Derek Emmons is not content to make just any hamburger — he wants to make a burger “that could cure a hangover.”
“I’m not trying to eat healthy — I’m trying to feel good,” Emmons said. “If you’re going to eat a cheeseburger, there’s not really a lot of healthy things about cheeseburgers. If you’re going to eat healthy, eat healthy on other days. If you’re going to eat a cheeseburger, eat it big.”
Emmons, his partner Zach Bacon and the rest of the Super Smash Burgers team were among several participants Saturday in Poplar Bluff's inaugural Downtown Throwdown Burger Battles. The competition occurred on Vine Street, between Broadway and Fifth Street, and featured several vendors, in addition to a plethora of tasty burgers.
The winners of the competition were Dan Elder and Chris Casey, who were one of two teams affiliated with The Office Bar and Grill
“We just kept it simple,” Elder said. … “For the first burger competition ever here, I’m pretty happy to win. We’ll definitely have to be here again next year.”
That last bit of news will please Morgan McIntosh, the executive director of Downtown Poplar Bluff.
“They actually won by about 10 points,” McIntosh said. “I’m hoping that we can have them back next year and see if they can keep the title.”
Between a collection of great burgers, several vendors and a solid attendance, McIntosh had much to be happy about after the competition.
“I’m really excited with the turnout of this,” McIntosh said. “It’s our first time ever doing a burger competition down here and I think it turned out really well.
“We had a good turnout from our community, and the businesses, and the food vendors did great. We had a couple (of them) selling out, so it was a great turnout and I’m happy with it.”
The burgers weren't bad either.
Scott Gouger was part of another Office Bar and Grill team Saturday and made one-pound patties that were stuffed with Philly cheese and also featured a South African spice called braai. It's made of garlic powder, coriander, paprika, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, sea salt and black pepper.
“I ordered some online a couple of months ago — and it took a couple of months to get it,” Gouger said. “It’s not a hot spice, but it’s got a twang to it. It’s really, really good.”
Attendees at the Downtown Throwdown apparently agreed with him there.
“Well, we’re out of burgers, so that’s all I can say,” Gouger said around noon Saturday. “I cooked 20 of them and we ... left (some) for the judge. We’re not allowed to sell them, so we’ve been giving them away for Bloody Marys and donations.”
Patrick Krishna and Todd Henson seasoned their burgers with items such as chili flakes, Cavender’s, garlic salt, onion salt, ground pepper, Himalayan salt and chopped onions, “Those are burgers (where) you bite into it, the juice just explodes all over your mouth,” Krishna said. “It’s a good deal.”
Krishna said that his burgers were “all-American.”
“These are the spicy, juicy, succulent — every other sizzle word I can think of (for) all-American burgers,” Krishna said.
Unlike many of the other competitors Saturday, Emmons did not grill his burgers — instead, he fried them on a Blackstone flattop grill, smashed them flat and even added some butter on the grill for good measure. He also used locally raised beef from Butler County, then topped them off with Havarti and/or smoked Gouda cheese.
“I like to get a restaurant-quality-style burger — and that’s what I do at home,” Emmons said. “I knew coming into it that everyone (else) would more than likely probably be doing a grill or a smoker of some type.
“It didn’t get us in No. 1, but we got some great reviews over it (and we) got some good compliments.”
The Downtown Throwdown and the Fifty Fifty Fest skateboard competition later that day at the nearby Poplar Bluff Skate Park (see separate article) represented the third Saturday in a row that downtown Poplar Bluff has featured exciting activities — a trend McIntosh hopes to see continue.
“We want to try to keep having events and bringing people down here, promoting the businesses we have and try to bring more down here,” McIntosh said.