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It's a Jucy Lucy kind of day
And, thank goodness, the Twin Cities now has what promises to be a complete guide to our greatest contribution to international cuisine.
89 Reader Comments
This is a travesty.
I'm a longtime Matt's devotee. I grew up in the neighborhood and had a REAL, original Jucy at least twice a month. The commoditization of it across the city kills me. No one can match Matt's; NO ONE.
A travesty? Seela-- you should come to WCCO, you could be a news writer!
I think it's pretty cool. And impressive how quickly Ed whipped up the website.
What do you guys think matt's secret is? I am guessing velveeta or something similar. Their lucy cheese is much more liquid.
I have also had lucys at the 58 and Sportsmans and those were gooey but not liquid. My opinion is those were made with standard american cheese.
Thoughts?
I love it how I've been gone from MNSpeak for a couple of weeks and the Jucy Lucy post brings me in.
I also love it how every joint that has the J.L. claims it has the Original J.L.. When I was in high school, we used to go to the 5&8 Club on Cedar and Crosstown, back before it was redone (we're talking the mid-80s). It was a real dive. We used to sit in the back, play pool, smoke Swisher Sweets, and eat their "Original Jucy Lucy." Oh, and they would serve us beer. Those were my first beers.
They still have a great burger.
I have sat and watched them make Jucys at Matt's. They use standard American cheese slices from a large food distribution company, I doubt much different than the other phony JL purveyors.
I think Matt's is different because they somehow achieve some strange, wickedly perfect balance of grease and cheese and heat. Wrapping it in paper helps, too. Or, there is some juju/magic/voodoo type of thing happening.
I've tried other JLs around town and while some are good, they just don't stack up.
Am I the only one in the Twin Cities who really really wanted to like the Juicy Lucys, but was always disappointed? Cheese makes EVERYTHING better - yet, when it comes out as runny molten grease (instead of the desired thickened cheesy goo) inside a hunk of meat, I'm just not impressed.
No, you're not the only one.
The Nook in St. Paul rules. So does Matt's. But don't be tricked by the smoke and mirrors of the Jucy Lucy. Get a double cheeseburger instead. Takes half as long to make, is made of the same ingredients and you don't get the cheese lava-flow on your hands.
Maybe I should start making my own the way they SHOULD be made and then saddle up to that suited lemonade-stand kid. Oh how the cash would roll.
The Nook is lame. We went there once and it took the dim-witted 17-year-olds appearing to run the place 30 minutes to get us our first beers, and it wasn't exactly busy. When we finally got 'em we weren't asked if we wanted to order food (which we did). Another 30 minutes passed and we listened to the cooks and waitresses chatter about the cars their parents had bought them. No one asked us if we wanted another drink or about food. We paid and left.
If you got JL molten cheese all over your hands, you weren't 'doing' it right. If you don't LIKE the molten cheese concept, you don't deserve to enjoy eating a JL properly, anyway. :wink:
Enjoy your double. The rest of us will be swimming in pools of molten American cheese slices, backstroking, floating around in it on little rafts, playing cheese-polo.....
but you sound like a groveland tap jucy lucy type of girl. go there, now.
try making you own! I can make one that puts matt's to shame, on the grill. Plus no crappy service. The trick is getting a goos seal between the two patties, and cook on low enough heat so it can cook al the way through.
A few homemade lucies of interest: Cream cheese and olives, Green onions and smoked cheddar (omg), pepper jack with salsa, and, for the love of god, Bongard's White cheddar, capers, and bacon.
Seela, you're lame. I've been there a hundred times and haven't had that experience. Maybe you were the one's acting like dicks. From the tone of your response I'd believe it.
goos=good
Apparently, cheese-filled burgers is a hot-button issue and tempers are flaring. People, please! It's just lunch.
teucer, no, that's a dating service for busy professionals.
I think Seela works at Matt's. It's the only explanation!
Cheese-filled Burgers? Sounds like it might do well in Wisconsin...
