Kooky Canuck – Holy Smoke Burger

Dyer’s Burgers – Triple Triple

• Kooky Canuck, Home of the Kookamonga challenge and the biggest fried pickles ever. All the burgers are big in size and in taste. If you’re going with a group, consider ordering a Kookamonga or two. You can’t beat the price and the taste is awesome. If you like heat, Get the Holy Smoke burger. All the right flavors and textures for someone who’s truly a Pepper-head. Also new to the menu is the Memphis Best burger. It’s modeled after the winning recipe from the first ever, Best Memphis Burger Fest.
• Local Gastropub, Offering one of the most creative menus I’ve seen, you can’t go wrong with anything there. The Local Burger is as delicious as it is beautiful on the plate. Save room for the Blondie Brownie.
• Majestic Grille, I’m not sure I’ve had a burger with more genuine beef flavor. Bite for bite, few burgers anywhere can stand up to the Majestic Burger making it one of my downtown favorites. You’ll love the parmesan fries too.
• Bleu Restaurant & Lounge, Located right across the street from the FedEx Forum, Bleu has a Build Your Own deal for lunch that offers options for everyone and does not disappoint.
• Roxie’s Grocery, A little off the downtown beat and path, but probably the simplest and best tasting burger you can imagine, and then multiply that by 10. Words can’t do this burger justice.
• Huey’s, What’s not to say about Huey’s? Time and time again, you can get a world famous Huey Burger, listen to great classic rock music, watch world-class sports entertainment on TV and shoot toothpicks from your straw. Aways a winner and aways a top choice for the locals.
• Earnestine & Hazel’s, You can’t come to Memphis and not get a Soul Burger from E&H. The taste is all there although they’re not huge so order a double, and go late. Don’t forget to ask about the Ghost Tour.
• South of Beale, A big hand-formed patty topped with fried mozzarella and onion ragout. This beefy beauty is and sandwiched on a fresh Ciabatta roll and sided with a generous portion of mouthwatering homemade cajun potato chips.
• Arcade Restaurant, Take a nostalgic walk back in time at the Arcade Restaurant. This Greek diner has served as a set in many movies and serves up a very tasty burger and fries.
• Bardog Tavern, How can I not mention Bardog Tavern? If you like sliders, this may be your last stop. These tasty little burgers have all the taste of their big brothers and are served with a Bourbon Mayonnaise that will bring you back time and time again.
• Elliot’s, Elliots will be the first to tell you that they have the best burger in Memphis. Personally, I didn’t agree, but with the huge salad bar, you can fix it up anyway you want.
• Dyer’s Burgers, Another tradition in Memphis is the 100 year grease that Dyer’s Burgers are fried in. If you’re going to do it, go big! Get the Triple Triple. Honestly it’s not that big, but necessary if you want to taste the patties. Get some fried Oreos for dessert. You know you want to.
• Green Beetle, Another very big burger is the Beetle Burger. At least a half pound of seasoned ground chuck on a fresh and delicious Bluff City Bakery bun with all the regular fix-in’s. Go with the Blackened Blue Cheese burger! You’ll love it!

As always, if you have a favorite burger that you think is Memphis’ best and should be reviewed on Best Memphis Burger, please drop a note in the suggestion box. If you’re interested in guest posting your favorite burger, send an email and let us know why.

I started Best Memphis Burger in July of 2011. Since then, I’ve been rating burgers on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, but have never given any 5′s because I felt that would mean the search was over and the best burger had been found. For a year and a half, that’s remained the case, even while chowing on favorites found at Alex’s Tavern, Kooky Canuck, Roxie’s Grocery, Young Avenue Deli, Majestic Grille and even Stuffy’s which has since closed down. That is until now.We have our first 5 star burger. It’s from a burger joint just outside of Memphis, in Arlington, TN, called Off the Hoof Burgers.

Off the Hoof Burgers is located on Hwy 70, just east of the Airline Rd. intersection. It’s about 10 minutes past the Wolf Chase exit on I-40, and really not a bad drive at all. Any thoughts that Off the Hoof Burgers is too far to go will soon be squashed when you taste the food.

Several months back, a friend and local SEO and Social Media Professional, Liz Jostes reviewed Off the Hoof Burgers on the site. She gave it good scores, but mentioned she normally enjoys their leaner Buffalo or Kobe burgers. However, for the sake of the review, she ordered a seasoned burger that was a little greasier than she normally prefers and probably would have scored her regular choices higher. Completely understandable. A good burger always comes down to personal preference. She and her family continue to dine there often and have recommended it to me more than once. I should have listened sooner!

A little over a week ago, my wife, eldest son and I finally decided to give Off the Hoof Burgers a try and arrived just before their big Saturday night dinner rush. When we walked in at 5:30, there were open tables all over the dining room. Ten minutes later, there was a line of people inside the doorway waiting to be seated. Apparently the word is already out.

