Juicy Lucy

After last night’s debaucle, we decided to go old school American. Juicy Lucys are an invention of the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Up there, the burgers go by the misspelled moniker “Jucy Lucy.” It’s basically an up-sized hamburger patty with a block of American cheese embedded. You have to cook them gently and for long enough to get the cheese to melt inside while maintaining its shape.

JUCY LUCY

• 1 ½ lbs 85% lean ground beef
• 2 slices white bread, torn to small pieces
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• A single ½-inch slab of American cheese, quartered

Preheat outdoor grill to medium heat. In a large bowl, combine bread, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash to a pulp with potato masher. Add beef and knead mixture together thoroughly with hands. Divide into four portions. To form each patty, remove a quarter of each portion, push a piece of the cheese into the larger part, then top with the removed portion. Press together patty meat to ensure that the cheese is completely encased. Cook patties on grill for 8 minutes a side, flipping only once. When done, remove from grill and store under foil for at least 5 minutes. Once rested, build the burger with whatever toppings you want.

Makes 4 burgers. Enjoy!