The Inside Out Burger

                We had picked up some fresh ground sirloin and actually had a break in the rain so I knew exactly what I wanted to do on the grill: my version of the Inside Out Burger.

                If you’re not familiar with the concept of an Inside Out Burger it’s actually pretty simple, you put some of the things that you would normally put on the outside of a burger, cheese, bacon, ham, etc… on the inside before you cook it.

                A lot of establishments have been utilizing this concept of fixing up a burger for a long time but perhaps the most famous are the two bars in Minneapolis Minnesota who each have their signature numbers. The Juicy Lucy or Jucy Lucy depending on which bar you’re in – the 5-8 Club or Matt’s – is made by putting the cheese inside the raw meat before cooking so that when the burger is done, you have blazing hot cheese on the outside.

                When I make my Inside Out Burgers I will put all sorts of different things inside. But on this day I opted for ham and cheese.

                In making my Inside Out I make two smaller, separate patties rather than one larger one. So for example if I were going to be making half-pound burgers I would form out two quarter pound patties. On top of one of the patties I put my slice of fresh Boarshead ham (the best lunch meats in the business in my opinion) and pieces of American cheese. Then I place the other patty on top and seal the edges. It makes the burger look a little odd with a bump in the middle but yes it is tasty.

                One thing to keep in mind when you’re fixing an Inside Out Burger on the grill (the only way to cook them and it should be over charcoal or wood because, as I’ve said before, your food should give you gas, not be cooked with it) is that you are going to have to have a little extra cooking time because of what is in the middle.

                I cooked our burgers over a combination of charcoal and hickory wood chunks.

                You can put just about anything that you would normally put on the outside of a burger on the inside of your Inside Out Burger. I don’t really recommend putting the garden inside because those are things that you normally don’t cook. But any topping that requires a little heat to make good will work perfectly. Also, I don’t really recommend putting in raw meat that normally takes longer to cook than your burger. So I don’t recommend raw bacon. Cook it up a little first.

                Experiment and find the combinations you like best. It’s a great way to fix up and burger with a great tasty surprise in the middle. Enjoy.