We started off with an order of fried pickles, or Frickles as they appeared on the menu. Man those things were just delicious! They were lightly breaded with seasoned flour and bursting with crunchy flavor. They were perfect alone, just as they were served, but what really kicked them up a notch was the thick Ranch dressing they were sided with. What an epic combo, maybe only second to chocolate and peanut butter. I had to physically hold my hand back from eating every Frickle in that basket. I tried not to make much of a scene.

Off the Hoof Burgers has a burger lovers menu straight from heaven with something for everyone. They feature a regular seasoned patty available in 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 ounce sizes. There’s a Salmon Burger, an Elk burger, an Ostrich burger, a Turkey Burger, a Buffalo burger, a Country Fried burger, a Bologna burger, a Kobe beef burger and a Black Angus burger. Additionally, there are several specialty burgers including Off the Hoof’s own version of a stuffed Jucy Lucy, with cheese melted between two 4 ounce patties. They also offer big burgers weighing in anywhere from one to four pounds and everything in between. Besides burgers, you can find, chicken and Portabella Mushroom sandwiches, crab cake sliders and foot long Nathan’s hotdogs.

My wife, who I call jokingly call Mrs. Best Memphis Burger, and I both ordered Off the Hoof’s signature burger. I’d never had a Kobe beef burger and was just about to order it until Alli, our server, proudly recommend that at least one of us try the chopped steak burger on the menu. She held up the menu and pointed to the Pat LaFrieda Chopped Steak Burger. There is was! Described beautifully and calling to us. Thank God for Alli and the 8 ounces of world famous Pat LaFrieda chopped choice Angus steak. It’s a mix of two way chuck and boneless short rib. Fresh and never frozen. Served on an 81 layer all butter croissant bun, and priced at $10.99. For $1.00 more, you can add a thick slice of Habanero Pepper Jack Cheese or Marble Blue Jack Cheese. We couldn’t order it fast enough. We both went for aMedium-Rare to Medium temperature, and I added the Habanero Pepper Jack Cheese to my burger. For sides we ordered Spicy Onion Straws and Swaffles with cinnamon sugar and Chipolte Ranch dipping sauce. My son got the 6 ounce seasoned burger and a side of hand cut fries.

Our food didn’t take long at all. I’d say no more than 10 minutes later, Alli was back with our dinner. The Pat LaFrieda is served open-face and I’m a firm believer that you taste first with your eyes and then with your mouth. At first I wasn’t completely blown away. After all, once you’ve been served the open faced Pimento cheeseburger from Next Door, you know there’s no beating that presentation. It looked like a decent burger, however, and was served on a round croissant with tomato, onion and pickle. Besides the smell which was really awesome, visually I just wasn’t getting that WOW feeling. That all changed when I put it the Pat LaFrieda burger together. It was like a dramatic ray of sunlight bursting through the clouds. Like maybe I should have been kneeling or at least have taken off my shoes in its presence. A religious and magnificent burger experience if I’ve ever there was one.

I’m just going to come out and say it. The Pat LaFrieda Chopped Steak burger at Off the Hoof Burgers is the best burger I’ve ever had. It was a juicy, mouth-watering 8 oz patty cooked perfectly to temperature, seasoned well and topped with that amazing Habanero Pepper Jack cheese. The buttery croissant was just about as beautiful as it was delicious. Check out those buttery swirls and how it majestically nests the burger patty inside it. Combined with the seasoned flavors of the patty and the spicy kick of the cheese, it was a better burger than any other I’ve eaten in the past 18 months. That includes Burger Fest winning food as well. There were just so many great flavors mixed with awesome textures going on that this chopped steak burger quickly won me over. It was better than homemade whipped cream on a Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food hot fudge sundae, surrounded by three reams of Thin Mints. Even Mrs. Best Memphis Burger, who loves a good thick Huey Burger, couldn’t put her’s down. We both smiled away as we ate ourselves into a food coma.

The only time either of us stopped with the Pat LaFrieda burger was when we were loving on some spicy onion straws and swaffles. Both of those sides equally were a home run. Mrs. Best Memphis Burger loved the onion straws and the spicy Texas Pete based dipping sauce they were severed with. For onion straws, they were a bit thick. I would have called them more of an onion ring. Delicious though and perfectly seasoned. As good as they were, I preferred the swaffles and the cinnamon surgar. I love sweet potato fries and these were the best I’ve ever had. Crisp. Not at all greasy. Salty. Just divine! I’d go back there for those alone. Wait, who am I fooling? I’d have to get that same burger again to accompany those swaffles. My son, who was loving on his burger and fries too, stopped eating at one point and said, “Dad this isn’t Off the Hoof, it’s Off the HOOK!” He’s a funny kid and a burger lover too!

