The Art of the Juicy Lucy — a Memorial Day Special

Look, you’re going to be barbecuing this weekend, I know. We all know. The weather is supposed to be fantastic, so bust out the grill and take this legendary meal to town.

I first discovered the Juicy Lucy while watching an episode of Man V. Food a couple years ago and decided to put my own twist on it.

What is a Juicy Lucy, you ask? Well, it’s essentially a stuffed hamburger. A piece or two of cheese sandwiched between two all-beef patties and served on a hamburger bun with whatever toppings you like.

Those are the basics. I have my own twist, and here’s how I make my sure-to-please Juicy Lucy:

Step 1 — season your beef

Take as much meat as you think you need for you and your guest. In my case, I needed about four pounds of ground beef. I season the meat with salt, pepper and (my secret spice) Dinosaur BBQ’s Cajun Foreplay, which can be found in most New York grocery stores. You may also buy it online.

Step 2 – Prepare your monster

Form two thin discs for every Juicy Lucy you plan to make. For four burgers, you’d make eight individual, thin patties. These will be sandwiched together later.

Step 3 — Prepare Your Stuffing

I prefer to stuff my burgers with blue cheese and bacon, so I cook my bacon, put it in a food processor and create bacon bits to mix with the stuffing.

I’m also fond of Velveta cheese stuffing because it was a relatively low melting point and creates a nice lava-like flow when the burger is finished.

Crimp and form the edges of the burger to lock in the cheese so it doesn’t flow when you’re cooking.

Step 4 — Grill and enjoy

You have to cook these burgers low and slow, almost like ribs, especially if they are thicker. I made 1-pound Juicy Lucy burgers when I last did them, so they took about 25-30 minutes to grill. Obviously, the thinner the meat, the less cooking time needed.