I've still never had a Jucy Lucy. I feel like I need to get going on that.
OK, leigha had just about put me off the entire concept of the JL with her evocative description of cheese-flavored grease.
But you, Baker, have turned the tide: "A few homemade lucies of interest: Cream cheese and olives, Green onions and smoked cheddar (omg), pepper jack with salsa, and, for the love of god, Bongard's White cheddar, capers, and bacon."
Is there a restaurant bold enough to offer any of these variants? I will happily sacrifice unimpeded arterial flow - with a song on my lips! - if I could find a restaurant offering the Green Onions or White Cheddar variants. I will die plump, arrhythmatic, and happy.
One thing that Matt's does better than anywhere else I've been is ask whether anyone is a first-timer. I've had friends suffer blow-outs at other spots, including the Nook where molten cheese has run down their forearm after an overly aggresive first bite.
Jason, the key to building sites fast is complete creative control and low standards.
Am I the only one in the Twin Cities who really really wanted to like the Juicy Lucys, but was always disappointed? Cheese makes EVERYTHING better - yet, when it comes out as runny molten grease (instead of the desired thickened cheesy goo) inside a hunk of meat, I'm just not impressed.
From your comment, I think your problem is you expect too much. This is not some gourmet dish we're talking about here. This is taking something that comes from a cow and melting it between two pieces of a cow. Have you ever seen how cows live? Ain't pretty. Why should the ultimate combination of a cow's sacrifice be any different? Don't hate it, revel in it. Get hot cheese on your face! Lick your greasy fingers! Love it, leigha! Love the Jucy Lucy!
Seela later!!
I love how I made a pretty weak assessment of the Nook that didn't involve any personal attacks, provided a small synopsis of our one experience there, and then jokingly teased Mayor McCheese a little bit, and he FLIPS OUT over my "tone," turns it into a DEFENSIVE PERSONAL ATTACK, and calls me a DICK!
Hahahahahaaa! Wow. Man! Switch to decaf, there, Mayor. Calm down, and have a Matt's Jucy Lucy......everything will be OK...........we're just discussing cheeseburgers on the Internet..........breathe............
A number of years passed before I realized that Jucy Lucys were something unique to the area. Like baker, we used to make them quite often with all sorts of combinations -- I thought everyone did.
But like Leigha, I've never been impressed at all with Matt's or other bars'. And believe me, I love me a burger.
the 5-8 purpordetedly makes pepper jack, swiss, etc. But no gourmet combinations. And Matt's? americans singles exclusively.
Making you own is much more fulfilling, and a challenge as you can NOT LET THE SEAL BREAK at All OR YOUR LUCY IS TOAST. It takes a few tries--pimpin lucies ain't easy.
Dayum baker, those home made grilled JL combos sound SICK. I mean that in a good way. Thanks for sharing!
/takes notes
Oh, and if someone figured out how to put the JL on a stick and sell it at the Fair they'd make BANK.
But they'd need SERIOUS insurance for all the molten lava cheese burns from the idiots who didn't follow the instructions (per Matt's) to wait a bit before biting into it!
Sure! I find a good technique is, before you try to actually build the lucy, to slam each patty several times into your hand to blend the meat and makes those pesky cracks in the edges of the patty dissapear. Once you are confident in your patty structure, go ahead and add the cheese. You'll be tempted to put tons in there, but remember you have to use those edges to make a good strong seal. Fold and fold, and inspeact carefullt. Cook on Med-low for a good half an hour. You can choose to sear each side first if you'd like on a higher heat and then decrease--sometimes this helps with structural integrity.
I still can't figure out how anyone could eat a jucy lucy without first cutting it in half.
No molten-scarring-drippy-face bites for the burger-cutter/cheese-mopper types, I proclaim!
I haven't had a Jucy Lucy either, but after reading this I think I'd just go to baker's house.
