OMG!
I made the best...I repeat, BEST...hamburger I have ever had privy to eat! I was fabulous. Colossal. Magnificent.
Last week at the Twins Home Opener (jealous?), I spent $12 on the "Vincent Burger." It's a huge burger stuffed with goodies that make it extra juicy. In fact, it's a recreation of the famous "Jucy Lucy" burger that's a favorite of Minneapolis food connoisuers. Two restaurants rival each other for rights to this burger. Matt's Bar calls it the Jucy Lucy and it's been on the Food Network and Travel Channel. The "other place" calls it the Juicy Loosey. Who knows who gets credit for creating this monster? All that I know is after experimenting at Target Field, I knew that I had to create my own version of this beast.
It goes like this: a couple pounds of hamburger stuffed with barbecued pork and cheese and laced with seasoning. Unbelievable.
I buy my hamburger at Trader Joe's. We eat grass fed beef. It might be placebo because I pay more, but I think the meat is always better quality this way. I brought home one pound of lean 96/4 hamburger and one pound of 85/15. I like mixing them because the 85/15 helps the burgers stick together more. I added an egg and three cloves of garlic, fresh ground pepper and Lawry's Seasoning to the hamburger and mixed it all together. Then I made four 1/2 pound patties.
I flattened one patty on a plate and smashed it down with a spatula to make it almost perfectly round. Then the fun began. I added approximately 1/4 pound of barbecued pulled-pork to the top of the burger and then topped that with Swiss Cheese. I covered it with another patty and sealed the sides to enclose the pork and cheese. It was gigantic! I made another for my beautiful bride.
I slapped the two monstrosities on the grill and cooked them on medium for 15 minutes. As I checked on them periodically, I noticed them "swelling." My best guess is that the cheese and juices inside were festering and bubbling.
I was in seventh heaven when it was finally time to eat these massive marauders. I took the first bite (video below) and the juice nearly exploded from within the burger. Barbecue sauce, cheese and other mysterious juices oozed onto my plate. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and what I was eating.
Not only was the presentation out of this world, the taste exceeded my expectations. I kept telling Liz all night that I had the sweetest after taste. I think the barbecue sauce caused that.
I challenge you to try your own version of the Jucy Lucy. I'm going to get very creative next time and might throw in some green peppers and mushrooms. Look out!
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For Clint's bday this year, we also tried our hand at the Jucy Lucy! I used approx. 85% lean ground beef (like the fat content better for burgers). We made multiple thin patties and then just a single slice of American cheese between two of them. We sautéed them on the stovetop with butter to get a more authentic restaurant taste to them. Overall, they were delicious! The cheese did not get as runny as the original Jucy Lucy burgers. So, we know we need to work on our timing and heat. They were delicious though, on a simple white burger bun, and we'll try them again!
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