Jucy Lucy
Photo: Kim · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Two south Minneapolis bars on Cedar Avenue and 35th Street both claim the patent. Matt's Bar opened in 1954 and spells it Jucy Lucy without the second i, swearing a customer asked for the cheese inside the meat in 1954 and the bartender called it a juicy lucy. The 5-8 Club spells it Juicy Lucy and dates the dish to a regular who built it in their kitchen in the early 1950s. Both insist they invented it. The dispute has run on local news for decades. Either way, the burger is fully grown-in-Minneapolis: griddled flat, no bun toast, American cheese only, served with chips and a pickle spear.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef, 80/20 chuck
  • 4 slices American cheese, folded into 1-inch squares
  • 4 soft white burger buns
  • Sea salt, black pepper
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
  • Yellow mustard, dill pickle chips
  • Neutral oil for the griddle

Method

  1. Divide beef into 8 equal balls, about 2 oz each. Press each into a thin patty about 4 inches wide.
  2. Place a folded cheese square in the centre of 4 patties. Top with the remaining patties and crimp the edges firmly so no cheese can escape.
  3. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a flat griddle or cast-iron pan over medium-high until smoking.
  4. Add oil and the patties. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until the crust is dark and the centre reads 150F.
  5. Rest the burgers 2 minutes off the heat so the cheese stays put when bitten.
  6. Toast buns lightly on the griddle. Build with raw onion, mustard and pickles. Warn your guests.

Tip from the editors. Eat with caution; the molten cheese is napalm-hot for the first three minutes. Pierce the patty with a fork to vent steam if you want to skip the burn.

Where to eat jucy lucy

Jucy Lucy in Minneapolis

Matt's Bar ★ 4.7

$ BurgersLongfellow Powderhorn

Matt's Bar on Cedar Avenue has run a $9 Jucy Lucy in South Minneapolis since 1954. The original cheese-stuffed burger, fries and a beer for under fifteen.

TryJucy Lucy

Directions

5-8 Club ★ 4.3

$ New AmericanLongfellow Powderhorn

5-8 Club on Cedar Avenue South has run the contested-original Juicy Lucy in Minneapolis since 1954. The other half of the Juicy Lucy debate.

TryOriginal Juicy Lucy

Directions

Blue Door Pub ★ 4.1

$$ AmericanLongfellow Powderhorn

Blue Door Pub on 42nd Avenue has run a stuffed-burger pub in South Minneapolis since 2008. Located in Longfellow Powderhorn. Kitchen leans american pub.

OrderThe Blucy with blue cheese and bacon, tater tots on the side.

TipWeekends pull a wait; sit at the bar for faster service. Six other Twin Cities locations.

Directions Book

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