My bro is a 5&8 guy. I'm a Matt's guy. We've had this discussion before. If I could, I'd put a sticker of a Matt's JL pissing a puddle of cheese into a 5&8 shape, a la Ford vs. Chevy.
I've made many homemade JLs, but they lack that certain nastiness that makes Matt's so special. My friend is flying through Mpls. in a few weeks and has a two hour layover. We're rushing from the airport to Matt's for pitchers and JLs. I hope he misses his flight so we can go back and get really, really sick on a couple more.
Been to Matt's, but was warned about the craptasticness of the JL so it was exactly how I expected: craptastic.
Now, baker. on the other hand seems to have taken the JL to whole new gastronomical level which leads me to this question:
baker. - what time's dinner? I'll bring the homemade chipotle chips - yum and yum.
BTW - is my bro's birthday today. He's still "under 40." But just barely.
I think I'll send him a bouquet of Juicy Lucys.
Nateek you are my. Kinda. GUY!
LOL!
this is taking something that comes from a cow and melting it between two pieces of a cow. Have you ever seen how cows live? Ain't pretty. Why should the ultimate combination of a cow's sacrifice be any different? Don't hate it, revel in it. Get hot cheese on your face! Lick your greasy fingers! Love it, leigha! Love the Jucy Lucy!
Perhaps we could better honor the cows by making the "something" thick and cheesy and wonderful rather than a thin, orangey-yellow Slick of Nothingness ensconced in a bubble of grease? urp.
Party at baker.'s!
baker. I forgot to say that I have really cool maps as well - does that get me into the "Baker's House of JL"?
Ah, but don't underestimate the Eternal Slick of Nothingness as a Sure Path to Enlightenment! The Matt's Jucy Lucy (although I've only had it once) is almost an element of Natural Law! (It may be its own ELEMENT - JL on the periodic table? What would its atomic mass be? With onions? Without? Or would that be a compound?)
Bx: I don't think I want to know as it takes all of the mystery out of what REALLY is in the JL? Or, if we are indeed on the path to JL enlightment, maybe we should ask: "Does the JL truly exist?"
I don't know Seela, you call the staff at the Nook dim-witted and people who accidentally get cheese on themselves idiots.
Time to start cutting the medication in half....or perhaps take more.
Periodic Table:
Gastronium
M2-C-M2
Excuse me, what was that you were contributing to this great and funny discussion about Jucy Lucys, again, Mayor McCheese? What was that? I didn't quite hear it. Oh, maybe because it was NOTHING. This thread is about cheeseburgers, not your widdle fwends at the Nook.
Back to the topic. Cat, Carl Sagan and Kirkegaard would be proud. I wonder what the string theorists would think of a Jucy Lucy?
Thanks for the tips, Baker. I've never attempted to make JLs at home. And if I did, I would have considered grilling them last - I know at Matt's they're griddled. I'd be afraid of an all-out cheese explosion on the coals, so you must be a freaking Jedi Master of Jucy Lucys.
I wonder how a goat cheese or Stilton would do in there. With some carmelized onions or garlic. Hmmmmm...
One more home cooking JL advice:
I'll put an egg in the patties to help them hold together better. And I've also made a JL then wrapped the outer edges in bacon. Then I blacked out.
The key to any good burger is not getting the lame extra lean ground beef. You'd have a MNSpeak coronary knowing how high the beautiful, delicious fat content is within your beloved JL. 70% lean, tops.
BTW, when typing this message, I mistyped "beef" as "beer" and "fat" as "fart" yet I believe either typo would have been sufficient for this post.
Aeklund and nateek.......ROTFFL. Thanks for the laffs, methinks this weather is making folks grow the Krabby Klaws!
Perhaps we could better honor the cows by making the "something" thick and cheesy and wonderful rather than a thin, orangey-yellow Slick of Nothingness ensconced in a bubble of grease? urp.
No, Leigha, you don't understand. That would be like building a McMansion in memory of a hobo.
Treat yourself to a few hours in a cattle yard. Then, and only then, will you truly see.
