In one of the closest battles in Burgeroff history, second-year chef Karen Malm upset veterans Richard “Palladin” Salowey and two-time champ Tom Kelly in Burgeroff IV. Malm’s “Holy Guacomole” burger took the most votes of the three contest entries. It was a tough defeat for Salowey, who presented one of his best efforts yet with The Drive In. Kelly, who took top honors in Burgeroff I and III, countered with the American Burger, another crowd favorite.

Working  in her chef whites with a virgin grill purchased just hours earlier at Wal-Mart, Malm commanded a presence, working alone while both Kelly and Salowey had the support of sous chefs. She methodically prepared her meat and buns, and was well on top of the assembly to put forward a brilliant display burger plus tasty quarters for the nearly 50 guests/judges assembled in Silver Creek outside of Park City.

While temperatures were balmy all evening long, wind again played a key role. Salowey selected a grill location that took severe hits from the wind, nearly keeping his coals from igniting. Both Kelly and Salowey went with chimney ignition, while Malm took advantage of Match Light briquettes – nearly drying them out, though, in the wind prior to the 7:00 p.m. command to light the coals.

Both Salowey and Kelly featured a return to basics, but the judges weren’t quite buying it. They loved the creative approach to the guacomole on Malm’s burger – a first in Burgeroff history. Salowey’s Drive In, which he says was conceived just that morning, was topped fried shallot rings – a tasty topping, for sure. As has been the case every year, Salowey’s secret sauce (he won’t disclose, but it was definitely not the same Howlin’ Wolf sauce he used a year ago) was best in class.

Kelly, who announced his American Burger on the Fourth of July, went totally basic with a secret sauce comprised of ketchup and mustard and using Cache Valley (Utah) American cheese. While it was a favorite of many, it didn’t cut the mustard to earn the host a third Burgeroff title.

Kelly was honored for the most tasty side dish of the night with his Smoked and Spicy Baked Beans. The side has been the taste of the summer, having been served at a number of cookouts including a July Fourth extravaganza. The recipe can be found in the July Fourth recap on tomandcarole.com.In addition to the couple pounds of bacon, the secret incredient is chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce.

Malm joined the Burgeroff chef lineup a year ago, making waves with an exotic Asian Burger. Her solid effort two years in a row will make her a favorite for Burgeroff V, which will likely move to a park location to accomodate the growing crowds each year.

Tags: contest, hamburgers