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This classic Juicy Lucy burger is a well known Midwestern recipe.  Definitely not your average cheeseburger, this burger recipe is stuffed with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese!  Our favorite version also includes crispy bacon and smoky bbq sauce! #burger #cheeseburger #juicylucy #cheddar #baconcheeseburger #stuffed #summerbbq
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4.85 from 13 votes

Cheese Stuffed Burger (Juicy Lucy)

Not your average cheeseburger, this burger is stuffed with caramelized onions and plenty of buttery sharp cheddar cheese!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 burgers

Ingredients

  • 8 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 1 medium sweet yellow onion, sliced or diced
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (75 or 80% lean)
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (Tillamook is my favorite brand)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp butter
  • your favorite all natural barbecue sauce
  • 4 hamburger buns, toasted (potato, sesame seed, brioche, etc)

Instructions

  • To a large skillet, add bacon strips and heat over MED-LOW heat.  Cook until bacon is cooked to your desired crispness, then transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to cool.  Drain all but about a tablespoon of the bacon grease, reserving that last Tbsp in the pan.
  • Increase heat under the same skillet to MED heat.  Add sliced onion and cook 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove onions to a plate, and turn off heat.
  • Divide the beef into 8 equal portions and shape into balls.  On a flat surface, lay down a sheet of wax paper and top with a ball of ground beef.  Top with another sheet of wax paper and use a flat bottomed pan to press the meat into 1/4-1/2 inch patties.  Repeat with remaining patties.
  • To one of the thin patties, top with 1/8 cup cheddar cheese, a tablespoon or two of the onions, and another 1/8 cup cheese.  Leave a border around the patty.  Top with another thin patty, pressing the edges of the top and bottom patty together to seal well.  Shape into a thick burger patty. *See recipe notes section below for a video instruction link to this part*
  • Double check burger to make sure there are no holes, then season well with salt and pepper.
  • In the same skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil and the butter and heat over MED heat.  Add burgers to pan (I like to cook 2 burgers at a time to make sure I have room to flip them carefully), and cook approximately 8 minutes, until burgers are brown up the sides.  Use a wide spatula and carefully flip burger to the other side and cook another 5 minutes or so, until golden brown.

TO ASSEMBLE

  • Add bbq sauce and bacon to the bottom bun, top with burger, top with additional caramelized onions and a drizzle of more bbq sauce.  Top with the top bun and enjoy!

Notes

For a video instruction on shaping the patties, here are two links that are helpful.
L7BurgerBar.com (I love the additional step of folding up the bottom patty here)
https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/juicy-lucy-burger-aka-jucy-lucy-29721