
• Garlic Powder
• Melted Butter
• Everything Bagel Seasoning (Optional)
• Fresh Parsley – chopped
• Swiss Cheese or Provolone Cheese

Use Brisket for Chopped Brisket Sliders

When it comes to making these chopped brisket sliders, I really recommend smoking your own brisket if it is something you are comfortable with. Fresh smoked brisket just can’t be beat! My husband has become somewhat of a smoker master over the years. However, if you are unable to smoke your own brisket, you can easily find sliced and/or chopped brisket for sale in the deli area at many grocery stores. You can also oven roast or slow cook a brisket in your slow cooker and use that.

Select a Barbecue Sauce

I’m a Sweet Baby Ray’s gal through and through! If you read enough of my recipes, you will see I use various varieties of Sweet Baby Ray’s in loads of my recipes.

They still have lots of varieties that I haven’t even gotten around to trying yet. Luckily, the Sweet Baby Ray’s website has a handy barbecue sauce locator tool on its website that helps you find a store near you that carries any of the many barbecue sauces it sells! So helpful!

For these beef brisket sliders, I like to use the Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue. However, if you have your own favorite barbecue brand, go on with it! Another good one to try might be KC Masterpiece Honey and Molasses.

Make Apricot Barbecue Sauce

Now, with that favorite barbecue sauce, we are going to make a sweet and tangy apricot barbecue sauce to drizzle on these beef brisket sliders! Yum! And making the apricot barbecue sauce is so easy!

• Pour the BBQ Sauce in a medium size saucepan, and add the apricot preserves, brown sugar and garlic powder, and stir well to combine.  
• Heat over medium heat until the sauce is bubbly. Remove from heat and let cool. 

Assemble Chopped Beef Brisket Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls

First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, slice a package of Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally and place the bottom half of a 9×13 baking dish.

Next, I melt some butter in the microwave in a microwavable glass or bowl. Then, I whisk the garlic powder melted butter. I brush just a bit of the butter sauce over the bottom buns, saving the majority for the top rolls.

Next, I add the chopped brisket on top of the roll bottoms. I only pour on 3/4 of the apricot barbecue sauce because I don’t like for the sliders to be too wet.

Instead, I place the remaining apricot barbecue sauce in a small serving bowl so guests can add extra sauce if they wish. You can add as much of the sauce as you want to your sliders at this stage, but just know it might risk making the slider bottoms soggy. This is a personal choice, of course. Some people like their barbecue for dry and others like theirs more wet!

The cheese slices are layered over the brisket next – evenly spaced out and slightly overlapping. In these photos, there is Swiss cheese, but I usually use Provolone. Provolone melts so perfectly!

Finally, I place the bun tops over each slider and brush on the rest of the butter sauce before sprinkling on some parsley and Everything Bagel Seasoning, if I have it on hand. Many times, I have done without the Everything Bagel Seasoning and only used chopped parsley for the garnish.

I cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the sliders are heated through and the cheese is partially melted. If desired, you can remove the foil and pop the pan back into the oven for another 2-5 minutes to brown the top bread pieces just a bit.

Once done, let cool for a few minutes before slicing into individual sliders and serving. These chopped brisket sliders with apricot barbecue sauce are perfect for game day or for any gathering!

Tips for Storing Chopped Brisket Sliders

• Refrigeration:
  • Store any leftover sliders in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Consume within 2-3 days for optimal freshness.
• Freezing:
  • You can freeze assembled but unbaked sliders for future use.
  • Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and label with the date.
  • To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as instructed.
• Microwaving:
  • When reheating, consider using a microwave for smaller portions to avoid overcooking.
• Substitutions:
  • You can use any cheese you prefer, such as Swiss, provolone, cheddar, Asiago, or American.
• Fresh Toppings:
  • Add fresh parsley for a pop of color.
  • Serve a bit of purple cabbage coleslaw on the side to use as an optional topping.
  • Keep the reserved apricot barbecue sauce out in case anyone wishes to add extra.

Don’t forget to pin these incredible brisket appetizer sliders before you go!

More Appetizer Idea

If you enjoyed these apricot barbecue beef brisket sliders, you will surely love some of our favorite appetizers.

Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders

Manwich Sliders

Ham Pineapple Sliders

Cranberry Turkey Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls

Cheeseburger Pickle Poppers

Jalapeno Artichoke Rye Bread Appetizers

Football Field Dip

Fruit Salsa for Cinnamon Chips

Festive Tomato Tart with Puff Pastry

Guacamole Wonton Cups