Pimento cheese is a delicious addition to a juicy burger.
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You know it as the satisfying centerpiece of a famous sandwich. But pimento cheese is a versatile ingredient, suited to a range of delicious preparations. Robert Wohlfeil is executive chef at Thr3 Jack, a golf-themed restaurant in Minneapolis that has six indoor simulators and a menu stocked with farm-fresh American fare. In celebration of the Masters, GOLF.com asked Chef Wohlfeil to recommend other uses for pimento cheese, aside from simply spreading it on bread. Here’s the third of four recipes he’ll share with us this week, one for each day of the tournament. (Check out Thursday’s pimento cheese-stuffed jalapenos here, and Friday’s pimento cheesy breakfast hash browns here.)
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Pimento Cheeseburger Double
If you’re unfamiliar with a Juicy Lucy, you’ve been missing out. It’s essentially a burger patty with the cheese stuffed into the middle — a world of beefy goodness with molten magic at its core. It’s delicious, but it can a challenge to prepare. Getting the burger cooked just-so while melting the cheese can be tricky, while checking for doneness with a meat thermometer can allow the filling to escape. By spreading the pimento cheese between two patties, this burger preparation recreates the feel of the Juicy Lucy in a faster, more reliable way.
Pro Tip: If you’re making your own pimento cheese for this dish, cut back slightly on the mayo. That will keep the lush, creamy cheese from getting too runny as it heats up.
Ingredients:
-1 Burger bun -2 burger patties, 3-4 ounces each -3 Tbsp pimento cheese -Salt and pepper to taste -Mayonnaise or mustard -Lettuce, pickles, onion
1. Season the burger patties with salt and pepper. Your patties should be pressed thin to speed up cooking and help the cheese to melt.
2. Place on the grill or griddle and cook for about a minute, or until the juices begin to rise to the top of the patty.
3. Flip both patties and cook for 30-45 seconds on the second side.
4. Flip one back to the first side and spread the pimento cheese over it.
5. Stack the other burger on top and let them cook together.
6. Once the bottom patty has cooked, flip the stack over and let the other patty cook.
7. The cheese should begin to melt out from the sides of the patty stack.
8. Transfer to your prepared bun (toasted, dressed with mayo or mustard) and add your choice of toppings.
A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.