Just as we finished EVERYTHING on our plates, Alli showed back up and asked how our burgers were. I told her that I write the Best Memphis Burger blog and that the Pat LaFrieda burger could easily go toe to toe with any of the 50+ burgers I’d previously reviewed. She smiled and said her father would appreciate that. He’s the owner of Off the Hoof Burgers. I told her all about Burger Fest and gave her my contact info. This coming year we plan to add a restaurant-only category and I encouraged them to think about entering. Their burger is that good!

After a little more small talk, she asked if we wanted any of their homemade desserts? Of course my son was all about their caramel & marshmallow chocolate frosted brownie with homemade ice cream. My wife ordered something that could only be described as Ambrosia pie with a Lady Finger crust topped with fresh strawberries. It was crazy good. I was the odd man out for sure. All I got was a slice of New York style cheesecake that was as delicious as it was simple. All three desserts were rich and about as wonderful as the burgers we just demolished. Talk about rolling us out of there.

I give the Pat LaFrieda Chopped Steak burger at Off the Hoof Burgers 5 out of 5 stars. This is it folks. This is the game changer. If you’re anywhere in the area or just craving the best burger you can imagine, get in the car and go! I’ll be going back for sure! As for giving out 5′s, surely there is another burger out there equally as worthy.

As a side note and verification of the burger, four days after we ate there, Big Tim was driving by and he pulled in and ordered the same burger and the same sides for lunch. This is the text I got from him shortly after he finished eating. Have you ever eaten there? What do you think?

Off the Hoof Burgers
12013 US Highway 70
Arlington, TN 38002
(901) 867-3565

If you have a favorite burger that you think is Memphis’ best and should be reviewed on Best Memphis Burger, please drop a note in the suggestion box. If you’re interested in guest posting your favorite burger, send an email and let us know why.

Today we were celebrating Big Tim’s birthday. Anything he wanted was my offer, and knowing his favorite burgers, I guessed we’d be going to Roxie’s, Three Angels or Caritas. Surprisingly, Tim insisted we give the Green Beetle another go. I was game, but silently reluctant. You may recall our last trip to the Beetle; I didn’t care much for their burger at all. It was a 1/2 pound unseasoned and over-cooked patty served on a sweet honey wheat bun with a huge wedge of iceberg lettuce awkwardly making it even more difficult to eat. Everyone deserves a second chance though, right? Upon pulling up their website, I found that the Beetle has an even deeper menu with several new burgers. Supposedly, they’re now even using new burger buns, made fresh at Bluff City Coffee Bakery.

Upon arriving, Tim and I both ordered the Black and Tiger Blue Burger. It’s priced competitively at $10.95, and served with Blackened seasoning and blue cheese. Tim ordered his Well Done and I asked for Medium Rare. I really didn’t want a Medium Rare burger, but since 9/10 burger joints in Memphis tend to overcook my order, I’ve started ordering it under-cooked, knowing I have the option to throw it back on the fire for a couple of minutes if needed. Anything for pink and juicy!

Well today my plan sort of backfired a bit. Our burgers were cooked perfectly as ordered, and I had to ship my right back to the kitchen. There was just no way I was eating ground beef that rare. Anyway, once it came back closer to medium, I snapped a picture and went in for the taste test! First thing I’ll say is there wasn’t any roll change. It was the same sweet honey wheat bun the Beetle had last time I was there. (I later found out that the Bakery was in the process of dropping off an order of fresh rolls.) It really didn’t matter though, this burger was good today. No, let me rephrase that, this burger kicked ass today! It was big and thoroughly seasoned. It was tender and juicy and the scoop of blue cheese on top of the patty melted perfectly into the meat, giving it such an amazing flavor. Here’s the kicker, I think the sweetness of the bun today helped balance all the flavors I was getting from the Blackened seasoning and the blue cheese. A huge plus were the onions that were slightly sauteed. They added even more flavor and texture. As the cheese melted, the burger kept getting better! I’m going to have to go back very soon for the Bluff City Bakery bun and get the full effect, but Really, I can’t imagine it being much better than it was.

The burger’s one fault, which I easily remedied by yanking off, was the giant piece of iceberg lettuce. I get it, an American burger has lettuce tomato and onion, right? Personally, unless you’re using fancy lettuce, I say skip it. It just wasn’t needed on this particular masterpiece.

The French fries were the same big frozen steak fries that you get at Huey’s, but what’s different is they were crisp and heavily seasoned today. If I had to guess, I’d say the seasoning was Old Bay, and it worked just great.

A very enjoyable lunch. A great Burger for sure, Green Beetle. Well done!

I give the Beetle Burger 4.5 out of 5 stars this time around. It was the big greasy burger I was craving and it was full of flavor accompanied by delicious fries. Totally hit the spot today. I’ll be back for sure!

The Green Beetle
325 S Main St
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 526-0383

If you have a favorite burger that you think is Memphis’ best and should be reviewed on Best Memphis Burger, please drop a note in the suggestion box. If you’re interested in guest posting your favorite burger, send an email and let us know why.

