Juicy Lucy



Juicy Lucy

It has been several months since I have made burgers.  Erick loves burgers and requested we have them soon.  Off to the store I went, fresh ground beef -- check, fresh Wisconsin Cheddar -- check, fresh bakery buns -- check, crisp romaine lettuce -- check.  I decided to kick it up a notch...extra cheese...how to incorporate more cheese?  We are Feeling So Fly Like Cheeseheads after all.  In Minneapolis there is a burger joint, Matt's Bar that is famous for their Jucy Lucy's.  Jucy Lucy's require you to fill the center of the burger with shredded cheese.  BTW, Matt's spells Juicy as Jucy.  Regardless of how you spell Juicy, this sounds like delicious goodness.  The Travel Channel, Food Wars even went to Minneapolis for a taste off between Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club. 

Juicy Lucy

Ingredients:

• Ground Beef
• Salt and Pepper
• Cheddar Cheese (freshly grated)
• Fresh Buns
• Romaine Lettuce

Directions:

• Form 4 flat thin disks/patties with ground beef 
• Shred Cheddar Cheese
• Put mound of Cheese on top of each of two patties
• Top each cheese pattie with the remaining patties
• Seal seams of the patties together to prevent cheese from leaking out during cooking
• I try not to overwork the ground beef
• Once patties are formed refrigerate 30 minutes, this helps the cheese filled burgers stay together during cooking
• Heat cast iron pan until it is sizzling hot. 
• "Caramelize" burgers on both sides. 
• It takes a while to cook these through, cook them 5-10 minutes longer than you think you should.  I do and I serve our Medium.
• Even after all of that, Erick likes melted cheese on top of his burger too!  So, I throw on a slice of cheddar and throw the pan under the broiler until the cheese is perfectly melted.