Jucy Lucy Burger
Minneapolis is the home of some very notable things: 10,000 lakes, the Minnesota Twins’ baseball team, the Mall of America, and a debate about an infamous cheeseburger with a major twist…
The Jucy Lucy or Juicy Lucy is a burger with a cheesy molten center. The Jucy Lucy practially has a cult following and Minnesotans have long debated on the original creator of this great burger. Whether you say it was Matt’s Bar or the 5-8 Club that invented it, there’s no debating that eating a Juicy Lucy is a delectable, tasty experience.
If you can’t make it to the Twin Cities this summer you can make your own Juicy Lucy’s at home! Here are a couple of important tips before you get started…
TIPS:
1. Let your Jucy Lucy cool off before taking a bite!
This is very important – the volcanic explosion of cheese that will be as tasty as it sounds, also needs some time to cool off before you take a bite. The servers at both the 5-8 Club and Matt’s Bar are very adamant about reminding diners that you MUST let your JL cool off to avoid burns in and around your mouth.
2. Use slices of cheese, don’t cut from a block
When the slices are cut and stacked to create the molten center, you get a much more even distribution of cheese with every burger. While testing this recipe, we tried cutting up cubes of cheese from a block but the ratio just didn’t come out as nicely as slices.
3. Don’t be afraid to try new combos!
Whether it’s the classic recipe with American cheese and ground chuck beef, or a new twist like swiss cheese inside a ground turkey based Jucy Lucy. Tell us in the comments what your favorite combination is!
4. Use ground chuck
Yes, the fat content in chuck meat tends to be high, but you’re not going to be eating Jucy Lucy’s every night this summer. The fat content in the meat gives the burger a great juicy flavor.
Ingredients (makes 4 servings):
4 slices American cheese (or cheese slices of your choice)
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (15- 20% fat content preferred)
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Vegetable or canola oil (for oiling the grill)
Hamburger fixings of your choice: soft buns, sliced pickles, tomatoes, lettuce…
Instructions:
- Cut each slice of cheese in half and then half again, forming 4 squares. Stack these squares on top of each other for a little block of cheesy heaven. Set these stacks aside.
- Place your chuck meat in a large bowl. Evenly combine salt, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper into meat with your hands.
- Divide up the meat into 8 equal portions and place on a clean work surface. Using your fingertips, press 2 portions of the meat into 2 patties, roughly 1/4 inch thick and about 1 inch wider than the size of your hamburger buns.
- Place a stack of cheese in the center of 1 of the patties.
- Place the second patty over the first. Now the cheese is inside! Pinch the edges to form a tight seal.
- Cup the patty with your hands to round out the edges and press on the top to flatten it slightly, forming a thick patty.
- Repeat steps 3-6 with the remaining portions of meat and cheese. Transfer these to a plate and refrigerate the uncooked patties until ready to grill.
- Heat your grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high. When heated, use tongs to rub the grate with several layers of paper towels dipped in vegetable or canola oil.
- Grab the patties from the refrigerator.
- Place the patties on the grill and cook undisturbed – DO NOT press down on the patties until the dark grill marks appear on the bottom (after about 3 to 4 minutes of grilling). Carefully flip the patties using a spatula and grill for about 3 to 4 more minutes on that side.
- Once you see that there are grill marks on the second side, transfer the patties from the grill to a clean plate to rest. Remember – no cheese burns! So this step is very important!
- Place a patty on your favorite hamburger bun (soft buns are best) and add toppings of your choice.
Bon Appétit!
Have you tried out this recipe? Want to share your favorite Jucy Lucy combo? Let us know in the comments!
Recipe adopted from chow.com