The original Kentucky hot brown sandwiches are an invention of the 1920s, a late night meal to sate to flappers and dancers who did the Charleston into the wee hours of the night at the Brown Hotel in Louisville. The traditional way to make them is open-faced, with a rich cheese sauce seasoned with paprika. This slider version is a play on that, with both a top and bottom slice of bread. There are a few other updates to the Southern classic, but these Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders have all the flavor you’d expect from a sandwich that’s been so popular for the past century!

To begin making these sliders you’ll want to get a pack of 12 small buns like the Hawaiian ones. They do make versions that are not sweet (usually labeled as butter rolls) and my advice is to use those to keep that savory goodness in every bite.

Cut the tops off in one layer without separating them into individual rolls. This is done for two reasons. The first reason is that this keeps them together so you aren’t assembling a ton of little sandwiches, instead working on layers that cover the entire surface of the rolls.

The other reason is that when you slice them this way they end up in a single layer that’s uniform in height and this means there’s less of a chance of burning in the oven since you won’t have some that sit too high above the others. If you have some that disconnect from the others that’s perfectly fine, but aim for two layers of rolls: the tops and the bottoms.

I grew up having Kentucky hot browns with slices of real turkey, kind of thick. If you find yourself with lots of leftover turkey this holiday season these are the ideal way to use that up. But, for the sake of simplicity today we’re using sliced deli turkey for these sliders. Either way they’re so yummy.

Layers of cheddar cheese, turkey, tomato, and bacon make these sliders incredibly tasty. Another layer of parmesan on top completes the middles of these sliders. Place the tops on and then you’re ready to add the final flavors to the dish.

Instead of making a creamy sauce much of the flavor is contained in the melted butter mixture we’re brushing on top.

There’s chopped dried onion, paprika, and lots of other ingredients in the butter. I love that it not only adds the flavor you’d get from the traditional Hot Brown sauce, but the butter drips down while the sliders bake to crisp up the bottoms of the rolls.

These Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders are an utterly decadent treat that are great for parties, game nights, or anytime you want to enjoy the flavors of this classic sandwich in handheld form.