Completely unrelated to Best Memphis Burger Fest, Kooky Canuck added some new burgers to their menu. One of them is called the Holy Smoke Burger. It’s a 1/2 pound burger patty severed on a soft brioche bun. The patty sits in a small pool of the same Holy Smoke Sauce used for Kooky’s famous hot wings, and is topped with smoked cheddar cheese and fried jalapeños. It’s spicy but so good. For me this burger belongs on the highlight reel. Seriously one of my top 3 favorites!

The other highlight of the year for me has been hotwings. If I could never eat another burger, just give me s mound of hotwings and I would okay. In 2012 I joined a hotwings teams for the Southern Hotwing Festival and although we didn’t place real high, I learned so much about making hotwings. I also learned what I really like. There are two restaurants in Memphis that make the best wings you could ever put in your mouth. Of course one is the smoked wings at Central BBQ and the Extra Hot Buffalo wings at Crumpy’s. My only wish is that Central BBQ would offer a hotter/spicier selection of their wings. Until they do, Crumpy’s fills that void very nicely with a non-smoked wing.

Those are my big three of 2012 and I ask you to hang with me for more good stuff to come. Recently, I’ve taken a small fork in the road of  eating better. Yes, I have come to the realization that I can’t go on at the pace I was for ever. I’ll still be doing burgers and wings, but also adding some other, healthier items to the reviews. Bear with me while I try some stuff out and we’ll see where the blog goes.

Also, expect another awesome Best Memphis Burger Fest in 2013. We’re already on the lookout for a bigger location to have the event. Additionally, BMBF will raising money for a different animal friendly charity. We can’t wait to share our plans with you soon. For now, have a very happy and healthy new year.

In the days immediately following Burger Fest, team I Like Big Burgers decided they would take that Golden Ticket all the way to Las Vegas and show the world what a Best Memphis Burger is all about. The only problem was that the Golden Ticket to the World Food Championships didn’t include travel, accommodations, entree fees or food costs. With partial sponsorships secured from Grill Grates and Shoemaker Financial, the team went to see  Shawn Danko, the owner of Kooky Canuck. I didn’t get the details of the sponsorship, but team I Like Big Burgers was now Team Kooky Canuck and heading to Vegas. This move by Danko further increased his chances for victory in Las Vegas as he was already on his way to compete with his BBQ team out of London, Ontario, Black Pig BBQ.

The World Food Championships hosted by Adam Richman, featured approximately 350 teams in seven categories (burger, chili, sandwich, recipe, side dish, BBQ, & top chef) with the winners of each division competing at a final table of seven going head to head with their winning dishes. The competition took place at Ballys Casino with the final table event in front of Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas strip. Celebrity judges included Robin Leach (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous), Chef Jeff Henderson (host of Food Network show “The Chef Jeff Project”) and former Memphian Chef Ben Vaughn (host of Food Network’s show “Health Inspectors”) with Man v Food’s Adam Richman as MC.

Team Black Pig BBQ/Kooky Canuck won an earlier qualifying event in another city and were favorites at the World Food Championships in the Recipe category. They made it all the way to the final table of seven with their signature steak and lobster dish, taking home 6^th place overall and $6,500.00 in prize money. Congratulations Shawn & Lana Danko and Black Pig BBQ!

Kooky Canuck Burger team consisting of  Tal Goldsby, Amy Jenkins, Lauren Cooper & Shawn Danko finished 4th place overall in the Burger division taking home $2,000 with their signature Wicked Strip Burger and a Korean inspired burger.

Amy Jenkins, Lauren Cooper, Shawn Danko and Talmadge Goldsby

The Wicked Strip Burger featured a mix of 60 day aged NY Strip steak and East Tennessee Benton’s Bacon. It was also served with caramelized onion, a combination of goat and smoked cheddar cheeses, grilled tomato, fried egg, bacon relish and a couple other secret treats whipped up by Jenkins and Cooper. This awesome burger was finished on a buttered and toasted burger bun.

The Kooky Canuck burger team made the finals with their Wicked Strip burger. However in the finals, each team drew a different theme burger that had to feature A1 Steak Sauce. Not much of a surprise with Kraft being the big tournament sponsor. Kooky Canuck picked a Korean Burger theme. For this burger, the patty featured, fresh ground chuck mixed with Bentons Bacon, soy, ginger, and garlic. It was topped with had A1 seasoned caramelized onions, and Asian slaw with Amy’s special sweet and spicy sauce, crunchy spicey fried wonton strips sprinkled in brown sugar, and a sunny side up egg with toasted sesame seeds.

