In diners and other eateries around North America, a hamburger has been a staple menu item for eons. Folks of all generations love eating them and that won’t change any time soon.
That’s pretty impressive, considering the hamburger’s humble beginnings circa 1900 as a simple cooked beef patty sandwiched between two slices of bread and not much else. Where that first occurred is debated, with eateries/cooks in places such as New Haven, Connecticut, Hamburg, New York and Athens, Texas, all laying claim to being the first to serve it.
Two innovations to that original hamburger seemed to seal the deal for it forever being a popular menu item, not only in North America, but now other parts of the world.
One innovation was to move the hamburger patty out of the sliced bread and sandwich it into a bun that was easy to grab with your hands. Lore suggests that, in 1916, a fry cook named Walter Anderson was the person who invented the first hamburger bun. Five years later, he co-founded what became the White Castle chain of restaurants, well known for their sliders, or mini-hamburgers.
The second innovation came when someone decided to enrich the flavour of the hamburger patty by topping it with cheese. There are competing claims as to who made the first cheeseburger, but one story suggests it was Lionel Sternberger, in 1924. Sternberger, aged 16 at that time, worked as a fry cook at his father’s Pasadena, California, restaurant, The Rite Spot. One day, according to legend, he experimentally put cheese on a burger patty he was frying and, voila, the cheeseburger was born. It eventually became widely popular, and still is.
Topping a burger patty with cheese is still how most cheeseburgers are made. But back in the 1950s, someone came up with another way to make them where the cheese was put between two burger patties. The meat was then pressed together, sealing both patties around the cheese, creating a single, cheese-stuffed patty. When that patty was cooked, the cheese melted and the burger had a molten cheese core.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, is where this cheese-stuffed burger is believed to have been invented. And, again, according to legend, it became known as a Juicy Lucy after the inventor of this burger bit into his creation and happily declared: “Oooh, that’s one juicy lucy!”
Like the invention of the hamburger and cheeseburger, there are competing claims as to which establishment first served the Juicy Lucy, also spelled Jucy Lucy. Some say it was Matt’s Bar, others say it was a tavern called the 5-8 Club, which are both located on the same street in South Minneapolis.
These days, of course, cooks here, there and everywhere also prepare cheese-stuffed hamburgers, including me. In my recipe I opted for processed cheese, which is what is traditionally used. But if you did not want to go that route, in the Eric’s options part of the recipe I suggest other types of cheese you can use. Make a summer meal by serving the Juicy Lucy with potato chips, coleslaw, pickles and/or a cold beer or lemonade.
Juicy Lucy Burger
These burgers are made with beef patties that are stuffed with cheese and grilled. As the patties cook, the cheese melts, creating a delicious, molten middle.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: eight minutes
Makes: four servings
1 tsp seasoning salt (see Note 1)
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• splashes of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce
4 slices process cheese (see Eric’s options)
• vegetable oil spray
4 hamburger buns, split and warmed (see Note 2)
• mayonnaise or ranch dressing, to taste
• mustard and/or ketchup, to taste
• baby mixed salad greens, to taste
4 to 8 slices ripe tomato
4 to 8 thin slices onion
• sliced dill or bread and butter pickles, to taste
Place beef, seasoning salt, pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and mix until well combined. Divide the beef into eight, roughly equally sized pieces.
Press and form four of those pieces into thin patties that are about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Press and form the other four pieces into four, slightly small patties, each about 4 inches in diameter.
Cut each slice of processed cheese into four squares. Set four of those squares, overlapping them, in the centre of each of the wider, 4 1/2-inch diameter patties. Now top each of those cheese topped patties with one of the 4-inch wide patties. Firmly pinch up and press the edges of the patties together, sealing the cheese inside, creating four cheese-stuffed burger patties.
To cook the patties, preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to medium, medium-high. When hot, lightly oil the bars of the grill. Grill the patties about four minutes per side, or until entirely cooked through. Transfer the cooked patties to a clean plate and let rest a minute or two. This will prevent the cheese from gushing out of the patties, which is what would occur if you ate them right off the grill.
While the patties rest, spread the bottom buns with mayonnaise (or ranch dressing), mustard and/or ketchup, to taste. Set some salad greens on each bottom bun. Top those greens with some sliced tomato, onion and pickles. Set a patty on each bottom bun, set on top buns and serve.
Note 1: Brands such as Hy’s or Lawry’s seasoning salt, sold at many grocery stores, will work in this recipe. You could also use your favourite blend of seasonings to flavour the burger patties.
Note 2: The buns I used when testing this recipe were the potato buns made by Saanichton-based Portofino Bakery, which sells its products at food stores around the Island. If you can’t find them, any other tender hamburger bun will also work in this recipe. You can warm the buns by setting them, cut-side-down, on the grill a minute or so while the burger patties are cooking.
Eric’s options: Other similar sized types of sliced cheese, such as cheddar, provolone, Swiss or havarti, could replace the processed cheese. You could also stuff the burger patties with crumbled blue cheese.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
