What's summer without a Juicy Lucy Burger?! Chef Eric Gephart from Kamado Joe cooks up his Stuffed Burger recipe and shares tips for grilling over charcoal.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Banking the charcoal to one side instead of filling the firebox evenly improves airflow and makes it easier to light from the base, letting the flame climb and activate the fuel gradually
- Making a small divot in the center of the bottom patty before adding cheese keeps the filling contained in one spot instead of spreading toward the edges as the burger is assembled
- Seasoning the cheese itself, not just the beef, adds a layer of flavor most stuffed burger recipes skip entirely
- Building the two-zone setup before cooking starts means there's already a searing side and a gentler toasting side ready the moment patties and buns need each other's zone
Juicy Lucy Burger On a Kamado Grill
Eric Gephart
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Servings
2
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Calories
1061
Grill like a pro with Chef Eric Gephart's Juicy Lucy Burger recipe! Enjoy the satisfaction of grilling up a delicious, mouth-watering burger that comes to life with juicy, secret-filled flavor. Learn professional tips and techniques to take your charcoal cooking to the next level!
Ingredients
- lb ground Beef, 8 oz. each
-
1 tbsp Lane's Barbecue Combo Scorpion Seasoning
- 4 slices American Cheese
- 2 leaves red leaf lettuce
- 1 tomato, sliced
-
1 jar Holmes Made Sweet Spicy Dill Pickles
- 2 tbsp Chipotle Thousand Island (recipe below)
-
2 tbsp R Butts R Smokin’ R Beef BBQ Rub
- Bleu Cheese makes it a “Bleucy”
- 1 cup Thousand Island dressing
- 1 1/2 tbsp chipotle in adobo
For the Chipotle Thousand Island:
Directions
- Stabilize your Kettle Joe Grill at 450° F. Bank all of your charcoal to the back of the grill.
- Set one Grill Grate at the lowest setting for direct cooking and set 1 Deflector Shield on the other side with a Grill Grate above it on the highest setting for semi-indirect cooking.
- While the grill is coming to temperature, form 2, 4 oz paddies for each burger. Top the bottom paddy of each burger with 2 slices of American cheese. Place the second paddies on top of the cheese and crimp the edges so that the cheese cannot escape as the burger cooks and the cheese melts.
- Draw an oiled paper towel across the Grill Grates to create a non-stick surface. Season the burgers with R Butts R Smokin’ R Beef BBQ Rub and place them on the direct side of the grill. Cook for 1 and a half minutes then rotate 90° and cook for another minute. Flip and repeat. The dome should be closed during the searing process.
- Transfer the seared burgers and burger buns to the indirect side. Close the dome for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the bottom bun to a cutting board. Top with sauce, lettuce, tomato, sliced pickles, Juicy Lucy patties, and lastly the top bun that has been sauced. Enjoy but proceed with caution. That lava cheese can burn your mouth. That’s why this burger is known as the burger that bites back!
To make the Chipotle Thousand Island dressing, combine all ingredients and in the Vitamix Blender and blend until fully incorporated and reserve for later use.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why bank the charcoal to one side instead of spreading it evenly across the firebox?
Banking it improves airflow and makes it easier to light fire starters at the base, letting the flame climb and activate the charcoal pile gradually rather than trying to ignite an even, tightly packed spread all at once.
Why press a divot into the center of the bottom patty before adding the cheese?
The divot gives the cheese a contained spot to sit in, rather than letting it spread toward the edges once the second patty goes on top and the edges get crimped.
Why season the cheese in addition to the beef?
Seasoning both layers means the filling itself carries flavor, not just the meat surrounding it an easy detail to skip that adds real depth once the cheese melts inside.
Why crimp the edges of the two patties together so firmly?
A tight seal is what keeps the melted cheese from leaking out through the sides as the burger cooks. A loose or incomplete crimp is the most common way a Juicy Lucy loses its filling on the grill.
Why toast the buns on the indirect side while the patties sear on the direct side?
Running both at once on separate zones means the buns get gentle, even toasting without picking up direct flame, while the patties get full contact with the hot side neither has to wait for the other.
Why move the burgers from the direct side to the indirect side to finish?
Direct heat builds the char and color on the outside. Finishing on the indirect side lets the inside including the melted cheese — catch up without over-darkening the crust further.
What internal temperature should the burgers actually reach?
Neither the written recipe nor the video states one — the burgers are cooked by feel and timing (roughly 90 seconds per position with quarter turns) rather than checked with a thermometer. Ground beef needs to reach a minimum internal temperature of 160°F to be safe; check the patty itself with an instant-read thermometer rather than relying on grill time alone, since a stuffed burger's actual cook time will vary with thickness and heat.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 a hot cast iron skillet or griddle can handle the sear, and a toaster or oven can toast the buns; you'll lose the two-zone char and the smoke captured under the dome, but the burger itself translates fine indoors.
Recipe Highlights
Banked charcoal setup: Improves airflow and makes lighting from the base easier.
Divot-and-crimp assembly: Keeps the cheese contained and sealed inside the patty.
Seasoned cheese filling: Adds flavor to the center, not just the meat around it.
Two-zone direct-to-indirect finish: Sears first, then finishes gently without further charring the crust.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 13.78 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 1061
- Carbs
- 29 grams
- Protein
- 80 grams
- Fat
- 69 grams
- Sodium
- 2422 milligrams