This was quite an interesting experience and challenge for the Kooky Canuck team, who had access to a very limited food pantry at the championships. Most of their competition food was brought with them from the Memphis area. Challenges or not, Tal Goldsby refused to serve anything but freshly ground burger patties. “I was grinding meat 15 yards from Las Vegas Boulevard”, laughed Goldsby. He went as far as saying that he’d put his ground patty up against anyone’s and beat it. That just may have been the case in Las Vegas had a woman not bumped him, knocking his butter pan over and hitting his coals, causing extra char on the team’s first round entry. Hind-sight is 20/20, but all things considered, had their burgers not been charred like that, they might have had enough points to win the whole category. They’ll be back next year for sure. With a top 10 finish, they’ve already secured their 2013 invite.

Goldsby, who is no stranger to cooking competitions, is a founding member of Smoke Master BBQ. His BBQ resume reads something like this:

• Invited to every Memphis in May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest from 2005 to 2013
• Currently are in the Top 15 Teams in Memphis BBQ Network rankings
• 2012 Memphis Best Burger Competition Grand Champion, 1st Place Extreme Burger, 2nd Place Anything But Burger
• 2012 Memphis in May World Championship BBQ Contest Finalist, 3rd place Ribs
• 2012 Southaven Spring Fest 2nd Place Ribs
• 2011 Memphis in May World Championship BBQ Contest 11th place ribs
• 2011 Variety Club 1st place Exotic
• 2011 Southaven Spring Fest 3rd place Whole Hog and 3rd Place Ribs
• 2011 National Rippin Rips Tour sponsored by Gnarly Head Wines Grand Champion, Kansas City, MO
• Smoke Masters BBQ has won over $12,000 in prize money since 2005

He and Danko came together for this competition but will both be battling head to head in Whole Hog at the 2013 Memphis in May World BBQ Cooking Championship. I think that’s what made this sponsorship even more awesome – two opponents in one competition working together at another, showing the world that Memphis is More than BBQ.

Congratulations to Team Kooky Canuck who broke into the burger world at the Best Memphis Burger Fest and took the World Championships by storm just four weeks later. If you want to get a taste of their winning Best Memphis Burger Fest entry, head down town this week (November 12-18, 2012) to try their championship entry being featured on The Kooky Canuck menu.

If you have a favorite burger that you think is Memphis’ best and should be reviewed on Best Memphis Burger, please drop a note in the suggestion box. If you’re interested in guest posting your favorite burger, send an email and let us know why.

This is the Fuel Cafe Veggie Burger. A true champion among veggie burgers and a solid challenger to most beef burgers in the city. If anyone says a better Memphis veggie burger exists, I think a cook-off is in order. Everything on the Fuel Cafe burger is fresh, tender and exploding with taste.

Not pictured here are the fries. If you went to Fuel for the fries alone, you’d be doing yourself a favor. Possibly the best fries in Memphis.

Shawn Danko at Kooky Canuck was a Best Memphis Burger Fest Sponsor. He sponsored the epic, Team Kookamonga Challenge that featured six teams of two eaters racing a 10 minute stop watch and each other to eat the most 7.5 lb Kookamonga Burger. This challenge was the icing on the inaugural Best Memphis Burger Fest cake. One of my meetings with Shawn occurred shortly after new items were added to the Kooky Canuck menu. His new Holy Smoke Burger beckoned me. I love hot and spicy food and this burger was what I craved. Let me tell you, from the fried jalapenos to the Holy Smoke sauce, I wasn’t the slightest bit disappointed. Just awesome! It was crunchy, juicy, spicy and big! Big in taste and huge in flavor. I left with my lips burning and my stomach happy as can be.

The Slider Inn has come a long way in the year that its been open. Besides awarding them the title of Best Chili with Andy Wise, I’ve grown to love their burgers. I once wrote that I wasn’t horribly impressed by their sliders. All that has changed. The Slider Inn is now a contender, and in my opinion, you can’t beat those mushroom swiss sliders that pack a huge taste, are cooked perfectly to temperature and leave you very satisfied. Bourbon Mayo, ’nuff said!

During a Burger Fest interview with Jennifer Biggs, from the Commercial Appeal, I was told to try this new place on Madison called Mot & Ed’s. It’s located next to a closed up tattoo parlor on the corner of Madison and Cleveland. Tim and I went there a couple of times. The burger was good. Nothing amazing in my opinion and there was a weird stale taste to the fries. I didn’t care for them at all. The service was just slow. It was one woman taking orders, doing all the cooking and serving food. She was as nice as the day is long, but a 45 minute wait is just way too long for a just okay burger. I hope they make it, but unless they get some help in there I don’t expect them to last longer than Stuffy’s.

One day I found myself  at Huey’s on Madison to give ideas to a friend about putting together a team for the festival. I think it was right around the time that Huey’s won the Commercial Appeal’s Memphis Most voting and we wanted to check out their burgers once again.

