Booze in the Kitchen: How to Make a Juicy Lucy With Bourbon Cream Sauce

A few years ago I had a brief layover in Minneapolis and my boyfriend enthusiastically declared that I should try and get a Juicy Lucy during my stopover. I tried, and failed because Juicy Lucy’s are not a thing you cook quickly, but since then it has been a mythical burger option.

Truth be told I’m pretty sure you can make one by just putting cheese inside a burger, but that’s neither here nor there.

This week Knob Creek Bourbon sent a recipe for one of the burgers along with something a little extra: bourbon barbecue sauce. Adding bourbon to your sauce can give it an extra kick and can be just what the doctor (or chef?) ordered for creating the perfect sandwich.

If you want to try your hand at making your own, here’s how to make the magic happen:

Peppercorn Juicy Lucy Burger with Knob Creek® Bourbon Cream Sauce
By Jason Baker, NYC-based Food & Travel Influencer (@JasonEats)

Ingredients:
Makes four burgers
1/2 cup Knob Creek® Bourbon
2 lbs. Ground Beef Chuck
Martin’s Potato Hamburger Rolls
8 slices Colby Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese
Pepper Garlic Salt
1 TBS Butter
1/2 cup Beef Stock
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1-2 TSP Corn Starch or Flour

Directions for burger:Season meat lightly with salt and pepper. Fold a slice ofroom temperature cheese into four stacked pieces. Wrap meat around stacked cheese forming four half pound patties. Cover patties on all sides with thick coarsely ground black or mixed peppercorns. Sear patties on medium high heat until starting to blacken and then flip and cover each in one more piece of cheese on top, take off grill once cheese fully melted.

Directions for cream sauce: Add butter to pan and let fully melt. Pour Knob Creek® Bourbon in pan on medium high heat, let reduce slightly then add beef stock, add garlic salt and pepper to taste then let reduce slightly before adding cream. Whisk in cream and keep stirring while adding corn starch or flower to thicken as desired. Continue to cook at medium
temperature for five to seven minutes to let the sauce reduce slightly and gel together.