Seventeen competitors will vie for the title of Baton Rouge Bull Burger Champion this Saturday, May 21, at Goodwood Hardware & Outdoors at 7539 Jefferson Highway.
The burger competition takes place in five nationwide cities: Baton Rouge, Chicago, New York, San Diego and Indianapolis. Goodwood Hardware assistant manager Randi Stevens says the Baton Rouge event came to fruition from the strong partnership between the hardware store and Bull Outdoor products, which sponsors the event.
In the 2015 battle, Team 3Gen with Lance Dodson as head chef won the coveted ticket to the World Food Championship with a “Southern Steak Burger” featuring sirloin, rib-eye steak, bacon, smoked gouda and a smoked chipotle aioli. Stevens says each year’s competition brings surprises, because competitors’ experience levels range from professional chef to backyard baron.
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This year’s competitors are Michael Carbo, Ryan Roton, Ryan André, Leighton Carbo, Wayne Cooper, Whonda Titus, Ben LaRose, Jeffery Boudreaux, Brian Boudreaux, Robert Erwin, Evan Stenhouse, Alex Hamman, Beau Bourgeois, Steve Hubbard, Chris Reine, Travis Dodson and Joseph Bruno. Bite & Booze blogger Jay Ducote is the event’s local celebrity judge.
Each entry will be judged on the “EAT” method, the World Food Championship’s proprietary scoring system. It includes three key evaluation criteria: execution, appearance and taste, each rated on a 1-10 scale. Burgers may include any combination of condiments, spreads, sauces, cheeses and toppings. Every component placed between the bun or bread will be considered for judging, and any component outside the bread, such as a sauce or side, won’t be judged.
Now in its fourth year, Stevens says the 2016 Bull Burger Battle will be even more festive because it coincides with Goodwood Hardware’s 20th anniversary celebration. The entire event will be filmed and later broadcasted by Out Da’ Bayou, a 30-minute Louisiana-themed show that airs Saturday mornings on WBRZ Channel 2.
“Basically, it’s just going to be one big party,” Stevens says.
Stevens recommends guests arrive around 10 a.m. to ensure they don’t miss any part of the day-long event. The competition is split into three flights of competitors, which will be assigned at random the morning of the event. The first flight of competitors light their grills at 11 a.m., and groups two and three follow at 11:30 a.m. and noon, respectively.
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Each chef has two hours to create his or her burger. While event attendees wait for judging, Goodwood Hardware is offering a free burger cooking class at 11:30 a.m. and a free pizza cooking class at 1:30 p.m. The awards ceremony begins at 3 p.m.
The winner of each Bull Burger Battle will receive a Bull Outdoor grill, an expense-paid trip to Orange Beach, Alabama, and qualification and paid entry to compete as a member of “Team Bull” at the 2016 World Burger Championship, a sector of the World Food Championship. The World Food Championship is a nine-category cooking competition held for more than $350,000 in total prize money and consists of more than 500 competitors.
The opening round of the World Burger Championship is 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, and the top 10 round is 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13.