Sometimes, in my kitchen or even the bar, I'm kind of like a Dr. Frankenstein...mixing different things together to get a hybrid result. Or would that be Dr. Moreau, crossing different species to rush along evolution? Anyway, this dish...very suitable for a sunny, summer day barbecue...is one of those creations
Go to Minnesota and you need to try a Juicy Lucy (or 'Jucy', depending on where you get it). This burger is a specialty here where the cheese is put inside the meat patty before cooking.
Here in Southern California, there's another local chain that has made its mark with the 50~50 burger. This burger features a patty that is half ground beef and half bacon.
Here at the Sunday Sauce blog, we figure why decide between one or the other? We'll make both, hence the 50~50 Juicy Lucy.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef1 lb ground pork2 strips cooked bacon, cut into thirds1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt1/2 teaspoon pepper1/2 teaspoon Slap ya' Mama1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce1 egg1/2 cup shredded cheese6 slices of colby jack (or your favorite) cheese
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl (except for the bacon and cheese), cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
I cover a large cutting board with wax paper and do the same with a handy plastic bowl. Years ago, my cousins gave me a burger press, one of the handiest gadgets I own. I'll be using that to press out the patties.
I'm doing double burgers with two quarter pound patties. I put about an eighth of a pound down on the wax-paper covered cutting board and sprinkle a bit of the shredded cheese on it. Another same-size bit of meat goes on top.
I press down with my press as hard as I can. Some meat will squeeze out the bottom. I lift up, put that meat back in the middle and press again.
This is the patty I get as a result. With my fingers, I press gently all around the patty to spread it out a bit. I like to have a finished patty that's about an inch wider in diameter than my bun because it will shrink that much in cooking. That way, I'll have perfectly sized patties for the bun.
Put the finished patties on wax paper in the plastic bowl. I'm doing six patties for three double burgers. In the end, I think maybe one patty for each one would have been plenty but make as much or little as you'd like.
Cook over the coals in direct heat for two minutes per side.
Finish with 4-6 minutes on each side over indirect heat, covered, putting cheese on top for the final few minutes.
Garnish as you would your favorite burger and enjoy. I also put some bacon on ours.
DarrylCopyright 2016 - Darryl MusickAll Rights Reserved
