Build a Better Burger

Could your recipe win a spot in Napa's grand daddy of burger championships?

NAPA—Are you the grill master of the cul de sac? Do your burgers evoke sighs of satisfaction and gushing praise from even the most jaded of picnic attendees? Do you dream of tender patties sizzling on the grill? Answer yes to any of these questions, and you just might have a chance at $50,000 in one of the nation's biggest and best cook-offs, The Build a Better Burger contest.

Oh sure, just about anyone who's lit a charcoal grill thinks they've got the secret to deliciously delightful burgers: onion soup mix, hickory chips, homemade relish, or perfectly grilled buns. Amateurs all, compared to the folks who've re-invented burgers from the ground up over the last 16 years at the Sutter Home competition that takes place each year in Napa.

Author James McNair has written the definitive book on burgers, Build a Better Burger, which gives some winning ideas. He also gives plenty of advice and what not to do on the website. Hint: You'd better grill your buns, or you're toast. Find out the tricks of the burger world at buildabetterburger.
sutterhome.com.

Last year's winner: Red Fez sweet and spicy burgers, a mixture of ground chuck, lamb sausage, dried fruit, charmoula mayonnaise and carrot salad topped by a red bun. Now, that's competition. Other winners included surprisingly simple portabella mushroom burgers, a Greek-inspired burger with lamb meat, roasted eggplant and feta cheese, and Hawaiian tuna burgers with onion and lime salsa. Not your everyday burgers.

This summer, the competition opens up again to folks from throughout the country who think they've got the perfect combination. You can submit your recipe on the Sutter Home website at buildabetterburger.sutterhome.com/enter/. Ten finalists will be selected to cook their creations at the Sutter Home winery next year, in addition to being featured on the Food Network. The pressure builds in the timed cook-off, where contestants are challenged to create their recipes in front of judges, cameras, press and other finalists for the $50,000 grand prize, or the $10,000 Best Alternative Burger category.

Can you stand the heat?