Curious about what makes a burger a “Grand Champion Burger”?
Best Memphis Burger Fest is this coming Saturday so I asked my friend Seth Agranov, one of the directors of this annual event, to share what the judges will be looking for as they taste the burger creations from the 35 participating teams.
“Our judges, the first thing they judge when they get their box of burgers is they judge appearance. By that, they are judging ‘Is this a burger that I want to eat.’ ‘Is it so good I just have to have it on my plate.’” Guess the old saying that “You also eat with your eyes” is true.
Next on the judging ballot? “Another thing our judges look for is the tenderness of the burger. Is it juicy? Is it succulent? Is it dripping? Is it something that they want to eat?”
Last but definitely not least. “Most importantly are judges look for taste. Is this something that tastes good? Is it the best burger they have ever had? Or does it just taste like the bottom of a shoe where it’s all dried up and just over cooked?” For the judges’ sake, I hope it’s never the latter!
Best Memphis Burger has three cooking categories: Veggie burger, Any-Thing-But-Beef Burger, and the Best Memphis Burger, which is of course a traditional beef burger. And when it comes to judging the veggie or anything-but burgers … “So we apply that criteria of judging – the appearance, the tenderness, and the overall taste of the burger – to all three of our cooking categories.”
So next time you whip up your favorite burger, keep these three criteria in mind so yours can be “Grand Champion”-worthy too!
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Happy Grilling!
Best Memphis Burger Fest is Saturday October 3 at Tiger Lane in Midtown Memphis.
For more information and advance tickets, visit www.bestmemphisburgerfest.com
