Build a Better Burger Contest

It's time once more for Sutter Home's Build a Better Burger contest with a first prize of $50,000. Each year Sutter Home tweaks the rules a little. This year is no different.

1.The Contest is looking for America´s best local burgers, those that are representative of where the contestant lives or grew up. Recipes should highlight the foods, products, or cooking traditions of a community, state, or region of the nation. Each recipe must include a brief introduction that tells why this is a great local American burger.

The important part to this rule is the emphasis on local burgers. (I think Sutter Home wans to get away from foreign-based recipes. Most of the past winners have had an international flair to them, such as Thai, Greek or Moroccan, to name just a few of the past winners.}

My question: What do you consider a regional local burger which is different from other regional burgers? The ones I can come up with off the top of my head:

Butter Burger (Wisconsin)
Green Chile Burger (Southwest)
Jucy Lucy (Minnesota)
Steamed Cheeseburger (Coonecticut)
Maid-Rite (Iowa...impossible to grill, though)

So, what's your local burger and how is different than the rest of the country?

Re: Butter Burger in Wisconsin. Come on...it's from a fast food chain called Culver's and they simply slather some butter on the bun. Also, Culver's is now in a lot of western states. I don't really think there is a specialty burger here other than just some great tavern burgers...The Blue Moon here in Madison serves up one of the best I've had ANYWHERE.

Sorry, Pancho, but Culver's,which I believe started in Wisconsin,took the idea from local Wisconsin restaurants, such as Solly's Grille. The above picture is from the restaurant review of Solly's.

True about Culver's but is it possible Culver's didn't start it but took a local hamburger concept and built on it? There are other places besides Culver's that feature a butter burger and it is associated with Wisconsin.

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=191

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=615&RefID=615

Much of the country has accepted the term California Burger as a loaded burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and mayo.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

Much of the country has accepted the term California Burger as a loaded burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and mayo.

Really? I though a California Burger had to have Avocado on it.

quote:

Originally posted by blizzardstormus



Sorry, Pancho, but Culver's,which I believe started in Wisconsin,took the idea from local Wisconsin restaurants, such as Solly's Grille. The above picture is from the restaurant review of Solly's.

I do stand corrected as far as Solly's. However, I think that the "butter burger" represents a very small cross section of Wisconsin burger cuisine. You could take a poll of Wisconsin burger lovers and I'd venture to say that a "butter burger" would not rank very high. I'd even put a "brat burger" above it. Also, that burger at Solly's looks disgusting.

quote:

Originally posted by bill voss

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

Much of the country has accepted the term California Burger as a loaded burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and mayo.

Really? I though a California Burger had to have Avocado on it.

...and sprouts! But in a midwest bar/grill they won't go that far but will still often call it a California burger.