2nd Annual Burger Throwdown

This Sunday marked the 2nd Annual Burger Throwdown, and it was a huge success.  Last year clearly set the bar because everyone brought their A game.  Short of having a clown pop out of the burger patty, I'm not really sure what we burger competitors can do to top this year.

I titled my entry The Southern Comfort.  It was a ground beef patty mixed with Jack Daniel's, stuffed with pimento cheese, topped with a vidalia onion that spent an hour on the grill, and jalapeno mayo.  It wasn't bad, but I am sorry to say I did not place this year.  Matt and Jen came in 2nd place with their burger topped with mango relish, candied bacon, and goat cheese (they also made a caprese burger that was topped with pesto, mozzarella, tomato, and basil, which was a worthy entry).  But it was Greg and Susan who took home the gold with their Hurricane Katrina burger.  Since Susan hails from the Big Easy and Sunday was the five year anniversary of the disaster, they decided to make a burger dedicated to and inspired by N'awlins.  It was their patty that did it for them.  It was a mixture of ground beef, andouille sausage, and shrimp they had sauteed in bacon grease.  It was so flavorful and the shrimp gave it a nice texture.  They topped it with havarti and a bacon remoulade.  Unreal.

Unfortunately, we forgot the prizes this year (last year the winner received a vase, which now graces Matt and Jen's entryway), so all Greg and Susan walked away with was our respect.  Next year, we won't be so thoughtless.

I highly recommend throwing some sort of food competition with your friends.  In addition to the burgers, our lovely hosts, Matt and Jen, served several appetizers (their famous guac, hummus, ricotta with honey, and a Ramen salad) to offset the meat overload.  It was a relatively inexpensive event and the trashtalking and beer kept us entertained for hours.  I'm already concepting next year's entry...

ricottaRamen salad

burger assemblage