How to make Cheesecake Factory's stuffed cheddar burger at home
A stuffed burger and a regular cheeseburger use the same ingredients, just in different ways.
While a cheeseburger is a patty topped with melted cheese, a stuffed burger wraps the burger meat around slices of cheese. The one simple change results in a gooey center of cheesy goodness.
There are a few tricks to making a successful stuffed burger. The first is pounding the meat to an even thinness and checking that it’s completely wrapped around the cheese. Once all your burgers are stuffed, put them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours before they go on the grill. “This will help prevent a premature cheese meltdown,” says Brandon Cook, executive chef culinary R&D at the The Cheesecake Factory.
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Cheesecake Factory's stuffed cheddar burger
Ingredients
8 oz. ground beef 80/20
1 slice sharp cheddar
1 slice American cheese
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 ea. hamburger bun
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. Thousand Island dressing
1/2 oz iceberg lettuce, sliced thin
1 slice tomato
5 ea. dill pickle chips
1-1/2 oz. caramelized onions, warm
Procedure for stuffing burger patty:
Place plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Mound the ground beef onto the center of the plastic wrap. Place another piece of plastic wrap over the mound. Use a flat-bottomed pan or pot to press the meat out into a patty approximately 8” in diameter. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap.
Place the cheese slices, stacked onto the patty. Break off the corners of the cheese and place onto the rounded slices. Carefully fold the excess meat over the cheeses covering it completely. Use the plastic wrap to help fold the meat over the cheese and press to form a patty.
Repeat the process as needed (if making more than one) and wrap the patties individually in plastic to store.
Let the patties rest under refrigeration for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking and up to 24 hours.
Assembling Burger:
Place the prepped stuffed cheddar burger patty onto the grill and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes then turn the burger 45° to mark and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Brush the melted butter onto the cut sides of the bun and place (cut side down) onto a gridle or non-stick pan to toast approximately 30-60 seconds. Remove the bun and set aside until needed.
Flip the burger over and cook 2 minutes. Turn the burger 45° to mark and continue to cook 2 minutes.
Season the burger with salt and pepper just before removing it from the grill.
Spread the Thousand Island dressing evenly over the bottom.
Mound the iceberg lettuce onto the bottom bun. Top with the tomato slice and pickle chips. Set the burger on top of the pickle chips. Mound the warm onions evenly onto the burger. Place the top bun onto the burger and enjoy!
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cheesecake Factory's stuffed cheddar burger recipe
