The Chevy Trax is the perfect partner for finding balance and exploring wherever your day leads.
Hopefully you caught the “Man vs. Food” episode where host Adam Richman tracked the Juicy Lucy (a burger with cheese on the inside) back to its Twin City roots.
We live in Metro Detroit, not Minneapolis, so what’s my point?
Local brothers Jay and Jon Kizy are proprietors of Jay’s Stuffed Burgers, and they make the cheese-filled Juicy Lucy look like child’s play in comparison to their mountainous stuffed burgers.
Years ago, Jay was inspired to test out stuffed burgers and they were a hit from the first filled patty. From there, Jay and Jon created stuffed burgers for their friends and family, with no intention of turning their product into a business.
“Everyone had the same response: ‘These burgers are amazing, I’ve never seen anything like them, you should sell them’,” Jon said.
Around 2009, they sold their burgers for the first time at a neighborhood festival.
“Day one we went there with 150 burgers and we sold out. That’s when we realized we were onto something,” Jon said, adding that he and his brother did a few catering jobs after that, and considered opening a food truck before they decided on a burger joint.
The two have been furiously grilling burgers since they opened Jay’s Stuffed Burgers, 600 W. Ann Arbor Trail, Plymouth, in October 2012.
“Everything’s hand-made and we’re born and raised in Michigan. Our main philosophy is, ‘If we won’t eat it ourselves, we’re not going to serve it’,” Jon said.
Perhaps what makes these burgers so good is that a large majority of their ingredients are sourced locally. According to Jon, he and his brother try to “keep it all in Michigan” as much as possible, with the exception of special import cheeses.
The menu itself features several staples, as well as a new “Burger of the Week” every Wednesday. Two of the most popular choices are the Paul Bunyan (stuffed with butter garlic mashed potatoes, bacon and sharp cheddar; topped with grilled sweet onion and served with au jus) and the B.M.C. (stuffed with bacon, sautéed portabella mushrooms and sharp cheddar; topped with grilled sweet onions).
I guarantee you this is the only place you’ll ever be able to get a Very Berry Nutella Burger—stuffed with Nutella, fresh mixed berries and homemade berry/whipped cream cheese spread. With this one, dinner and dessert are one and the same.
Other stuffed burgers have included the Mac & Cheese Stuffed Burger (self explanatory), Elvis Burger (stuffed with peanut butter and bacon; topped with seared banana), Frito Burger (stuffed with Frito chips, chili and cheddar), Mr. Piggy Burger (stuffed with homemade pulled pork, bacon and sharp cheddar; topped with coleslaw) and Steakhouse Cheddar Burger (stuffed with caramelized onions, cheddar, bacon and green apples; topped with sliced green apple).
The Detroiter is stuffed with cheddar cheese and a deep-fried all-beef Dearborn hot dog wrapped in bacon. It’s then topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles and ranch.
With so many odd (and mouthwatering) stuffed burger combos, you have to wonder: have any of these ever turned out badly? According to Jon, a burger stuffed with SpaghettiOs or peanut butter and jelly doesn’t yield very flavorful results. Strangely enough, they have concocted a successful burger stuffed with angel hair pasta.
“We ended up being, from what people tell us, the best burger in Michigan,” Jon said.
Jay’s Stuffed Burgers are, well, packed with fresh, local ingredients, and they’re full of flavor. Before you try one for yourself, make sure you’ve got time to squeeze in a nap after your meal!
