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This Juicy Lucy Burger recipe is full of delicious sweet and savory flavors. With a homemade BBQ sauce, this is a must for your next backyard party. The beef is juicy, cheesy, and perfectly seasoned, the sauce adds a nice touch of sweetness and the crunchy onions are the perfect finish to this amazing burger.
Try out some of my favorite BBQ cookout recipes like Smoked Chili Hot Dogs, smoked brisket or tequila lime burnt ends.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients for a Juicy Lucy Burger.
- Beef: use an 80/20 lean to fat ratio chuck blend. Adds flavor to the patty and adds fat making it juicier.
- Cheese: I used American cheese because of it’s melting properties.
- Seasoning: an all purpose seasoning to add flavor to the beef patties.
- Ketchup: base ingredient for a homemade BBQ sauce.
- Low sugar soda: using a flavored sugar free soda adds flavor and sweetness. It’s a great substitute for brown sugar.
- Worcestershire sauce: adds savoriness and tanginess to the sauce.
- Hot sauce: adds a slight kick to the sauce.
Step 1: Make the perfect Juicy Lucy Burger patty.
The key to the perfect Juicy Lucy burger is the stuffed patty.
For this recipe I went with an 80/20 blend mix of ground chuck beef. I find that it’s the perfect blend to get a tender, juicy and flavorful patty without the dryness of a leaner mix.
I form my patties by hand. It’s my preference, but you can always use a patty press to ensure an even size. Take 1/4 lbs. piece of beef and shape it into a flat round patty. Place 1-2 American cheese slices in the middle. Do not lay the cheese to the edges or you risk the cheese from leaking. Make another 1/4 lbs. patty same size and shape and place on top of the cheese. Seal the double patty by pinching the ends around.
Next, season all sides with Dad’s All Purpose rub and set aside.
Recipe Tip
Use American cheese for the stuffing. It has great melting properties. Alternative cheese options include mozzarella cheese, pepper jack cheese or even blue cheese.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Step 2: How to make homemade BBQ sauce.
I love making homemade sauces. You know the ingredients going in but more importantly, you can adjust sweet or heat levels to your liking.
In a sauce pan, add ketchup, brown sugar, Dad’s All Purpose rub, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and Sparkling Ice. Yes, I used flavored sparkling water. This is my secret to flavorful sauces without a lot of sugar. For this specific recipe, I used the Peach Nectarine flavor which delivered the perfect summer fruity flavors to a savory dish.
Recipe Tip
Sugar free soda is a great alternative to sugar when making a homemade BBQ sauce. Reduces total calories and adds different flavors to the sauce.
Simmer over low heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Set aside.
Step 3: Grill up the Juicy Lucy Burger.
Preheat the grill to 400 degrees and set for dual zone grilling. This means you need a direct and indirect set up on the grill.
First place the patties on the direct heat and get a nice sear around. This will take about 2 minutes per side. Next, transfer the patties to the indirect side for the inside of the patty to cook and cheese to melt. For a medium cook, remove the patties once they reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees. Set aside for 5 minutes to rest.
To assemble the juicy lucy burger, toast up some burger buns, add lettuce for some greenery and freshness. Next, add your perfectly grilled cheesy burger patty, pour a generous amount of the homemade BBQ sauce, add some crispy onions and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What makes a Juicy Lucy burger is the cheese stuffed patty. Unlike other burgers, where the cheese is melted on top of the patty, a Jucy Lucy burger has a creamy, cheesy core inside the beef patty.
The Juicy Lucy burger originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Delicious, saucy burger recipe ideas:
If you tried this Juicy Lucy Burger or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
Juicy Lucy Burger
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground chuck beef 80/20 blend
- 4 American cheese slices
- 1 tbsp Dad's All Purpose Rub
- 2 Burger buns
- 2 Lettuce slices
Homemade BBQ sauce ingredients
- 1/2 cup Ketchup
- 1/4 cup Sparkling Ice
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Hot sauce
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Dad's All Purpose rub
Instructions
- Take 1/4 lbs. piece of beef and shape it into a flat round patty. Place 1-2 American cheese slices in the middle. Do not lay the cheese to the edges or you risk the cheese from leaking. Make another 1/4 lbs. patty same size and shape and place on top of the cheese. Seal the double patty by pinching the ends around.
- In a sauce pan, add ketchup, brown sugar, Dad’s All Purpose rub, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and Sparkling Ice. Simmer over low heat until the sauce starts to thicken
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees and set for dual zone grilling. This means you need a direct and indirect set up on the grill.
- First place the patties on the direct heat for 2 minutes per side to get a nice sear around. Next, transfer the patties to the indirect side for the inside of the patty to cook and cheese to melt. Fora medium cook, remove the patties once they reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees. Set aside for 5 minutes to rest.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out the Recipes Page for other tasty ideas!
