Equipment
Ingredients
Patties
- 600 g ground beef 80/20, cold
- 100 g sharp cheddar cheese, block, cold
- 6 g kosher salt
- 3 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 3 g garlic powder
Assembly
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 tomato, sliced
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 621 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbohydrates
- 28 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 1057 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 16 g
- Trans Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 107 mg
- Potassium
- 531 mg
- Calcium
- 318 mg
- Iron
- 4.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 38 mg
- Phosphorus
- 372 mg
- Zinc
- 7.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 90 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 3.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.07 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.23 mg
- Niacin
- 6.4 mg
- Folate
- 14 mcg
- Water
- 103 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Using a box grater, shred the cold block of sharp cheddar cheese into fine or medium shreds.
In a mixing bowl, gently combine the ground beef, grated cheddar, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder using your hands. Mix just until distributed to avoid tough burgers.
Divide the mixture into four equal portions. Gently shape each into a patty about 2 centimeters thick. Press a slight indentation into the center of each patty. Wash hands and surfaces thoroughly after handling raw meat to prevent cross-contamination.
Preheat the grill or cast iron skillet to medium-high heat, targeting a surface temperature of around 200°C/400°F.
Place the patties on the grill. Cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until a deeply browned, caramelized crust forms on the bottom.
Flip the patties and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to ensure it reaches 71°C/160°F for food safety.
Remove the cooked patties from the grill and let them rest on a clean plate or cutting board for 5 minutes. This allows the melted cheese and meat juices to stabilize.
Lightly toast the hamburger buns on the cooling grill for 1 minute. Assemble the burgers by placing the rested patties on the toasted buns and garnishing with lettuce and tomato.
Chef's Notes
- Keep the ground beef as cold as possible before forming the patties. If the fat gets warm, it will stick to your hands and melt out during cooking rather than staying inside the burger.
- Using an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio is crucial. Leaner meats like 90/10 will dry out, especially with the melted cheese creating pockets inside the patty.
- Do not press down on the burgers with a spatula while they are grilling. This squeezes out the juices and the melted cheese, resulting in a dry burger.
- Freshly grating a block of cheese is essential. Pre-shredded bagged cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly inside the beef.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store cooked patties and buns separately to prevent sogginess.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze raw patties separated by parchment paper in an airtight container.
Reheating: Reheat cooked patties gently in an oven at 175 C until warmed through, or microwave on 50 percent power.
Troubleshooting
Patties fall apart on the grill
Cause: Cheese shreds were too large or concentrated, or patties were flipped too early without a crust forming.
Fix: Carefully press the meat back together with a spatula, or chop it up in a skillet to serve as chopped cheese sandwiches.
Prevention: Finely grate the cheese, distribute it evenly, and ensure the grill is fully preheated before placing the meat.
Burgers puffed up into a ball shape
Cause: The meat contracted during cooking without a center indentation to absorb the shrinking.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once cooked, but still safe and delicious to eat.
Prevention: Press a distinct dimple into the center of each raw patty before cooking.
Cultural Context
The concept of hiding cheese inside a burger patty is a nod to the famous Juicy Lucy, a specialty originating in South Minneapolis, Minnesota in the 1950s. While a traditional Juicy Lucy encases a solid core of cheese between two thin patties, this inside-out method evenly distributes grated cheese throughout the meat, providing pockets of melted cheese in every bite and reducing the risk of a molten cheese burn.
