LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The search for this year's "Derby Burger" champion has narrowed down to four finalists.
This spring, dozens of recipes were submitted for the Kentucky Beef Council-sponsored contest. The recipes were trimmed down to the top four recipes, each featuring burgers created by local foodies and chefs featuring 100 percent beef.
The finalists include:
- Lori Poe of Mt. Sterling with the Southern Charm Burger;
- Greg Schaad of Louisville with The Big Brown Butter Burger;
- Donna Gribbins of Shelbyville with the Bourbon Blackberry Bacon Cheeseburger; and
- Scott Wisdom of Louisville with the Win Place Show Burger.
The competition now moves into its final round of judging, which will be held online until Firday, Aug. 15.
For ten years the Derby Burger competition has been a Kentucky Derby Festival staple. The pandemic is forcing KDF to do things differently this year. Gone is the in-person Final Round Cook-off and instead KDF and the Kentucky Beef Council will host two rounds of online voting to crown the best burger winner. Every recipe submitted this year is automatically entered in the 2021 competition.
The recipes are judged based on taste, appearance, creativity, and ease of preparation. Each burger must feature 100 percent beef. The winning burger will be featured inside Louisville-area Kroger stores from Aug. 26 - Sept. 8. Shoppers will be able to pick up recipe cards and a showcase of the ingredients so at-home cooks can grill up their own Derby Burgers.
The winning chef will get VIP tickets to 2021 Thunder Over Louisville, 2021 VIP Experience at Waterfront Jam, tickets to BeerFest in 2021, and a $100 gift certificate to Kroger and a grilling package from the Kentucky Beef Council.
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