Minneapolis: What Is A Juicy Lucy?

The Juicy Lucy (or Jucy Lucy, depending on which Minneapolis eatery you're at) is an inside-out cheeseburger. That is to say, a burger with cheese on the inside instead of on top. What's so innovative about that, you ask? Why not just stick with the tried-and-true?

The geniuses of the burger-engineering world reveal themselves in the final product: Did the cheese ooze out during the cooking process? Did it distribute itself into the nooks and crannies of your burger's interior or stay together in one molten glob? It's all about craftsmanship. Some begin with a chunk of cheese and build the beef around it. Others work with slices, sealing them between two burger patties. There's the Blucy Lucy, encasing a mound of runny blue cheese within, and variations ranging from brie to pimiento. The beauty is they're all the same on the outside. Don't you want to get to know Lucy a little better?

The Juicy Lucy is also the only burger we know of to regularly come with a disclaimer as to just how hot the cheese inside is. Picture a pot of thick fondue bubbling merrily away. That's how hot the cheese inside is, so take it from your server and us: Wait a minute or two before digging in. Holding off will not only make the stomach grow fonder, it'll give the cheese a chance to partially solidify so it doesn't come gushing out all at once when you bite in. Hmm... a burger with endless variations and tons of unsolicited advice. No wonder it's so popular. Oh, speaking of unsolicited advice, try it in a patty melt.

In short, it's not how you do your Juicy Lucy, it's that you do it.