Legend has it that it was two brothers from Akron, Ohio who created the hamburger back in 1885. On the final day of the New York State Fair in Hamburg, NY, Akron natives Frank and Charles Menches ran out of pork for the sandwiches they were vending from their concession booth. Thankfully, the pair found some ground beef, as well as a myriad of other ingredients, to create one of America’s most iconic foods – the hamburger. More than 125 years later, this all-American sandwich is honored in Akron, Ohio during the National Hamburger Festival.
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For our very first competition, we wanted to enter a burger that had big flavor. In our early visits to Texas, our taste buds had been walloped with a smoked pickled jalapeño relish and outright smacked with a jalapeño bacon. We added the fried jalapeños and a slice of cheddar and knew this burger was destined to be a winner! After earning our first trophy, we decided to retire the Texas Triple Jay from competition and vowed to create new burgers for the National Hamburger Festival every year. |
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For our sophomore trip to the National Hamburger Festival, we needed to prove that Smoke the Burger Joint was not a “one hit wonder.” We entered a burger with over-the-top flavor inspired by America’s over-the-top city, Las Vegas! Our Dirty Vegas is the burger you want to wash away a night of sins on the Strip. It was an instant hit with the judges and our ever-growing fan base. If a fried egg on a burger wasn’t a thing yet, it quickly became one! |
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There is a city in northern California where the sweet smell of fresh garlic wafts in the late summer afternoon breezes. The picturesque town of Gilroy also hosts an annual Garlic Festival and is known as the Garlic Capital of the United States. This is where we drew our inspiration for our 2015 National Hamburger Festival entry. We created our very own five-cheese garlicy spread to complement our smoky Angus beef, some beer-braised onions with bacon and a housemade basil-pesto mayo. As decadent as this burger sounds, you can tell your significant other that regular garlic consumption is claimed to reduce cholesterol and reduce blood pressure. You are welcome! |
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After three years atop the Creative Beef category at the National Hamburger Festival, our 2016 entry took a stab at feeding our vegetarian friends. With our competition barbecue origins and ever growing meat-loving fan-base, we had been building a surprise reputation in our restaurants with a housemade veggie patty. No surprise to our team, mind you. When you know flavor like we do and use quality ingredients, you can top almost anything and make it a winner! Still, we suggest you try this burger with bacon. |
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© 2021 Smoke | Ichor Restaurant Group. All rights reserved | Hot restaurant franchise for the Midwest USA.
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