Pepper Cheese-Stuffed Burgers

Pepper cheese stuffed burgers hide a molten core of jalapeno pepper jack cheese inside the patty itself, so every bite reveals a stretchy, spicy surprise. Two thin patties get sealed around a portion of pepper Jack cheese, which insulates the cheese from direct grill heat and keeps it pourable instead of burnt off the surface.

The technique is simple but the seal matters. Press the edges of the two patties together firmly to keep the cheese from leaking out during grilling. A weak seal leads to a flat, melted, ruined burger and a fire underneath.

Grill over medium coals for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping once. Top with lettuce, tomato, and a toasted bun, and you’ve got a backyard burger that cures the I’m-tired-of-regular-burgers blahs.

Pro Tips

• Use 85% lean beef. Leaner ground beef dries out during grilling, but 85/15 has enough fat to stay juicy without dripping flames into the coals.
• Make the bottom patty slightly wider than the top. The bottom catches the cheese and crimps up the sides as you press, creating a more secure seal.
• Don’t press down on the burgers with a spatula while grilling. Pressing squeezes out the juices and the molten cheese, leaving you with a dry burger.
• Let the burgers rest for 2 minutes after grilling. The cheese settles slightly and you avoid the molten-lava blast on the first bite.

Variations

• Sub blue cheese, smoked Gouda, or sharp cheddar for the pepper Jack.
• Stuff with a pat of garlic-herb butter alongside the cheese for a juicier compound-butter burger.
• Top with bacon and grilled onions for a fully loaded version.