Iowa and New York Beef Councils Launch Best Burger Battle

And you thought this year’s Best Burger Contest was over! The Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) and New York Beef Council (NYBC) are putting their state’s best burgers to the test in a battle for bragging rights of the ultimate best burger. Starting on May 24, consumers have a chance to cast their vote for either Iowa’s Bino Burger or New York’s Hot & Smokey Candied Bacon Burger.

The 2021 Iowa’s Best Burger was recently awarded to Bambino’s in Ossian on May 3. At first glance, Bambino’s appears to be a hole-in-the-wall, but consumers having visited the quaint Ossian establishment would concur--there is more than meets the eye. The Bino Burger has been referenced as “the burger-lovers burger”, featuring a juicy, all-beef burger patty topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. Customers can customize their burger from that foundation with bacon, eggs, onion rings, hash browns, and more.

Selection of Iowa’s Best Burger was obtained through a phase of public voting. For a month, burger lovers went online and voted for their favorite Iowa burger joint. At the end of the month, the ten restaurants with the most votes were declared the “Top 10”. From there, three anonymous judges visited each of the restaurants, scoring the burger patties based on taste, doneness, and presentation.

On the Northeastern side of the country, Ale ‘n’ Angus Pub was named the Best New York Burger on May 10. This downtown Syracuse eatery earned the honor with their Hot & Smokey Candied Bacon Burger featuring an 8-ounce Angus beef patty with jack cheese, candied bacon, house-made onion spread, chipotle mayonnaise, and honey. Selection of New York’s final four were obtained through public nominations and online voting, with a team of judges choosing the overall winner following a cookoff.

Compared to Iowa, New York represents a dense population center that is further removed from how cattle are raised. In an effort to help bridge the gap between beef production in the Midwest and Northeastern consumers, the Best New York Burger Contest is made possible with funding from IBIC. Iowa’s Best Burger Contest is sponsored by IBIC through the Iowa State Beef Checkoff and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association.

Restaurants are an important and valuable partner of the beef industry. As a way to show support for local restaurants in both states, while highlighting beef’s great taste, we need your help determining the winner of this cross-state Burger Battle.

We encourage Iowans to cast their vote for Bambino's Bino Burger using the online nomination form on our website or the Iowa Beef Council Facebook page. The nomination period will close at 11:59 p.m. on May 30, 2021.

COVID-19 restrictions are changing and now is the time to go out and support your local restaurants. Many restaurants in the state have dine-in and carry-out options to meet your needs. After a challenging year for many restaurants around the country, we encourage consumers to rally their support behind restaurant owners and Iowa's beef farmers by choosing to order a real-beef burger on May 28 to celebrate National Beef Burger Day!

Learn more about this year’s Iowa's Best Burger Contest winner at www.iabeef.org.

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About Iowa’s Best Burger: The Iowa’s Best Burger Contest is sponsored by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and funded in-part by the Iowa Beef Industry Council through the Iowa State Beef Checkoff Program.    

About the Iowa Beef Industry Council: The Iowa Beef Industry Council is funded by the $1-per-head National Beef Checkoff Program and the $0.50-per-head Iowa State Beef Checkoff. Checkoff dollars are invested in beef promotion, consumer information, research, industry information and foreign market development, all with the purpose of strengthening beef demand. For more information, visit www.iabeef.org.

About Best New York Burger: The New York Best Burger Contest is made possible sponsored by NYBC and made possible by funding from IBIC.    

About the New York Beef Council: The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Beef Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (CBB), which administers the national Beef Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. Consumer-focused and producer-directed, the CBB and its State Beef Council partners are the marketing organization for the largest segment of the food and fiber industry.  

About the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association: The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association represents nearly 8,000 beef-producing families and associated companies dedicated to the future of Iowa’s Beef Industry. ICA’s mission is “Grow Iowa’s beef business through advocacy, leadership and education.”