I’ll go on record right now and say that the Blues 57 Burger at Huey’s Midtown was ridiculously delicious. The burger was cooked perfectly medium and was as juicy as it was bursting with flavor. The 57 sauce, bleu cheese crumbles and fried onion straws gave this burger so much texture. That’s the burger I’m talking about; the kind I used to get at Huey’s in the 90′s – A total winner! I put away every bite. Nice Job Huey’s.

Leading up to the festival, one meeting took us over to Cafe Eclectic for their Texas Burger special. I remember it having the same buttery Claybrook Farms beef that I’ve been loving since my first Eclectic burger back in June. I also recall enjoying the freshly pickled jalapenos and their Texas style BBQ sauce. As tasty as it was, my favorite Eclectic Burger remains the Pub Burger off the menu.

Congrats BTW to Cafe Eclectic who entered Burger Fest and placed second in the Veggie Burger category and turned in a magnificent looking Boss Burger for the Extreme category.

As if I hadn’t eaten enough burgers as of late, my wife and kids all wanted Uncle Lou’s. You never ever have to ask me twice to make that trip. You say Uncle Lou’s and besides a small bead of drool forming on the side of my mouth, I’m digging for my keys to warm up the car. I know I can get a burger or fried chicken and be happier than a pig in… mud. I love Gus’s just like everyone else, but if you’ve never had Uncle Lou’s Sweet & Spicy Love dipped chicken, you can’t say Gus’s is the best ever. Plus Uncle Lou’s sides are awesome too. Better than the side item at Gus’s.

Uncle Lou’s Burgers are pretty off the charts as well. They’re a 1/3 lb black angus patty  that’s cooked on a flat top and seasoned generously with his homemade Corruption seasoning. The stuff is pretty amazing and once you’ve had it, mmm hmmm you’re corrupted! During this particular outing my 9 year old convinced me I needed a double burger. Wow! Talk about a lot of food. I felt the meat wall coming and then my wife asked if I wanted her chicken wings. For a minute, I thought she wanted to kill me. It all worked out perfectly though as my wife had more chicken than she could eat and I had an ungodly amount of burger. We finished off eat other’s plates and smiled the whole way home. Always great food at Uncle Lou’s.

One of my favorite burgers in town has always been the Greek Burger at Alex’s Tavern. Rocky and Andy have both been so great to me and my family and accommodating to my friends. They even hosted a Cooks meeting prior to Burger Fest and was a silent sponsor of all my VIP area food.

It was one afternoon during late July that I was celebrating the first anniversary of the Best Memphis Burger site with a burger from Alex’s. Andy who was cooking that afternoon asked me if he could doctor it up a little for me. “Um, yeah!”, I replied, knowing that it would be good. Turns out, it was just plain awesome. It was the usual Greek Burger with sauteed mushrooms and onions topped lettuce and tomato. I think I took the lettuce off knowing it was would have made everything slide around too much. It was a great burger and the PBR that day was exceptionally cold. Best lunch in a long time.

Okay so check this one out. Prior to Burger Fest, I kind of had a bug up my ass about only supporting local restaurants and staying away from chains. Well one of the Burger Fest teams was BGR The Burger Joint. They’re a national chain with local franchise owners. The Brand owner, Mark Bucher came all the way down to Memphis to compete with his franchise owner and guess what, they almost won the whole damn thing. BGR was .58 points away from winning the Burger Fest Grand Champion title. They settled for second place this year, but I’m sure we’ll see them again next fall.

BGR’s signature burger is the Wellington. It’s served with roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, garlic with a touch of mustard seed and blue cheese all atop a fresh, buttery-toasted brioche bun with BGR’s signature mojo sauce. I finally got to try one at Burger Fest and it knocked my socks off. Holy cow! What an amazing burger! As good as all the fluff topping were, the meat was seasoned with something that was just shy of perfection. Of course Mark laughed when I asked what was in his seasoning. A couple of weeks later my wife and I took the boys and headed to BGR for a Saturday evening dinner. We both ordered Wellington Burgers and got some sliders for the kids. The Wellington was really good once again, completely living up to the festival day where I had my first. I loved the salty fries too. If you haven’t been to BGR, you should check them out. It’s well worth the price and the drive to East Memphis.

So with the Festival finally in the books, everyone paid up, thank you notes sent and some real good money raised for Spay & Neuter, Tim and I headed over to Sweden Kream for a couple of Double Burger Combos and some shakes. On this day my Sweden Kream Double had grilled onion, pickled jalapeno, pickles, mayo, ketchup and cheese and was just as good as any greasy spoon burger that I’ve had in long time. That includes the Uptown Combo at Roxie’s Grocery. What took this burger to an entirely different level of awesomeness though was the creamy and very thick chocolate shake I got to accompany it. There’s no doubt that Tim and I both made a pigs of ourselves that day, but wow was it it good and worth it.

