Steamin’ Cow Patties’ burger “The Belly Dancer” — bacon-infused beef with roasted pork belly, wasabi aioli and Asian slaw —was the judges’ favorite at the sixth annual Cribbs Kitchen Burger Cook-Off held Saturday in downtown Spartanburg.
The annual event serves as a fundraiser for Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas. More than $85,000 was raised at this year’s event, surpassing the $56,000 raised in 2018. The funds are used to provide support for local children and their families who are struggling with cancer.
Aaron Story accepted the winning trophy on behalf of his team.
“It’s an incredible event put on by Cribbs,” Story said. “Winning the judges’ award has always been a dream of our team. This event is the epitome of community service, since it’s a bunch of people coming together to have a giant cookout for kids. We are glad to carry the torch and glad to have a good time. We sold 450 burgers.”
Steamin’ Cow Patties wasn’t the only team recognized for a great-tasting burger. The team from Ike’s Korner Grille won The People’s Choice award for its “Almost There” burger, with mustard, chili, onions and coleslaw. They sold out of burgers during the event.
“What makes a good burger is the consistency of the meat,” said Angela Rodgers with Ike’s Korner Grill. “I had several people not even want the bun. We will be back next year. It was so much fun.”
The event was held at the corner of West Main and Daniel Morgan Avenue. Ethan Greer of Spartanburg said it was his first time attending the event and said he’d be back again. His first burger was from Motte and Sons Bootlegging Co., a burger with fried onions and American cheese.
“We finally got some good weather, and it’s really cool to see everyone in the city come out together for a good cause,” Greer said.
Basil’s B52 featured “The Bomb” burger, with bacon, garlic butter, homemade beer cheese and onions. The team sold about 100 burgers an hour.
“Oh, my gosh,” Basil’s B52 owner Lana Pearson said. “We were so overwhelmed and weren’t expecting to serve that many burgers. We had a lot of repeat customers. It was our first year doing this and hope to be back again next year.”
The team from Nu-Way Restaurant and Lounge sold 450 burgers during the event. Their “Smokey and The Bandit” burger had horseradish sauce and smoked Gouda cheese. Nu-Way team member Michael Campbell said he believes what makes a good burger is the juiciness.
“It’s one of the largest turnouts for the event that I have seen,” Campbell said.