‘Burger Madness’ competition heats up in Cabarrus County

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — Step aside March Madness. There’s a new competition happening across Cabarrus County this month.

The Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau has teamed up with 12 area restaurants for “Burger Madness,” a friendly competition that showcases the culinary creativity of local chefs.

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Throughout the month, each participating restaurant will feature a new burger creation on the menu.

Diners can vote for their favorite here. The winner will be announced April 1.

A full list of participating restaurants, along with a description of each burger, are included below:

2 Gals Kitchen: Jazzed Burger – A lean burger patty topped with a fried egg, candied bacon, grilled asparagus, smoked Gouda and sweet onion spread served on an everything bagel.

73 & Main: The Local One – A patty made from local beef and bacon ground together and topped with aged cheddar cheese, crispy buttermilk fried bacon, house-made mayo, baby bibb lettuce, fresh tomato and onion served on a brioche bun.

Cabarrus Brewing Company: Gettin’ Figgy With It – A half-pound Certified Angus Beef patty topped with semi-soft French Brie, crisp romaine lettuce, Roma tomato and house-made fig jam. Served on a toasted brioche bun.

Chophouse 101: Cowboys BBQ Burger – A juicy beef burger topped with a slice of American cheese, smoked sea salt, ground black pepper, pulled pork, 101 Winning BBQ Sauce and coleslaw.

Havana Carolina: The Cuban Fritta Burger – Seasoned ground beef and chorizo patty grilled with onions and topped with tomatoes, lettuce and shoestring potatoes. Served in a pressed Cuban hamburger bread.

Hot Box Next Level Kitchen at Southern Strain Brewing: The Southern Charm – A 1/3-pound brisket blend patty topped with pimento cheese spread, HBX pickles and house-fried green tomatoes. Served on a Dukes multigrain bun.

Jackie Boy’s Grill & Tap, Concord and Kannapolis locations: Jalapeno Jack Burger – Jackie Boy’s signature 8-ounce prime ground beef burger with roasted jalapeño, queso and crispy onions.

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Johnny Rogers BBQ & Burgers: The Candied G.O.A.T. Burger – Hand-pattied all-beef burger topped with house-candied bacon, buttermilk-fried onion frizzles, creamy goat cheese, smokehouse aioli and lettuce and tomato. Served on a local-baked classic burger bun.

Parkway House, Concord Parkway and Union Street locations: Big Bad Mad Burger – Double burger with American and provolone cheese, topped with bacon, grilled jalapeño peppers, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and special Mad Sauce. Served on a brioche bun.

Punchy’s Diner: Homerun Burger – Two 4-ounce all-beef patties topped with house-made chipotle pimento cheese and six slices of bacon. Served on a grilled, glazed doughnut freshly made at The Donut House in Kannapolis.

The Smoke Pit, Concord location: Pimento Cheeseburger – Two 4-ounce patties made of ground brisket, short rib and chuck topped with house-made pimento cheese, bread-and-butter pickles, mayonnaise and onions.

Vortex Bottle Shop: The New Tradition – An 8-ounce house-ground chuck blend topped with fresh pimento cheese, brown sugar and black pepper bacon, fried pickled green tomatoes and chive aioli. Served on a roasted garlic milk bread bun from Local Loaf.