Jucy Lucys (or Juicy Lucys)

Like most people on Memorial Day, we sat outside and grilled our food as our kids played. We grilled both beef (for me) and turkey burgers (for my wife). A few months back, while watching Man vs. Food, we came across a burger turned outside-in called a Jucy Lucy. There is some controversy as to who started making them first and how to spell the name. That did not matter as much to us. They seemed easy enough to make so we tried them. Here is the recipe we used:

1 lb ground beef
1 packet onion soup mix
1/4 - 1/3 C barbeque sauce

Using your hands, mix it all together and separate the meat into whatever size patties you want. The size of the patty depends on how much filling you will put in (e.g. 1 or 2 slices of cheese) and if there will be anything else inside (e.g. bacon). I like between a 1/2 and 2/3 lb patty. Once you decide, split the patty in half and make both into thin patties with your hands or a hamburger press. Place your filling on the center of one patty. Cover with the other patty and make sure you seal the edges well. One of the Jucy Lucys I made was not sealed well. Once the cheese warmed up on the grill, it started spewing out the side like a water faucet. Here is a cross section of one of the Jucy Lucys (the picture is blurry) after it cooled down.

I tried a new cheese this time because the cheaper brands of American cheese just didn't cut it. The cheese I tried was the Kraft Deli Deluxe Bacon Cheddar. While I am not a big fan of processed cheese, this cheese's consistency was great for the center of the burger. It was thick and creamy. The bacon pieces and flavor was not as pervasive as I would have liked.

The part I like is what you can see. That big section of cheese in the center oozes out when you take a bite of a warm Jucy Lucy.