See the cattle, Liegha. See them.
The truth is in the cattle yard.
Waiting...
...for Leigha.
NOTAFOOD...
You seem like you know a thing or two about cattle yards.
I've heard that our burger meat only comes from ugly cows who were total assholes to the other cows. This spares cute and nice cows. That's true, isn't it?
baker. I forgot to say that I have really cool maps as well - does that get me into the "Baker's House of JL"?
yes of course! but only if the maps adhere to some certain guidelines...
I'm with leigha.
All I have expected is a burger that is at least as good as a regular cheeseburger and have always either gotten an overcooked, dry, molten-cheese filled brick or a juicy burger cooked correctly with a hunk of unmelted cheese in the middle. The physics of a burger cooked medium with melted cheese in the middle is simply impossible. And I have had the ones with jalapeno cream cheese in the middle and it was pretty good, but it's hard to say that is a jucy lucy as i doubt that is what its inventors had in mind.
"What do you guys think matt's secret is"
Love.
Yes, nateek, you are right.
Unlike the food elitists here at this "MNspeak" you perhaps can understand that the Jucy Lucy is not your standard and glorious 20.21 fare with a side of foi gras.
No. It's the product of your good old blue collar American bovine, through and through. You know that song "Spirit in the Sky"? That's what the cows hum to themselves when they lie in the pasture growing their hamburger parts. They don't dream about being dolluped in whatever namby pamby sauce some stuffed hat whips up. They dream of Jucy Lucys. They want to be the grease in your mouth and the heat in your belly.
Why deny them their dreams?
Why? Because their dream isn't pretty enough for you?
Shallow. Real shallow.
I seem to recall, at least back in the early '90s, that a Matt's JL could be had with blue cheese. At least that's the way I remember having it there way back when.
Gotta agree with the 70% lean beef requirement, too. Grilled burgers HAVE to have fat or they are flavorless. Lean beef is okay for something like chili or Hamburger Helper; you gotta have the fatty stuff, though, for a tasty burger.
One once in awhile is not going to kill you. Be daring. Live free!
Ppppffffftttt, like burgers are made from cows.
Frickin' liberals.
a "food elitist" wouldn't even bother with a conversation about 'burgers. Burgers are for the regular folk, which is why I love 'em -- well, that and they taste damn good with cheddar cheese and bacon. But Matt's really just aren't that good once the novelty/cool-thing-to-do factor wears off.
I was going to say they are just a notch above a White Castle slider, but I think I might prefer the latter. As long as I'm drunk.
Sure...now I suppose your going to say that bacon is made from bunnies.
I have forsworn meat in favor of this exciting new food "Soylent Green", which is made from phytoplankton-enriched composites. It tastes just like meat with none of the guilt!
Hey Bx, I was only defending a great restaurant from a blogger who called them dim-witted.
I don't recall seeing a post from you that was worth 2 cents.
I seem to have hit a soft spot....right in the center of your "JL".
Cheers, prick.
Take it outside, boys.
And girls...
At least Bx stays on topic, Mayor McCorncob-Up-His-Ass.
And I'm not a blogger.....I'm an anonymous commenter on a blog.
Come back when you have something to say about Jucy Lucys. That was the topic at hand.
I often console myself with knowing that only the asshole cows get slaughtered, too!
Has anyone here tried to make a veggie JL? Would that even be possible? (Not that I would be interested in eating it!)
It's made of PEEEEEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE veggie JLs!
I also love:
non-alcoholic beer
tonics-n-tonics (w/ lime!)
smokeless tobacco
dryhumping(!)
the Weather Channel
decaf coffee
water skiing behind a canoe
clothed porn
dial-up internet
sugar free candy
carob chips
unsalted peanuts
lardless pie crusts
YUM!
ur all ah bunhc of drihumprs
That's an excellent and funny list, Nateek. It makes me want to dive into a vat of MSG.
i secretly love white castle sliders.
also italian beef sandwhiches at the uptown.
and the weather channel
Water skiing behind a canoe - I would like to see that! LOL
And hey, lardless pie crusts aren't so bad.