Normally I don’t post about burgers or dishes I cook myself because there’s no opportunity for you to go try it out. This one however is just plain pretty. It looked too good not to share. It tasted pretty bad ass too. It was an EVOO and Cavendars marinated and grilled portabella mushroom cap topped with melted pepper-jack cheese, grilled eggplant slices, sauteed red onion, sauteed fresh jalapeno and finished with tomato, pickle slices and a dab of mayo. All the flavor was right there, but the taste of the eggplant wasn’t very distinguishable. I also think the texture of the burger could have been more interesting. Next time I plan to add fried onion straws or crumbled chips. Over all a great first Veggie Burger attempt that I look forward to experimenting with more in the near future.

There are plenty of new burgers on the radar so keep looking for more new posts and some rewrites of old one’s.

If you have a favorite burger that you think is Memphis’ best and should be reviewed on Best Memphis Burger, please drop a note in the suggestion box. If you’re interested in guest posting your favorite burger, send an email and let us know why.

Cordell & Tawanda Pirtle – Owner’s of Jack Pirtle’s Chicken and our big sponsors! The only thing more awesome than the irony of a chicken restaurant sponsoring a burger fest is the size of their hearts. Great people! Nothing but love for them!

Even in the rain. People came out.

With your purchases and donations at Best Memphis Burger Fest, we’re so proud to have raised approximately $5,400 for Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services, a local non-profit committed to reducing the exorbitant animal and pet euthanasia rate in Memphis in a manner that is as cost effective as it is humane. Donations to the non-profit primarily assist in their providing affordable Spay & Neuter services to pet owners in Memphis as well as those in the tri-state area. Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services is currently the only solution to pet overpopulation in the Mid-South.

Tucks did his job as festival staff all day.

Team ‘More than a Burger’ working that Claybrook Farms beef.

Burger Fest had great local restaurant representation. Above is Mike Miller from Patrick’s Steaks & Spirits, March Bucher from BGR The Burger Joint and Jonathan Steenerson from Ciao Bella Italian Grill.

Grand Theft Audio played a pretty amazing set. Thanks for playing ‘War Pigs’ guys.

The setup of six 7.5 pounders for the Kooky Canuck Team Kookamonga Challenge. I love this picture. My wife and kids are right in the middle, and some notable Memphians like Christopher Bevel, Paul Ryburn, Tonya J Powers, Michael Donahue and Kevin Cerrito can all be spotted in the crowd.

And an eating competition it was! Congratulations to team ‘Rich People Problems’ who just edged team ‘Cheeseburgers in Paradise’ in a final 5 minute eat-off to swallow the victory.

I can’t thank all of our volunteers who worked so tirelessly throughout the day to make Burger Fest run so smooth.

Best Memphis Burger Fest sponsor, and Kooky Canuck owner, Shawn Danko making his way to the judging area with his 45 lb Extreme Burger turn-in.

Even though the judges awarded another burger the Best Extreme Burger trophy. This burger is as extreme as it gets. Nice Job Kooky Canuck!

Apparently there just weren’t enough burgers to go around. Either that or Jack Pirtle’s Chicken found their way over to Team ‘Meat in the Middle’s’ tent.

There’s no denying our trophies were incredibly cool.

What a great crowd for the first ever Best Memphis Burger Fest.

Energy Fitness owner, and Veggie Burger Judge, Tonya Tittle takes a moment to show off what she just judged!

A future team of competition eaters?

Thank you to all the sponsors that made Burger Fest possible.

My family showing their support.

I can’t even begin to thank Tim “Plow” James for stepping up and helping me make Burger Fest a reality.

Inaugural year Burger Fest tee shirts are still available for purchase. If you want one, email info@bestmemphisburger.com

Look for the Best Memphis Burger Fest to return in the fall of 2013. Details will be announced as they’re locked down. Thank you again for coming out and supporting this new festival.

For many of us, Labor Day holds a different meaning. It’s when the kids should be going back to school. It’s when the pools close for the summer. It’s when college football kicks off. It’s when we put away our white shoes until Memorial Day. And most importantly, Labor Day is when we fire up our grills and smokers for one last summer time hoorah. Yeah I know we do this all year long and every chance we get, but Labor Day, to me, is a “Must Grill” day. Over the years, it’s become a true “Labor of Love.”

For fun, I thought it would be entertaining to post some of your Labor Day masterpieces right from your grills, smokers and plates. So here’s what was cooking this past weekend:

Whole Foods Wings – Probably the best around.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Martin

Two Labor Day Butts ready for a long smoke
Photo courtesy of Robert Taylor Benson

4 hours in – Patience!
Photo courtesy of Twitter friend, @eehll

Burger and wings
Photo courtesy of James Aycock

Beef & Turkey Burgers
Photo courtesy of Christopher Schmidt

This finished product – a work of art!
Photo courtesy of Christopher Schmidt

No words other than WOW!
Photo courtesy of Greg Segui

Those are some Memphis Style Dry Ribs!
Photo courtesy of Greg Segui

Beef Ribs after 2 hours of smoke and low heat.
Photo courtesy of Best Memphis Burger

Finished Beef Ribs, ready to come off the grill
Photo courtesy of Best Memphis Burger

Showing off that smoke ring.
Photo courtesy of Best Memphis Burger

If you have a favorite burger that you think is Memphis’ best and should be reviewed on Best Memphis Burger, please drop a note in the suggestion box. If you’re interested in guest posting your favorite burger, send an email and let us know why.

