Juicy Lucys

Since grilling out is a favorite pasttime of mine, I've made my own burger patties more times than I can count. I've tried the "fancy" recipes with Worcestershire sauce or diced jalapenos or dry onion soup mix. The consensus?  Meh.

But THIS recipe... so simple. So amazing. I will never make another burger recipe again. And you can make it any time of year because they're not grilled!

This is the "Juicy Lucy" burger - made famous by a bar in Minneapolis. And all you need is straight up beef and cheese. But I wouldn't skimp on the diced onion topping, fried up all fatty in vegetable oil.

As my husband put it, "This is like what a $20 gourmet White Castle burger would taste like." Boo yah.

Cheese oozing out of the burger in all its glory.

Jamie was pretty psyched about his burger.

Matt's Bar's Juicy Lucys

Makes 6 burgers.
Note: Since it was just Jamie and I, I used 1# of beef & 3 slices of cheese. This made 3 burgers. Original recipe below

2 1/2 pounds 80% lean ground beef/chuck
6 slices American cheese
1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Dill pickle slices, for serving
6 soft hamburger buns (I used "take and bake" ciabatta rolls... they were perfect!)

1. Divide the meat into 12 loose balls, then form into 1/4 inch thick patties.  Fold 1 slice cheese into a small square; center it on a patty, leaving a 1/2 inch border of meat around the cheese. Top with another patty. Crimp the edges of the 2 patties together, sealing the cheese inside. (Note: Make sure you do this well or the cheese will melt out all over the pan! That's what happened during my first trial in Chicago!) Repeat with the remaining meat and cheese to make 6 cheese-stuffed patties. Season both sides of the patties with salt & pepper.

2. Warm the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onion to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.

3. Add the patties to the skillet and cook 7 to 8 minutes. Flip, then poke the middle of each patty with a toothpick to release the steam; cook 7 more minutes for medium well. (Note: My patties were starting to burn but were still bloody in the middle, so I turned down the heat and threw a lid on the pan for a few minutes. Then they were cooked perfectly!)

4. Put about 3 pickle slices on each bottom bun. Top with sauteed onion, patty, and top bun.