Danish immigrant Louis Lassen pioneered the great American hamburger — here’s his sizzling story
Louis Lassen, born in Denmark, was a lunch-wagon owner in New Haven, Connecticut, when he put ground beef patties between two slices of bread. His delicious creation reshaped backyard barbecues and American culinary culture forever.
Like almost any great local culinary specialty, the origins of the Juicy Lucy — or Jucy Lucy, as it's known in one place specifically — are shrouded in hazy mystery.
Perhaps unique in this case, however, the dispute involves a disagreement over how this delicious tavern-food favorite in and around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, is spelled.
Matt's Bar in Minneapolis boasts the most solid and consistent claim to the original.
DEEP-FRIED RANCH A BIG HIT AT MINNESOTA STATE FAIR: 'I WANTED TO HATE IT'
At Matt's in Minnesota, it's spelled Jucy (no "i") Lucy. The bar claims it invented the Jucy Lucy in 1954 as it dared to build a better cheeseburger.
The cheese is packed in the middle of the beef patty, not on top of the burger. It creates a creamy volcanic flow of hot cheese when you bite into beef.
Matt's Bar in Minneapolis claims it invented the Jucy Lucy (top of the list, above) in 1954. The hamburger with the cheese on the inside is a culinary curiosity in and around the Twin Cities. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
"The biggest thing is that when you bite into it, you get this ooey, gooey sensation when the melted cheese pours out," Al Landreville, the owner of Sak's Sports Bar in Vadnis Heights, Minnesota, told Fox News Digital.
The restaurateur opened Sak's 16 years ago. The unique burger has been on the menu since day one. It's been one of the pub's most popular bites the entire time.
MEET THE AMERICAN WHO MADE US FLIP FOR HAMBURGERS, LOUIS LASSEN, DANISH IMMIGRANT STREET-WAGON COOK
"Legend has it a customer came in and asked for his cheese to be put in between two hamburger patties," food influencer Carrie Killian wrote on EatingMinnesota.com.
"On the first bite of the burger, molten cheese came pouring out; the customer exclaimed, ‘That's one juicy Lucy!'"
The Juicy Lucy (or Jucy Lucy), shown here at Sak's Sports Bar, is an inside-out cheeseburger popular in the pubs in and around Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota. The cheese is stuffed inside the burger. (Sak's Sports Bar)
The "i" was dropped from the name, she offered, in "an inadvertent misspelling, and the Jucy Lucy came to be."
"Molten cheese came pouring out; the customer exclaimed, 'That's one juicy Lucy!'"
Matt's writes on its website: "Remember, if it's spelled correctly, you might be eating a shameless ripoff!"
The unusual burger soon spread like hot cheese down the side of a Twin Cities burger bun.
The 5-8 Club, a former 1920s speakeasy in Minneapolis, also claims to be home of the local inside-out cheeseburger.
HOT BEEF COMMERCIAL, A MINNESOTA COMFORT-FOOD CLASSIC, IS THE 'MOST DELICIOUS THING YOU CAN EAT'
"Though no origination story exists about creating the cheesy conception," EatingMinnesota.com reported, "they maintain they are 'Minnesota's Home of the Original Juicy Lucy.'"
The 5-8 Club counters Matt's Bar with this retort: "If it's spelled right, it's done right."
Matt's Bar claims it invented the Jucy Lucy (not Juicy Lucy) in 1954. The hamburger with the cheese on the inside is a culinary curiosity in and around the Twin Cities. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
The Jucy or Juicy Lucy done right appears just as difficult as spelling it right, according to Landreville of Sak's Sports Bar.
He cited a laundry list of factors that go into making the perfect special burger.
Many of those factors are secrets closely guarded by each Jucy/Juicy Lucy hamburger hot spot.
CHEESEBURGERS: 5 FACTS ABOUT THIS DELICIOUS AMERICAN FAVORITE
First, he noted, you need the perfect soft, melty cheese.
He did not reveal the cheese used at Sak's. But trusty American cheese seems to be most common in these burgers.
Matt's Bar is widely proclaimed to be the home of the original Jucy Lucy. The inside-out cheeseburger is a beloved culinary curiosity in and around the Twin Cities. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
American cheese is perhaps even culturally required, given Minnesota's heartland farm history.
"We mix in a little green onion and some seasoning to give ours a little bit of a different spin," Landreville said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
The cheese is packed between 7 ounces of beef – two 3½-ounce patties sealed around the cheese with perfect precision.
"You need to find the perfect chemistry of beef and cheese."
Packing the cheese between the two beef patties is the moment of truth.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The cheese needs to melt perfectly within the beef patties — but not leak out until the customer bites into the burger.
"You need to find the perfect chemistry of beef and cheese," Landreville said.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle
"When you bite into a Jucy Lucy, you want that ooey, gooey cheese to smack you right in the mouth."
Fox News Lifestyle
A look at the top-trending stories in food, relationships, great outdoors and more.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.