At the World Burger Championship, 50 of the world’s best hamburgers and their cooks, as determined by competitions and publications across the country, will receive automatic invitations to enter and compete at The World Food Championships. This is an invitation only competition and you have to be one of the best to go up against the best.

The World Food Championships, featuring Adam Richman, will take place, in Las Vegas, at Bally’s, Paris and Caesars Palace, on Nov 1-4, 2012. Winners of the biggest and best food competitions and contests will be pitted against each other for a championship title and a total prize purse of $300,000.

You probably know from Adam Richman’s from the Travel Channel’s Best Sandwich in America. It’s a new American food reality television series that premiered on June 6, 2012. The program is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman samples what he considers to be the best sandwiches across the country, chooses a regional favorite, and then pits the winners against each other to find America’s No. 1 sandwich. He used to host the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food, and even had a run-in with Best Memphis Burger Fest sponsor, Kooky Canuck and his 7.5 lb Kookamonga Burger. As host for The World Food Championships, Richman will guide event participants and a general audience through each level of the competitive action.

This is a huge honor for the Best Memphis Burger Fest and an amazing opportunity for competing teams to take their creation to the big dance to compete for a world title and a hefty cash prize. The winning Best Memphis Burger team will be responsible to their own travel, hotel and entry fees, but the prestige of winning would certainly be worth any expense. If you can grill an awesome burger, and you’ve been debating whether or not to enter this competition, I believe your incentive is here. Winning Best Memphis Burger Fest is your ticket to becoming World Champion.

There’s still time to sign up your team to compete at the Best Memphis Burger Fest. Download a cooking application.

If you’re interested in sponsorships, time is running out. We’re just days away from going to print on Posters, signs, banners and tee-shirts. If you want your name or logo included on the event materials, let’s talk about some sponsorship opportunities. Email: info@bestmemphisburgerfest.com.

See you on Sunday, September 30 at Minglewood Hall.

Patrick Bertoletti

There’s another title to be awarded that day. One that doesn’t require any cooking or grilling. This one is all about eating, and to make things interesting, we’ve  come up with a two-person relay. Most eating competitions are a one person event that someone like Patrick Bertoletti could come in and sweep. Instead, this is a two person, Kooky Canuck Kookamonga Burger eating race that requires both teammates to eat their share.

Yes you heard right. Best Memphis Burger Fest has teamed up with one of our sponsors, Kooky Canuck, to bring you the wildest 10 minutes of eating that any charitable team of two people could possibly imagine.

You might ask, what is a Kookamonga Burger? A Kookamonga Burger is Kooky Canuck’s signature 7.5 lb burger. It’s a 4 lb patty, on a 2 lb bun with 1.5 lbs of cheese and toppings. Not much really, just 12,387 calories of burger awesomeness!

So here’s the deal. Up to 10 teams of two people will be served a pre-weighed Kookamonga Burger straight from the kitchen of Kooky Canuck. When the first whistle blows, the competing teams will have 10 minutes to eat as much of the giant burger as they can. They don’t have to finish the Kookamonga. The key however is to eat more than the other competitors. When the second whistle blows, eating is over and the remaining plate contents will be weighed again and subtracted from the respective starting weight. The team that has eaten the most amount of a Kookamonga Burger in 10 minutes will be crowned Best Memphis Burger Fest Eating Champions and win a $100.00 cash prize and two $50.00 gift certificates to Kooky Canuck. All proceeds from the eating competition will benefit Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services.

There are rules for the Team Kookamonga Challenge:

1. Must be 18 to compete.
2. Entry is limited to the first 10 paid entrants.
3. Entry fees are non-refundable.
4. Teams will consist of two eaters only.
5. Contestants may not touch the Kookamonga Burger prior to the start of the competition.
6. Both team members may eat from the 7.5 lb. Kookamonga Burger simultaneously.
7. Teams may dunk food in liquid prior to eating.
8. Vomiting or spitting out food will result in immediate disqualification.
9. At the end of 10 minutes, the team that has eaten the most of their Kookamonga Burger will be declared the winner.
10. Judges will be on hand to assure the adherence to contest rules; weigh the total amount of burger that has been eaten; and to disqualify contestants that refused to adhere to the rules.

To sign up for this competition, download the application and mail it along with the $25.00 entry fee to:

Best Memphis Burger Fest
c/o Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services
P.O. Box 11471
Memphis, TN  38111