Juicy Lucy

Turn a cheeseburger inside out and you get Minnesota’s Juicy Lucy, a beef patty with an ooey-gooey cheese center, usually nestled on a bun with pickles and griddled onions. For many visitors to the Twin Cities, it’s a curiosity—worth a pilgrimage to Matt’s Bar, the iconic Minneapolis dive that likely invented it in the 1950s. For many locals, it’s lunch.

To hear Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, a Twin Cities food writer, tell it, national food writers overthink it. For one thing, they make too much of the supposed rivalry between Matt’s and The 5-8 Club, another Minneapolis bar and restaurant that claims the burger. “Matt’s is the one, and everything else comes from that one,” she says. “The 5-8 tries to own it, and Matt’s is like, ‘I don’t know her.’” Outsiders also spend too much time dwelling on the spelling—without an “i” at Matt’s, which has famously preserved a midcentury typo (“Jucy”) on the menu, and with one pretty much everywhere else.

Minnesotans are far less fussy about the Juicy Lucy than some stories would have you believe. For one thing, they’ll accept just about any filling, as long as there’s cheese. The version served at Matt’s calls for beef, American cheese, salt, and pepper (plus onions, pickles, and a standard-issue burger bun). That’s the baseline. What actually matters is that the burger lives up to its name. When you take your first bite, melted cheese and beef juices should come rushing out in a mouth-coating moment of burger bliss. The best choice is American. You need a smooth melt. Yes, you can use sliced cheddar or pepperjack in a pinch, but this isn’t the time for Mozzarella cheese pulls.

A signature trait of a Juicy Lucy is ground beef that’s seasoned before being formed into patties. A small amount of salt, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper is mixed into the meat, which results in a more flavorful patty. It’s not as highly seasoned as meatballs or meatloaf, but there’s definitely more oomph to it than a patty that’s seasoned on the outside with salt and pepper.

Juicy Lucy
from https://www.thekitchn.com/

The stovetop: This is the traditional method, because the outside gets really browned and flavorful. Although it’s contrary to a lot of conventional burger cooking, I cook Juicy Lucys over medium instead of medium-high. The slightly lower temperature cooks the patty a little slower to a medium doneness and gives the cheese a chance to melt while the meat browns. Let the burgers rest while you toast the buns in the oven. This lets the cheese melt further (no one wants a half-melted Juicy Lucy) and allows the juices in the meat to redistribute.

The grill: You can also grill Juicy Lucys covered over direct, medium-high heat. You need the higher heat here since the patties are only in contact with the grill grates and need the extra heat to get nice, dark grill marks. The advantage of the grill is that you can throw the buns on the hot grates while the patties are resting. It’s also a great option in the summer, when you want to cook outside and minimize cleanup (and leave the oven off).

4 slices American cheese
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (15 to 20 percent fat content)
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 (4-inch) hamburger buns
Sliced pickles, for serving

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400ºF. Stack 4 slices American cheese. Cut in half, then cut each piece in half again to form 4 stacks of squares.

Place 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Gently mix with your hands until just evenly combined.

Divide the beef into 8 portions (3 ounces each) and form each into a ball.

Form 1 juicy lucy at a time: Using your fingertips, press 2 portions into 1/4-inch-thick patties that are about 1 inch wider in diameter than the hamburger buns. Top 1 patty with 4 pieces of cheese, overlapping the slices to cover the patty but leaving a 1/2-inch border. Place the second patty over the cheese-topped patty. Pick up the Juicy Lucy and pinch the edges to form a tight seal. Cup the stuffed patty with your hands to round out the edges, and press on the top to flatten slightly into a single thick patty. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining patties and cheese to form 4 stuffed patties in total.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium heat until shimmering, 3 to 4 minutes. If using a 10-inch pan, place 2 patties in the pan; if using a 12-inch or larger, add all 4 patties. Cook undisturbed (do not press down on the patties) until dark golden-brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the patties and cook until the second side is dark golden-brown and the patties are cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Transfer to a clean plate. Let rest in a warm place or tent loosely with aluminum foil while you toast the buns. Split 4 hamburger buns, place cut-side up on a baking sheet, and toast until starting to brown around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes.

Place a patty on each bun bottom, top with a few pickle slices, and close with the bun top.

Make ahead: The Juicy Lucys can be formed and refrigerated up to a few hours ahead before cooking.

4 servings