Backyard cookouts are a deep-rooted tradition kept by the hard-working people of this country through the hot summer months when family and friends escape the hot kitchen and arrange chairs around a fire to partake in the cooking and eating of fire-grilled food. These events are not meek gatherings. There are no tea sets or linen cloths or martini glasses; these men and women carry the pride of a powerful nation in their hearts and when they turn their energy toward friends, food, and drink, the simple beauty of sharing food and fire is revealed. In celebration of our success as individuals and as a collective group we have brought the art of grilling to a new level. We have created the Giant Burger.
On a specially constructed balance, the uncooked burger weighed in at seventeen pounds. The specially baked buns were seven pounds each. The assembled burger weighed 29.75 pounds, with a pound of bacon, two pounds of cheese, grilled onions and portabella mushrooms, avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, and a giant toothpick through the center with deli pickles on top. The buns were baked on a pizza pan with a custom-fitted steel ring around the edge. Grilling occurred on a specially built turnover fixture with a brazed steel lid made from leftover material from the big round fish tank. Weeks of testing and preparation identified the best recipes and techniques and the resulting creation was not only big and unbelievably real-looking but also of exquisite flavor. With a Columbian machete from The Strand in Galveston, the burger was divided into portions several pounds each and slowly consumed. The room got quiet, people started to fall asleep, and just for a moment the world seemed absolutely perfect.
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