Juicy Lucy

Juicy Lucy on plate cut in half.
This recipe is sponsored by ALDI

Summer isn’t summer without a good burger.

Er, scratch that. Summer isn’t summer without a good Juicy Lucy.


What Is a Juicy Lucy?

A Juicy Lucy is a delicious hamburger stuffed with molten, bubbly, waterfalling cheese. That’s it. A burger stuffed with cheese.

If you are Minnesotan born and raised, you FOR SURE have eaten enough Juicy Lucys to have an opinion on all fronts: what kind of cheese should be used, should they be grilled or pan fried, and which dive bar does it best.

I am, conveniently, from Minnesota! And I have opinions:

  • What kind of cheese? Straight up American. YOU NEED A SMOOTH MELT. Yes, you can use sliced cheddar or pepperjack in a pinch (or throw some jalapeños in with your American for a hybrid). A lot of people also like to use blue cheese, which makes it a Blucy. But the essence of a Juicy Lucy, in my opinion, is a creamy, smooth-melt, almost-liquid-like center of cheese. This isn’t the time for Mozzarella cheese pulls, okay?
  • Grilled or pan fried? We do both in our house. Just depends on the day.
  • Which dive bar does it best? I vote for The Nook. It’s in our little neighborhood corner of St. Paul and the dingy ambiance is everything a good dive bar should be. Plus, bowling alley in the basement. Seriously.

Juicy Lucy Ingredients

Beef, spices, American cheese. And some good brioche buns.

ALDI ingredients for Juicy Lucy.

But, Like, How Do You Stuff It with Cheese?

It’s zero percent hard.

Make one smallerish patty, and one largerish patty.

Put the little hunks of cheese on the largerish one.

Adding cheese to two burger patties.

Put the smallerish one on top, and pinch up the edges.

Burger patties with cheese before grilling.

Yadidit.

What Do You Put On a Juicy Lucy Though?

Whatever the heck you want.

I prefer a simple Juicy Lucy:

  • bun
  • Juicy Lucy (the beef and melty cheese part)
  • pickled jalapeño
  • sometimes tomato
  • always ketchup
  • maybe mayo
  • and often ranch because, yes, I really am that Minnesotan.
Juicy Lucy cut in half.

Finally. ALDI is our partner for this post, and here’s why I love that:

  • ALDI sells some really delicious and quality ingredients that cost less dollars. For example, ORGANIC GRASS FED GROUND BEEF that does not cost your entire paycheck AND earned the Good Housekeeping Nutritionist Approved Emblem. Thank you, ALDI, for doing it right.
  • BRAND NEW THING! Click here for a one-stop Instacart grocery list for these Juicy Lucy ingredients PLUS a handful of our favorite summer BBQ essentials. So basically: you’re all set for your 4th of July BBQ with friends/family in just one click.
  • SAVE YOUR MONEY! Before you check out, use the code ALDIPOY to get $10 off your orders of $35 or more. That code works for first-time Instacart users, and you can use it not once, not twice, but three times! Magic.

Happy summer BBQ-ing!

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Juicy Lucy style burger on a plate.

Juicy Lucy

4.8 from 19 reviews
  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 6 burgers
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Description

JUICY LUCY! A delicious hamburger stuffed with molten, bubbly, waterfalling cheese, all piled on a buttery toasted bun with all the fixings. The BEST.

Ingredients

Juicy Lucy Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. ground beef (I used Simply Natural Organic Grass fed Ground Beef from ALDI)
  • 2 tablespoons burger seasoning (I used Stonemill Gourmet Burger Seasoning from ALDI)
  • 6–12 slices American cheese (I used Happy Farms Deluxe American Cheese Slices from ALDI)

Juicy Lucy Extras:

  • 6 brioche buns (I used Specially Selected Brioche Buns from ALDI)
  • Toppings: Lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles 
  • Sauces: Ketchup, mustard, mayo 

Click here to get our favorite ALDI BBQ essentials, including your Juicy Lucy stuff, delivered via Instacart! And if this is your first time, don’t forget to use the ALDIPOY code for $10 off!

Instructions

  1. Mix the spices into the ground beef (I just mix by hand). Divide the beef into 6 even sections.
  2. Form each section into two thin patties (a smaller top patty, and a larger bottom patty). Place 1-2 folded pieces of cheese on the bottom patty, and place the smaller top patty over it, pinching up the edges to seal.
  3. Grill or pan fry for about 5 minutes, or until cooked to your desired doneness and cheese is melted. We usually sacrifice one Juicy Lucy and cut into it to test the doneness of both the beef and cheese.
  4. Let the Juicy Lucys rest for a minute or two. This is essential, otherwise the cheese will be so hot that it will literally come exploding out all over the place. I’m very serious.
  5. Serve on buns with your favorite toppings! 

Notes

I find it very difficult if not impossible to go for a medium-done Juicy Lucy because if you limit the cook time on the burger, it’s hard to get the cheese hot enough to melt. Plus you don’t want to be sticking a meat thermometer into these because you’ll lose your delicious melty cheese. We usually just go for a more well-done burger (the patties on either side are thin so this happens relatively quickly) since we are chasing that delicious melty cheese center. 

Definitely recommend toasting the buns! Just spread them with a little butter and either pop in the oven for a few minutes at 350, or place on the upper rack of a grill while the burgers finish.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Grill
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: juicy lucy, burger stuffed with cheese, minnesota juicy lucy

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Thank you to ALDI for sponsoring this post!

One More Thing!

This recipe is part of our easy summer dinners page. Check it out!

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