How to Make a Juicy Lucy With Shredded Cheese

A Juicy Lucy bacon burger cross section, sitting on a wood cutting board, cheese spilling out the middle with bacon, onion, tomato, lettuce, sweet potato fries and ketchup

A Juicy Lucy bacon burger cross section, sitting on a wood cutting board, cheese spilling out the middle with bacon, onion, tomato, lettuce, with sweet potato fries in background

A Juicy Lucy bacon burger cross section, sitting on a wood cutting board, cheese spilling out the middle with bacon, onion, tomato, lettuce

The best part of this Juicy Lucy burger is the cheese that spills out from the middle when bitten into! This is my favorite way to cook a burger on a nice summer day and if you haven't had a Juicy Lucy, then you need to try this out!

And...it pairs perfectly with grilled corn on the cob and a fresh firehouse salad!

A Juicy Lucy burger cross section, sitting on a wood cutting board, cheese spilling out the middle with bacon, onion, tomato, lettuce, with sweet potato fries in background

Hamburger recipes are just the best. But what exactly is a Juicy Lucy burger?

Let me go ahead and prepare you...it's the most delicious grilled hamburger recipe you'll ever have! People love it and it's a huge crowd favorite. This juicy hamburger is stuffed with bubbly, mouthwatering, smooth cheese.

And that's all a juicy lucy is.

It's a burger stuffed with cheese. And let me tell you, it's the best homemade burger recipe!

What Makes This Burger So Delicious?

American cheese! In my opinion, it's the best cheese for burgers. The thing that makes this Juicy Lucy burger so delicious is the smooth, creamy texture of American cheese. If you are not a fan of American cheese, try using cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
Bacon! I am a firm believer that all burgers need to have bacon. I enjoy the extra crisp from the bacon when biting into the burger, followed by the liquid, creamy cheese.
Ground beef - In particular, 80/20 ground chuck. It has a richer flavor and the moderate fat content helps to provide for a delicious, juicy burger.

A Juicy Lucy burger cross section, sitting on a wood cutting board, cheese spilling out the middle with bacon, onion, tomato, lettuce, sweet potato fries and ketchup

Ingredients You'll Need

The best burgers are made with a ground chuck beef which has a fat content of at least 20%. The extra fat makes the burgers juicy (and messy!) so grab some extra napkins! I also think it is imperative to add some extra flavor to your ground beef.

I use Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder. Of course, the most essential part of a Juicy Lucy burger is the cheese. I like to use American cheese because it has that special, gooey texture.

Ingredients for a juicy lucy - bacon, buns, lettuce, onion powder, garlic powder, ground beef, american cheese, onion, tomato, salt, worcestershire sauce, olive oil, pepper, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise

Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

Go ahead and preheat your grill to 350°F - 400°F.

Step 1

Start by combining the spices and Worcestershire sauce to the ground beef. Gently mix the components together by hand. Expert Tip: Overmixing the ground beef can make the burger tough, so just lightly combine the ingredients.

Juicy Lucy process photo mixing ground beef with spices

Step 2

Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap so that you can form your patties without them sticking to your work surface. Make a meatball of ground beef, about half of the size of a baseball. Form a burger patty from the meatball on the plastic wrap by flattening it out on your work surface. Work your way around the pattie to make sure it is a perfect circle, we don't want any ugly burgers here!

Form another meatball which is slightly smaller than the first one. This pattie will need to be smaller in diameter so that you can fold up the edges of the first pattie to form a seal.

Repeat these steps until you have made 12 burger patties, enough to make 6 burgers in total.

Step 3

Then, place a slice of American cheese on each of the larger patties. I break my slice of cheese into pieces so that I can ensure that there isn't too much cheese hanging off the edge. After all, I want this Juicy Lucy burger to contain all of the cheese so it doesn't leak out while cooking.

Now, place each of the smaller patties on top of the larger patties. Fold the edge of the larger pattie upward to create a seal with the smaller pattie and encompass the cheese. I usually run my fingers over the seam to make sure it is completely sealed and there are no gaps.

Ground burger process photos showing how to form them into a meatball, flatten into patty, cheese stuffing, and forming patty

Step 4

Place the burgers on the grill and cook on each side for about 10 minutes Expert tip: brush some olive oil on the grill to keep the burgers from sticking. If you do not have a grill or smoker, you can also use your stove top and cast iron pan. Just turn the stove to medium-high heat so you can develop a nice sear on the burger. Cook for about 10 minutes on each side.

Once the burgers begin to brown and develop a bit of char, they are ready to come off of the grill. You can also make sure they are done by using a meat thermometer to ensure they have reached an internal temperature of about 160°F.

Building Your Burger

Now it is time to build your burger! I always use a heavy dose of mayonnaise and mustard. Toast your buns, spread on the sauces, and lay down the burger pattie. With this juicy burger recipe, I layer on a slice of onion, a slice of tomato, some ketchup, and lettuce. Oh, and two slices of delicious, crunchy bacon! Throw on the other sauced bun and get ready to chow down!

Juicy Lucy process photos showing how to build the burger

For a Juicy Lucy, I think a cross-section is imperative. Slice that burger in half and take a look at your creation as the cheese spills out of the burger!

A burger cut cross section, sitting on a wood cutting board, cheese spilling out the middle with bacon, onion, tomato, lettuce with sweet potato fries and ketchup

Cheese stuffed burgers are the absolute best and I guarantee, this American burger recipe is about to become your favorite!

Expert Tips and FAQs

Be sure not to overmix your ingredients into the ground beef. This will leave you with a tough, dry texture.
Always pick out a coarse grind when selecting your ground meat. This will give the burgers more texture and prevent it from becoming mushy.
Grill at 350°F using your favorite wood or charcoal. I use competition blend pellets by Pit Boss on my pellet smoker to get a bit of extra flavor.
For the ultimate cheese spill effect, you can use American cheese and cheddar cheese. Cheddar cheese has more fat content and will ooze out of the burger more. When combined with American cheese, it will hold its shape a bit better inside of the burger.

A burger cross section, sitting on a wood cutting board, cheese spilling out the middle with bacon, onion, tomato, lettuce

What Else Is Cooking?!

This smoked stuffed pork tenderloin is so delicious! Just like the Juicy Lucy bacon burger, the cheese stuffing spills out of the pork tenderloin when it is sliced into. If you are going to spend the time to BBQ up some pork on a nice summer day, you may as well try this unique spin on a classic. It is sure to impress your friends!

Maybe you want a simple, yet delicious steak for your BBQ. This easy grilled marinated flank steak has tons of flavor from the overnight marinade and grills up in just a few minutes. I used a charcoal grill so I could get a nice sear on each side, but you can also use a propane grill or a pellet smoker turned up to its maximum temp.

Time for dessert! Who doesn't love donuts?! These air fryer apple fritters are a super easy and quick sweet tooth fix. I would consider the air fryer to be my best friend when it comes to whipping together a dessert. I love how these turned out!

If you loved this Juicy Lucy Burgers recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #alicensetogrill. You can follow A License To Grill on these social media accounts:

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