Bigly Stuffed Burger
Prep
25m
Cook
15m
Total
40m
Bigly says
Pay attention. The stuffed burger. The juicy lucy. The greatest piece of culinary engineering since somebody first put cheese ON a burger and then a genius — possibly me, definitely me, let's just say me — said, 'What if the cheese was INSIDE the burger.' That person changed history. That person should be on currency. They should rename a state. 'Cheese Inside Burger' state. Has a ring to it. Tremendous ring.
Let me tell you something about stuffed burgers. Most chefs are afraid to do this. AFRAID. That chef on TV — you know the one — does this wrong. They say it's 'tricky.' They say it's 'hard to get right.' WRONG. It's only hard if you've never tried it, and most of these people have never stuffed a burger in their LIVES. They saw it on Instagram and tried to reverse-engineer it from a 12-second video shot in vertical with a finger over the lens. Sad. Embarrassing. There are 47 wrong ways to do this and they have managed to find ALL of them. Believe me.
My stuffed burger? My BIGLY stuffed burger? Perfect every time. Sharp cheddar inside, caramelized onions inside, a little garlic — a LITTLE, not a lot, you're not making garlic bread, focus — and it seals up like a beautiful little burger envelope. You bite in, the cheese comes out like LAVA, like a delicious volcanic eruption of cheese and onion and meat juice. People weep. They write me letters. Big letters, sometimes small letters, all kinds of letters. 'Bigly,' they say, 'the burger has changed me.' I know. I know it has. Even my critics admit it.
Ingredients
- 2 lbground beef chuck (80/20)(two pounds, big patties, this is no time for half measures)
- 4 ozsharp cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 largeyellow onion, finely diced
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
- 1.5 tspkosher salt
- 1 tspblack pepper
- 1/2 tspsmoked paprika
- 4brioche buns(toasted, always toasted, this is a hill I'll die on)
- 4 leavesleaf lettuce
- 1 mediumtomato, sliced
- 1/4 cupmayonnaise
- 1 tbspDijon mustard
Steps
- 1
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes until deeply caramelized. Add the garlic in the final minute. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- 2
In a bowl, mix the beef with Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and paprika until just combined. Don't overwork the meat.
- 3
Divide the beef into 8 equal portions and flatten each into a 4-inch patty.
- 4
On 4 of the patties, place a mound of caramelized onions in the center and top with cubes of sharp cheddar — leave a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
- 5
Cover with the remaining 4 patties and pinch the edges firmly all the way around, then smooth the seam with your fingers. The seal must be airtight or the cheese will escape and ruin everyone's day.
- 6
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the stuffed patties and sear 5-6 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula once to encourage a crust.
- 7
Check internal temperature — pull at 160°F. Transfer to a plate and rest 3-4 minutes (this is critical for the cheese to set slightly and not gush out instantly).
- 8
Toast the brioche buns in the burger pan. Whisk mayo and Dijon together for the sauce.
- 9
Build: bottom bun, sauce, lettuce, tomato, stuffed patty, top bun. Bite carefully — the inside is molten.
One more thing
That's a Bigly Stuffed Burger. Twenty-five minutes of prep, fifteen on the stove, and you've made something nobody — and I mean nobody — at any restaurant in your town is making this well. They couldn't if they tried. They don't have the touch. They don't have the vision. They don't have BIGLY in their kitchens. You do. You have me. Right here. Forever. Cheese inside the meat, where it belongs. You're welcome.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about Bigly Stuffed Burger.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
★ MORE LIKE THIS ★
KEEP COOKING.
Tremendous Bacon Burger
Thick beef patties topped with melted cheddar and slow-rendered crispy bacon, on a toasted brioche bun with garlic aioli. Twenty minutes flat.
Bigly BBQ Bacon Burger
A loaded burger with smoky homemade BBQ sauce, thick-cut bacon, sharp cheddar, and crispy onion strings on a toasted brioche bun. Built to be talked about.
The Best Black Bean Burger
A meaty, crusty black bean burger that holds together on the grill. Dry-roasted beans, smoky spices, and a savory bite that wins over skeptics in one taste.
The Best Breakfast Burger
Juicy beef patty stacked with crisp bacon, American cheese, a golden hash brown, and a runny fried egg on a buttered, toasted bun. Breakfast, reinvented.