I am taking a calculated risk in writing this article. It is a bit of a reliance of the honor system. Not that very long ago, I was watching a program on cable called, “Man vs. Food”. This guy goes around to different parts of the country and takes on different food challenges. He has to eat a specified amount of hot & spicy foods, humongous portions, or exotic foods in a limited time period to win the challenge. That is the perfect job. He gets paid to travel and eat.

At any rate, one week the show was originating in Minnesota, and my dream was born. On this show, he went to two restaurants that featured a unique cheeseburger. It has the silliest name. It is known as “The Jucy Lucy.” The Jucy Lucy was apparently invented at Matt’s Bar in South Minneapolis, Minnesota, though this is disputed. The 5-8 Club, a short distance south of Matt's, also claims to have invented the sandwich.¹ What is unique about it is the cheese is on the inside of the burger. Man, what a concept. The gooey melted cheese sits inside the burger, oozing out with every bite. Ta Da! My dream is taking shape.

My mind was racing furiously. I couldn’t write things down fast enough. I felt like Ralphie in the movie, “The Christmas Story” when he had his Ovaltine decoder in high gear. All those times I had cookouts, and I missed these golden opportunities to do something like this. See, my youngest son had a thing for cheesy hot dogs. When I cooked burgers and hot dogs on the grill, he always asked me to put cheese, IN his hot dog. What I would do is cook the hot dog and at the very end, slit it and add some grated cheese to the inner portion of that hot dog. Now, a Jucy Lucy. Duhhhh!

So, I have taken the Jucy Lucy idea, but made it even better. What I do is so popular with my family and I will tell you that you will love it too.

Start out with 2 pounds of the ideal 85% lean ground beef.  I add 2 tsp. of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste, 1 tbs. each of A-1 Sauce and Worcester Sauce, and a small amount of garlic powder.. I use very clean hands to mix together. I then form eight,1/4 # patties. Do not overdue shaping the patties. They need just a bit of TLC. I will use four as the base patties and four as the top patties. I put them in the fridge to chill and firm up a bit.

Meanwhile, in an olive oil/butter mix, I slowly caramelize some sweet onion. While I carefully cook the onions, I grate some sharp cheddar cheese on the second smallest setting. When the onions are perfectly caramelized, I take the onions out of the pan and onto a platter to cool. Spreading them out will get them to cool faster. When the time is right, I take the hamburger patties out of the fridge.

With the four base patties, I use the heel of my palm to create a small well in the patties I then add the onions first and them top with some of the cheddar cheese. I then take a top patty and place it on top of the onion and cheese filled base patty. I carefully form one large patty by sealing the edges of the hamburger together and giving them one final , yet gentle pat. I have now created a fabulous looking, 1/2 pound Burger Buster, filled with caramelized onion and sharp cheddar cheese.

The lightly oiled grill is already very hot and I place the four Burger Busters on the grill, lightly sprinkling them first with onion and garlic powder. Do not lift and peek, do not squash the top down with your spatula, just let them cook for five minutes over direct heat. Then, turn them over and slide to more indirect heat for four minutes. Then take off the grill, put them on a large plate and cover with foil and let sit for three minutes. What you end up with is a thick, juicy and medium cooked burger that I also call the inside out burger. The condiments are usually tomato, lettuce and a large size toasted bun. I like some mayo and catchup on the bun.

This is the most mouth watering burger I have ever had.  What I love about this burger is every bite is better than the one before it. That is because the fillings are more plentiful in the middle part of the hamburger. The fun part is making them, the best part is eating them. Am I silly for getting so enthused over ground meat ? Well, that is for me to know and you to find out.

REFERENCES:

1) Wikipedia