Beef burgers stuffed with brie and sun-dried tomatoes
- Preparation 25 min
- Cooking 10 min
- Servings 4
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🔥 The legendary burger that makes cheese ooze everywhere
I’ve always had a weakness for stuffed burgers. Dripping, juicy, explosive in flavor. For me, I don’t eat burgers often, but when I do eat one, I want it to be completely legendary. For a few years, I’ve been seeing more and more restaurants starting to make stuffed burgers, and I thought: that’s it, I want MY recipe too. I tested, I failed, I started over, and here’s the final result. The kind of burger that you cut in half in front of your guests, and when the brie flows onto the board, everyone stops talking. A friend once told me he should take a shower afterwards. Mission accomplished.
🧀 The two secrets I learned the hard way
The first time I made these burgers, I made two classic mistakes. First, I put way too much stuffing. The patties opened up on the grill and I lost half my cheese. Second, my brie wasn’t cold enough: it melted in 30 seconds and came out from all the edges. Since then, I do the opposite. I put just enough stuffing so the patty stays sealed, and most importantly, I keep my brie cut into cubes in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before stuffing. A nearly frozen cheese takes longer to melt, which gives the meat time to cook before the brie flows. It’s the detail that nobody mentions, and it’s the one that changes everything.
🏡 Perfect for entertaining, a Saturday night with the gang
If you’re looking for entertaining recipes that make an impact without asking you to play chef for three hours, welcome to my top 3 Saturday night recipes. It’s exactly the kind of meal I serve among friends when I want the BBQ to become the main show of the evening. The patties are prepared in advance, you bring out the cold beer, you grill, you assemble, and everyone goes crazy. It’s part of my recipes to impress that have never disappointed. Because nobody expects to bite into a burger and see a heart of melted brie flowing onto their fingers. It’s the guaranteed wow effect, in four bites.
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🧊 Put your brie in the freezer before stuffing
This is MY most important trick. Brie cubes in a bowl with the sun-dried tomatoes, then straight to the freezer for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the meat. A nearly frozen cheese takes longer to melt during cooking, which gives the meat time to cook before the brie flows everywhere. Nobody talks about this in other recipes, and yet it’s what changes everything.
🫙 Don’t put TOO much stuffing
It’s the classic beginner mistake (I made it). About 3 tbsp of stuffing in the center of each patty, no more. If you put too much, the patty will never seal properly and you’ll lose half your cheese on the grill. Resist the temptation.
🥬 The lettuce goes FIRST, under the tomato
Another small detail that makes the difference: I always stack my lettuce at the bottom, directly on the bun. The lettuce becomes an anti-soaking barrier that prevents tomato juice and burger fat from turning your brioche bun into a sponge. Simple, but it saves the last third of the burger.
🌡️ Medium power, not maximum
Too hot, the crust burns before the center is cooked. Too gentle, the patty turns gray instead of caramelizing. Medium power with a well-oiled grate is the optimal point to get the beautiful brown crust outside and a melting center inside.
🫒 Keep the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
Don’t EVER throw away the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. I keep it to put in a risotto, to drizzle on a salad, or to sauté vegetables. It’s a super fragrant oil that gives incredible depth to lots of dishes. As long as you’re buying it, use it completely.
🍞 Use a brioche bun (or make it yourself)
Brioche bun completely changes the game. Its little sweet touch pairs divinely with the saltiness of brie and bacon. If you want to push it even further, make my pain brioché au fromage at home. It’s the homemade version I use when I want the burger to be really, really legendary.
✅ What to serve with my beef burgers stuffed with brie and sun-dried tomatoes?
My burgers are already an experience in themselves, but to make it a real summer feast among friends, serve them with my frites de patates douces au four for a sweet-salty contrast that makes everyone go crazy, or my salade de chou crémeuse that perfectly balances the richness of the melted brie. For a real terrace BBQ combo, add my maïs grillé au BBQ avec beurre à la lime and finish with my salade de macaroni classique, the kind of recipe that pleases everyone, young and old alike.
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Burgers
- 350 g (12 oz) Alexis de Portneuf brie (or other local brie), rind removed, cut into cubes
- 6 tbsp (90 ml) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, lightly drained and finely chopped
- 800 g (1 ¾ lb) medium-lean ground beef
- 4 brioche hamburger buns, lightly buttered
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Toppings
- Lettuce leaves
- Tomato slices
- 8 thick slices of cooked and very crispy bacon
- Dill pickle slices
- Ketchup
- Dijon mustard
- Whole grain mustard (optional)
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Preparation
- In a bowl, put the brie cubes and sun-dried tomatoes, then season generously with salt and pepper. Mix gently and place in the freezer while you prepare the meat. A nearly frozen brie will stay in place longer during cooking.
- Divide the ground beef into 8 equal portions and flatten each into a thin patty about 11 cm (4½ in) in diameter.
- Remove the brie-tomato mixture from the freezer and distribute about 3 tbsp in the center of 4 patties, leaving a good inch of meat all around. Resist the temptation to put more. Too much stuffing = patty that opens up.
- Cover with the 4 other patties and firmly pinch the edges of the layered patties to seal them well, as if you were closing a turnover. Season with salt and pepper on each side.
- Preheat the barbecue to maximum power, then reduce to medium power. Generously oil the grate.
- Place the patties on the grate and cook 5 minutes on each side without moving them, or until the meat has lost its pink color and the juices that escape are clear.
- During the last minute of cooking, grill the buttered brioche buns, cut side down, directly on the grate.
- Build the burgers by putting the lettuce FIRST on the bun (it prevents the tomato from soaking the bun), then a tomato slice, the stuffed patty, bacon, pickles and condiments of your choice.
Because a nearly frozen cheese takes longer to melt during cooking. It gives the meat time to develop its crust and cook through BEFORE the brie liquefies and comes out from all the edges. It’s the trick that makes the difference between a stuffed burger that’s dripping-in-your-mouth and a stuffed burger that’s dripping-on-the-grill.
Absolutely. The same technique works with ground chicken, ground turkey or ground lamb. Just adjust the seasoning and watch the cooking, because white meats cook faster. Ground veal also gives a super tender result. I’ve never tested the veggie version, so I won’t comment on that.
My favorite is the Alexis de Portneuf. It’s delicious, creamy, and can be found in most markets in Quebec. Otherwise I often take the house brand from the market where I shop, which is usually very good. Avoid brie that’s too aged and flows too quickly. A young brie keeps a more stable texture during cooking.
Yes, and I highly recommend it when you’re entertaining. Prepare the stuffed patties up to 24 hours in advance, place them on a tray with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge. Take them out 10 minutes before cooking so they come to room temperature a bit, and jump straight to the BBQ.
For a complete BBQ dinner that impresses without effort, serve my stuffed burgers with my frites de patates douces au four and my salade de chou crémeuse that perfectly cuts the fat from the brie. Add my maïs grillé au BBQ avec beurre à la lime for the summer touch and finish with a salade de macaroni classique for a dinner combo with friends that succeeds every time.
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