by Sonya Cisneros Curry and Jennifer Casseday-Blair Contributing reporting by Noah Anderson, Jared Lax and Kayla Mulliniks Photography by Jason Kindig
Chefs from Brownstone, Chop House Burgers, Jakes Uptown, Kincaid's Hamburgers, M&O Station Grill, Shaw's Patio Bar & Grill and Tommy's Hamburgers grilled up traditional and non-traditional burgers for a panel of judges, which were evaluated on the bun and patty individually, along with overall presentation.
Brownstone won first place in the traditional category, and Kincaid's Hamburgers swept the non-traditional category.
Ingredients of the traditional burger were limited to a bun, ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion and sauce. As for the non-traditional burger, competitors were challenged to go wide, go tall or go home. In other words, anything goes.
Burgers were judged as follows: Bun - size/ratio, texture, freshness, creativity, and originality as well as overall taste. Patty - size/ratio, juiciness, flavor, creativity, and originality as well as overall taste. In addition, they are judged on the "extras" they have chosen to add to the burger.
Judges included Fort Worth, Texas magazine publisher Hal Brown; chef and restaurateur Michael Thomson of Michael's Cuisine; Fort Worth, Texas magazine food editor
Judie Byrd; Justin Frazell of 95.9 The Ranch; and cowboy singer-songwriter Dan Roberts.
Tasting 14 loaded burgers was no small feat, but the judges rose to the challenge. Hal Brown played it safe by skipping breakfast and lunch. But as the evening progressed and an egg was included on one of the burgers, announcer Matt Blevins commented, "Oh look there, Hal, you finally got your breakfast."
Judge Michael Thompson had a moment of panic as the first mountain of a burger was presented and there was no cutlery, but he prevailed. As the only female represented on the panel, Judie Byrd didn't shy away from even the messiest of burgers.
Between bites of burger, the judges sipped Rahr Beer. As guests entered the event, they received wristbands granting them three complimentary beers generously donated by
Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., whose tasty beverages have been hometown favorites since they started brewing here in 2004.
Times Ten Cellars had wine for purchase, and The Original Jolly Trolley offered sweet treats. The presenting sponsor was Fort Worth, Texas magazine. Platinum Sponsors included the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, 92.1 Hank FM and Taylor's Rental Equipment. Other sponsors were Range Resources, Your Community News, Stockyards Championship Rodeo and Progressive Waste Solutions.
After the votes were tallied, the winning chefs were presented with first, second and third place trophies in each both categories. The trophies for Cowtown's Best Burger were in the shapes of hamburgers and the winners get to display them in their restaurants for the calendar year.
Armadillo races, face painting and the museum's soaring fountain entertained little ones while the music of Luke Wade and No Civilians floated through the Cultural District before Dan Roberts capped off an incredible evening.
This was the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame"s first-ever burger battle. Celebrating its 11th year in Fort Worth's Cultural District, the Museum's mission is to honor and celebrate women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West.
If for some reason you missed this year's event, plan on attending next year. It's the biggest burger event to ever hit Cowtown.
