I’m guessing you’ve seen the viral trend of mixing cubed cheese into ground beef patties to make cheese-stuffed burgers. I can’t resist putting my own spin on a good trend, so here’s my recipe for a stuffed patty melt!
There’s just something about this type of sandwich that’s so satisfying. It’s hard to go wrong with a ground beef patty and gooey cheese. It might be simple, but it’s also a classic for a reason.
Which is also why I’ve made all these different variations of patty melts! This spin on a traditional patty melt and a cheese-stuffed burger, made right in your backyard, takes the whole thing to the next level. You can smoke, grill or even smash these cheesy patty melts if you like!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love the Stuffed Patty Melt
We’ve got the base components of a classic patty melt here, with a ground beef patty and cheese. But, instead of using cheese slices, we’ve got the cheddar cheese cubed into the meat. With this method, you get freakin’ delicious pockets of melted cheese throughout the sandwich. I like to think of them as flavor blasted!
To keep the cheese from melting into the grill, I use a large cast-iron skillet to cook the stuffed patty melts. The extra cheese also makes for extra juicy burgers, since we’re introducing the fat from the cheese directly into the hamburger patty.
Believe it or not, the cheese-stuffed burger isn’t a new invention. I know my friends in Minnesota are shouting at the screen, “Don’t forget about the Juicy Lucy!” It’s a state favorite, with American cheese tucked into the center of the burger. I may have to put that on my list of next recipes to try…
I’m also leveling up this stuffed patty melt recipe with caramelized onions, garlic aioli, bacon, and burger buns instead of bread slices. I added caramelized onions and special sauce to my animal style patty melt and it was so freakin’ delicious. I had to try it again with garlic and lemon juice, and I can tell you it makes this stuffed patty melt an absolutely epic sandwich.
Want more sandwich ideas? Check out my recipes for Cuban Sandwich, Pizza Sandwich, BBQ Steak Sandwich and Chipotle BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich Recipe. I’ve also got a whole roundup of my favorites in the Best Sandwich Recipes post.
Stuffed Patty Melt Ingredients
- Beef Patties: We’ll season our ground beef with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and cubes of cheddar cheese.
- Caramelized Onions: We’ll slice up some white or sweet onions and cook them with beef tallow and kosher salt.
- Garlic Aioli: To make the special sauce for this stuffed patty melt, we’ll mix together mayonnaise, garlic puree, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
- Melt Assembly: To finish our stuffed patty melts, we’ve got bacon slices and burger buns.
Make Your Own Garlic Puree
You can buy the garlic puree for my garlic aioli at your local supermarket, but it’s really easy to make and tastes way better.
First, take a whole head of garlic. Remove some of the papery skin on the outside and cut off the top 1/2 inch to expose the tops of the cloves. Then, wrap the garlic in aluminum foil with a little bit of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Next, roast it in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 40 minutes, or until the cloves are soft and slightly browned.
When the garlic has cooled, pop the cloves out of the paper skin into your blender. Process the garlic with 1/4 cup olive oil and a teaspoon of kosher salt until smooth. You can adjust these amounts to your preferred texture and taste. Then, mix the garlic puree into your aioli according to the recipe.
This puree will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, but I don’t recommend leaving it in the fridge longer than that. Garlic and oil mixtures at room temperatures produce the perfect conditions for botulism. To be on the safe side, store the puree in the fridge for the recommended amount of time. You can always freeze it for up to 3 months!
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How to Make the Stuffed Patty Melt
Ready for a perfect patty melt? I’m stoked for you to try it!
Caramelizing the Onions
First, preheat your grill to medium-high heat (about 350 degrees F) for direct cooking. About two minutes before you start cooking, place a cast iron skillet on the grill.
Next, melt 2 tablespoons beef tallow in the skillet. When it’s melted, add 2 cups of thinly sliced white onions. Season the onions with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat until they are caramelized (dark brown). Reaching the proper level of caramelization should take about 45-60 minutes. When the onions are done, pull them off the grill and keep them warm.
