Serves: 6–8 | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes
Ground beef is good for more than just burgers. This recipe turns it into kid-friendly finger food with real BBQ flavor—no grill required. The technique is simple: mix the beef with seasonings, press it flat on a sheet pan, cut into strips, and bake until done.
The result is somewhere between a meatloaf and a chicken finger, perfect for dipping. Serve it with crispy rosemary potatoes and simple lemon green beans, and you've got a weeknight dinner that everyone actually wants to eat.
What You'll Need
For the "Steak" Fingers
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2 lbs ground beef (80/20 works well; leaner beef can dry out)
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1½ tbsp BBQ seasoning (store-bought or homemade—see note below)
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½ tsp kosher salt (adjust based on your seasoning's salt content)
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BBQ sauce for serving
For the Crispy Rosemary Potatoes
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1½ lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 bag of small ones)
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2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
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1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or ½ tsp dried)
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½ tsp kosher salt
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¼ tsp black pepper
For the Lemon Green Beans
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1 lb frozen green beans (about 1 bag)
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1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
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Juice of half a lemon
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Salt and pepper to taste
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Lemon wedges for serving
How to Make It
Everything goes in the same oven, which makes this genuinely easy. Here's the order that keeps it all on track.
Step 1: Preheat and Prep the Potatoes
Preheat your oven to 450°F. Cut the potatoes into quarters (or bite-sized pieces if they're larger). You want them roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Toss them in a large bowl with the oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Don't crowd them—if they're touching, they'll steam instead of crisp. Use two pans if you need to. Put the potatoes in the oven. They'll roast for about 25–30 minutes total while you prep and cook everything else.
Step 2: Mix and Shape the Meat
While the potatoes start roasting, prep the beef.
Add the ground beef, BBQ seasoning, and salt to a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands until the mixture becomes slightly sticky—this helps the meat hold together during baking. Don't overmix or the texture will get tough, but make sure the seasoning is evenly distributed.
Line a separate sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the meat mixture on the pan and put another sheet of parchment on top. Using a rolling pin (or the bottom of another pan, or just your hands), press the meat into an even layer about ½ inch thick. Keep the edges as straight as you can—it makes cutting easier later.
Remove the top parchment. Using a knife, bench scraper, or pizza cutter, score the meat into long finger shapes, about 1 inch wide and 3–4 inches long. They don't need to be completely separated—just cut through most of the way. You'll separate them fully after baking. Sprinkle the top with a little extra BBQ seasoning for color and flavor.
Step 3: Bake the Meat
Check your potatoes—they should be starting to get some color on the bottom. Give them a stir with a spatula to flip and redistribute.
Slide the meat pan into the oven alongside the potatoes. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Ground beef needs to reach an internal temperature of 160°F for food safety—use an instant-read thermometer to check if you're unsure.
Step 4: Cook the Green Beans
While the meat bakes, cook your green beans.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the frozen green beans and cook for 5–6 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Don't overcook them—mushy green beans are nobody's favorite.
Drain the beans and return them to the pot (off the heat). Toss with the oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Step 5: Finish and Serve
By now, the potatoes should be fork-tender and golden brown on the edges. If they need a few more minutes, let them go while you finish everything else.
Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for 2–3 minutes. Use your knife or bench scraper to make final cuts and separate the fingers completely. Some may have fused a bit during cooking—that's fine, just cut through them.
Pile the steak fingers on a platter with a bowl of BBQ sauce for dipping. Serve alongside the crispy potatoes and green beans with extra lemon wedges on the side.
A Note on BBQ Seasoning
You can use any store-bought BBQ rub for this recipe—just check the label. Look for one that lists brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in the first few ingredients. Those are the flavors that work best here.
A few things to watch for:
Salt content varies widely. Some BBQ seasonings are heavily salted, others barely at all. Taste your seasoning before mixing it into the meat. If it's not salty enough on its own, add the extra ½ teaspoon of salt. If it's very salty, skip the added salt entirely.
