Classic Juicy Lucy
The original cheese-stuffed burger: melted American cheese sealed inside a juicy beef patty.
The Juicy Lucy takes a normal cheeseburger and moves the cheese to a location with significantly worse liability coverage. American cheese is sealed between two very thin beef patties, then cooked until the outside is browned and the center is molten. The result is excellent, but the first bite needs a little respect. Cheese at lava temperature has no sympathy for the roof of your mouth. The seal is everything. Divide the seasoned beef into eight thin patties, place the cheese in the center of four, and leave about a half-inch border before topping them with the remaining patties. Pinch the edges all the way around until there is nowhere for melted cheese to escape. Cook over medium heat rather than blasting the outside, and poke a small vent in the top near the end so built-up steam has somewhere civilized to go.
Rest the burgers for three minutes before serving. That does not make the cheese cold; it merely changes it from "industrial accident" to "very hot dinner." Put the patties on buns and keep the toppings simple. The burger already has a trick inside it. It does not need fireworks on the roof.