Making Garlic Aioli
In a small bowl, mix together your ingredients for the aioli: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon garlic puree, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Place the mixture in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Making the Stuffed Patty Melts
First, place 1 pound of ground beef in a bowl, along with 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese, 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt, 1.5 tablespoons black pepper and 1.5 tablespoons garlic powder, and mix together thoroughly. Then, form the mixture into 1/3 pound hamburger patties and place them in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Next, heat your grill to high heat (around 400 degrees F) for direct cooking. Place a large skillet on the grill, add 6-8 slices of bacon to the cold skillet — lying flat to cook — until they’re rendered and crispy. This step should take about 10-15 minutes. Take the bacon out of the skillet and leave the skillet on the grill.
Add your beef patties to the skillet to cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until they reach 165 degrees F internal. Once they’ve reached temp, remove them from from the skillet.
Build the patty melt off the skillet by adding an upside down burger bun, bacon, garlic aioli, meat patty, cheese, onions and garlic aioli. Place your stuffed patty melt stack on the skillet and lightly “smash” the patty down and cook the buns until they are crispy.
Once everything in the stuffed patty melts is toasty golden brown, serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Your Stuffed Patty Melt
I love to serve these stuffed patty melts with onion rings, French fries, or an old-school Caesar salad. Think of what you’d want with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich or a good burger and go with it!
Leftovers and Reheating
Store any leftover patties and caramelized onions in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to three days. Then, reheat your patties and ingredients in a hot skillet for maximum flavor profiles in your patty melt recipe.
For More Patty Melts
FAQs
Definitely! You could use ground turkey or ground chicken in this stuffed patty melt. Keep in mind that these meats can cook up a little drier than ground beef. So, you may want to mix in ingredients like ketchup, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise or even finely grated onions so the meat stays juicy.
If you’re looking for something besides cheddar cheese, cubes of colby, Monterey jack or even Swiss cheese or provolone could work well in the stuffed patty melt.
When you get a cast iron skillet, you’ll realize just how much of a workhorse it is in the kitchen and on the grill. I use it for so many things, and they last forever! Lodge is a great brand that has been making cookware right here in Tennessee since 1896 (like I said, these skillets last forever). Since we use these pans so often, we want to make sure we’re properly cleaning and seasoning them. I’ve got posts covering how to clean your cast iron and how to season or re-season it, so be sure to check those out.
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Stuffed Patty Melt
Ingredients
Beef:
- 1 lbs Ground Beef
- 1.5 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese cubed
- Beef Tallow as needed
Caramelized Onions:
- 2 cups Sliced White Onions
- 2 tbsp Beef Tallow
- Kosher Salt to taste
Garlic Aioli:
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Garlic Puree
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Patty Melt:
- 6-8 slices Bacon
- 6-8 Burger Buns
Instructions
Caramelized Onions:
- Preheat your grill to medium high heat (about 350F) for direct cooking. Add a cast iron skillet to the grill 2 minutes before cooking.
- Melt beef tallow in the skillet and add your thinly sliced white onions. Season the onions with salt and pepper and begin cooking on a medium heat until they are caramelized (dark brown). This should take about 45-60 minutes to achieve. When the onions are done, pull off and keep warm.
Patty Melt:
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the garlic aioli then place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Add your ground beef to a bowl along with the cubed cheese and mix together thoroughly. Form into ⅓ lb burger patties and set in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat your grill to high heat (around 400F) for direct cooking.
- Add a cold skillet with bacon laying flat to cook until rendered and crispy (about 10-15 minutes). Pull them off but keep the skillet on.
- Add your burgers to the skillet to cook for about 8-10 minutes or until 165F internal. Once done, pull them off.
- Build the burger off the skillet by adding an upside down burger bun, bacon, garlic aioli, burger patty, cheese, onions and garlic aioli. Add to the skillet and lightly “smash” the patty down and cook the buns until they are crispy.
- Once toasty golden brown, serve and enjoy!
