LONGVIEW, Texas — Roughneck Harley-Davidson in Longview held a cook-off Saturday to settle one burning question: who has the best burger in town?
Competitors fired up their grills in a friendly competition to showcase their skills in grilling an All-American cookout classic, and the top competitor walked away with more than just bragging rights — a grand prize of $500 was up for grabs for the best patty in the competition.
Competitors came from all over East Texas and beyond for the chance to earn the fame and fortune from their homemade hamburgers. One of the competitors came to Longview from Mount Vernon, TX, whose spice of life is Cajun and Italian cuisine. He explained the difference between the every-day burgers you buy in a bag at fast food establishments versus his own homemade recipe.
"Mine has thought and care that goes into it, and we're using real meat," Chef Corey Dodson, the competitor from Mount Vernon, said. "So I think that kind of sets us aside for most fast food venues."
All of Dodson's ingredients, he says, are hand-picked with a mix of careful thought and a knack for playing with his food.
"I make my own rubs, make my own sauces, and if I come across a recipe that already exists, I do a lot of research on it. Kind of play with it, take it, make it my own."
In the end, Dodson and his son were the runner-up winners in the competition with their take on an Oklahoma Smash Burger, with fried sliced onions pressed into a patty and fried in burger juices. But the winner of the competition, and recipient of the "best burger in town," was Chef Harris, who took home the first place prize of $500 after he dished out a Texas style burger topped with bacon, barbecue sauce and grilled onions.