Origins of the SuperBurger
It started off so innocently.
I was surfing the Freakonomics blog during lunch and saw a link to EatFeats. Since I have more than a passing interest in competitive eating (An aside: I once bet on Kobayashi, at 2-3 odds, winning the Krystal Square Off. Easiest 40 bucks I ever made), I clicked on the link. Eatfeats is a blog dedicated to all things competitive eating. And it has a link to a list of eating challenges. Since I have tried some eating challenges in the past, like the El Commandante Challenge, I was curious to see what else was out there. The gluttony was astonishing. There were eating challenges for steak, burritos, pizzas, and hamburgers. Excited, I emailed Jim and Liz about these challenges.
One of the challenges on the site wasn’t really a challenge. Instead, it was a site that sold kits for making giant hamburgers. Jim saw this picture, and wanted to do the same thing with Charlie. I thought it would be something fun to do for the Super Bowl. I was ready to order the kit when Jim told me that Anne could make the bun herself and it didn’t make sense to pay $30 plus shipping for a giant bun and a cardboard box. So we would make the SuperBurger with the homemade bun.
Making the SuperBurger
February 3, 2008. A day that will live in infamy, and not just because the Patriots pissed away a chance at 19-0.
I arrived at the Henriques compound around 3 in the afternoon to begin making the SuperBurger. All of the ingredients for the SuperBurger had already been procured earlier that morning. Here are the ingredients for the patty.
4.5 lbs 90% lean meat
6.5 lbs ground chuck
1 envelope beef onion soup
3 eggs
¾ cup rolled oats, chopped
Dale’s Steak Seasoning
Hot Sauce
Liquid Smoke
Fresh Ground Pepper
13 lbs. of meat
Meat in a bowl
Anne mixing the ingredients together
Meat in pre- and post-patty form
We constructed a grate from cooling racks and a coat hanger to put the patty on while it was cooking on the grill. We put hooks on the corners so we could transport it on and off the grill.
The patty took up most of the grill. We had to use hickory blocks to keep the lid off of the patty.
We cooked the patty for 10 minutes before flipping it. Flipping the patty was a 3 person job.
The patty cooked for another 13 minutes until it reached an internal temperature of 160 F.
The bun was a double batch of Anne’s roll recipe. Mixing the dough was too much for the breadmaker. There was so much dough that the mixer’s motor started smoking.
Top and bottom buns, before rising
Buns in the oven
Finished bottom bun
The toppings on the SuperBurger included lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocado, bacon, and cheese.
Jim weighed the SuperBurger before we started eating. The final weight was 18.5 lbs.
Of course, we had to pose with the SuperBurger.
Even Charlie had to pose with the SuperBurger.
After the pictures were taken, it was time to dig in.
It took me until the 3rd quarter to finish my piece of the SuperBurger. I probably could’ve finished sooner if Charlie had helped out.
Judging from the food coma that everyone was in during the 2nd half, I would have to say that the SuperBurger was a success. And if you think the SuperBurger was something, take a look at this.