And don't underestimate frottage.
Muchas hilariouso, nateek.
Anyone remember the days of "clear beer" and "clear" Pepsi, etc.
Does anyone still drink ZIMA?
I don't know if Zima exists anymore. But while fishing in Florida this past year, my brother provided us with a 6 pack of Sparks, a malt liquor with taurine, caffeine, ginseng, and other stuff in it. It's like Colt 45 for tri-athletes. It basically enters your bloodstream and confuses your entire central nervous system. Delicious!
I'm pretty sure there is a Minneapolis city ordinance prohibiting the pairing of Zima with Jucy Lucy's.
And I'm pretty sure it's federal offense to pair dry humping and JL's together. Ouch!
Anyone remember the days of "clear beer" and "clear" Pepsi, etc.
And the excellent SNL parody commercial for "Crystal Gravy"?
And I'm pretty sure it's federal offense to pair dry humping and JL's together.
For various reasons, this pairing couldn't possibly be dry.
I seem to recall another parody about "See-Thru Smokes" too.
I actually thought the clear stuff was cool, kinda like the clear acrylic phones and boomboxes used to be cool.
Good old blue collar Americans likely pass on the liberal college-educated elitest novelty of cheese inside a burger and eat something with the cheese on the outside; the way god intended.
Seela, all the Mayor did was defend the hardworking people at my favourite restaurant.
Seems like you and Bx were a little off topic too.
Projection!!
OK, I will concede - barely - that the Groveland Tap's Cajun Lucy is pretty OK. JUST pretty OK.
When someone comes out with a veggie or ground poultry Lucy, I will declare art officially dead.
Once someone comes out with a veggie Jucy Lucy, I will declare that we have evolved as a species.
I don't object to the mere presence of your fat burger, why begrudge me, mine?
Doesn't a Chicken w/ rosemary JL with a Fontina and Maytag blue cheese core sound awesome? You could put it on Marble Rye and then deep fry it like a Monte Cristo!
What could be more Minnesotans than a politically correct Jucy Lucy? I would eat one. Happily.
Is there a Jucy Lucy on a stick at the fair?
"What could be more Minnesotans than a politically correct Jucy Lucy?"
I wonder what it would be called...
The Sissy Lucy.
The lard-challenged Lucy.
The differently abled Lucy
the politcally correct lucy would be completely void of taste, as to not offend anyone, wait, scratch that, it would be burgerless, what with the 1 to 8 grain to beef ratio that we are all aware of.
No way, man. You can't politicize a JL. The original is meant to be more fat than protein, more ooze than the blob, and more grease, than any hair product designed.
What you can have is variations that appeal to differing palates, but the original will always be a burger w/what we think is cheese.
*picks up toys and stomps out*
I think the same people that have convinced themselves that juicy lucys are good are the same that have convinced themselves Pabst Blue Ribbon is worth drinking. Both are merely accessories to the ironic lifestyle you're trying so desperately to create.
Or maybe they're just cheeseburgers and I'm bitter....
Pap Smirs- PBR and Smirnoff
Tip for at-home burger makers...have your butcher grind up your preferred cut of meat at the counter...as a former butcher store employee the stories I could tell would turn you off of meat entirely...
Brillance, she-she. Sheer funniness. Love it!
"The differently abled Lucy"
The Juicy Lewbowksi?
yes yes Ms. Lebowski is Disabled . . .
5-8's pepper jack JL with carmalized onion makes my tummy say "dayum." Plus, you've gotta love hangin out at a former speak-easy. I'm McLovin' it.
5-8's pepper jack JL with carmalized onion
Oh my God, that sounds delicious.
Matt's lucys are really well done and charred on the outside. maybe you have to cook them that long to get th cheese to liquify and the fat to mix with it.
Never eaten at the Nook. Heard good things though.
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