It's National Hamburger Month, just in time for Memorial Day, National Hamburger Day (May 28) and the summer grilling season, so we searched for the biggest hamburgers we could find across the USA. Take a look for inspiration for your own backyard burgers, but be forewarned – don't read while hungry!
We'll start with a burger challenge, though the rest are intended for individuals. The Beer Barrel Belly Buster at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub (Clearfield, Pennsylvania) weighs in at 15 pounds and is topped with cheese, tomatoes, onions, sweet relish, banana peppers, mayo, ketchup, mustard and lettuce.
The 8lb Monster Burger at Jake Melnick's Corner Tap (Chicago) serves 8 people (one person per pound). Another Eight Pound Burger is on the menu at The Pub at Monte Carlo (Las Vegas), topped with tomato, lettuce, jalapeños, caramelized onions, 10 slices of cheese, The Pub's secret sauce and a giant pickle.
Bowlero (Texas and California locations) takes a five-pound patty and shapes it into a 14-inch diameter, then tops it with bacon and American cheese to make the Behemoth Burger. Not only is it big in weight, but in diameter, too! A bit smaller in weight, but still 14 inches in diameter, is the Angus Burger at MacNiven's Restaurant & Bar (Indianapolis), served Scottish-style on a toasted bun with shredded lettuce, red onion and sliced tomato.
Rocker@Squaw (Squaw Valley) weighs in with its Gnar Burger: four pounds of California Angus beef, pulled pork, pulled chicken, coleslaw, onion rings and Rocker Sauce will easily feed up to eight hungry skiers or snowboarders.
The standard toppings come on the Three-Pound Burger at Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar (Southgate, Michigan, outside Detroit), including lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle, but you can also add any other toppings you'd like. Hosting a party? Mallie's can make a burger up to 360 pounds, so you and all your friends can dig in, too.
The two pounds of meat in Pickett's Charge are divided into four eight-ounce patties, then sandwiched between five slices of Texas-style toast and served with a side of chili cheese fries at Blue and Gray Bar & Grill (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania).
Known for Burgers with Attitude, Niffer's Place (Auburn, Ala.) delivers with its Niffasaurus the Beast: two pounds of ground beef quadruple-stacked on a sourdough bun with melted cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack and Swiss cheeses, and topped with a fried egg and crispy bacon.
The Double Trouble Burger at PBR Rock Bar & Grill (Las Vegas) is two pounds of goodness: two beef patties, bacon, cheddar cheese, hollandaise sauce and a fried egg.
The 4x4 Burger at Lumberyard Tavern (San Diego) will have you seeing in fours…four half-pound patties are topped with four slices of cheese, four pieces of bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onions, pickles and finished off with a fried egg, all squeezed onto a pretzel roll.
Two 12-ounce patties are topped with mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers, bacon, sautéed mushrooms and onions, ham, and cheddar, mozzarella and American cheeses to make up the Thurmanator at The Thurman Café (Columbus, Ohio). The burger even made an appearance on "Man vs. Food."
Fatburger (California locations) takes a triple patty, 24-ounce burger and tops it with bacon, chili, an egg, grilled mushrooms, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, relish, onions and your choice of cheese, resulting in the the XXXL Burger.
Mel's Country Cafe (Tomball, Texas) tops its one and a half pound Mega Mel burger with a full pound of bacon, a quarter-pound of cheese and all the trimmings.
The World's Largest Green Chile Cheeseburger can be found at the Double Eagle Saloon in Old Mesilla, N.M.: 20 ounces of meat with green chiles and queso fresco.
Burgers for breakfast? Why not! BURGERFI's (locations across the USA) Breakfast All Day Burger is more than a pound of breakfast deliciousness found between the buns, including an Angus patty, a fried egg, hash brown, bacon, grilled onions, American cheese, maple syrup and ketchup.
The Big Ugly at Bub's Burgers & Ice Cream (Bloomington, Carmel and Zionsville, Indiana) weighs in at just one pound of meat, but the choice is between beef and elk, which certainly makes it stand apart. Whichever you choose, the burger's then topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and three massive slices of American, Swiss, cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
The Carnivorgasm at The Vortex Bar & Grill (Atlanta) is one pound of grilled sirloin patties topped with pulled smoked pork, bacon, sliced ham, turkey, cheddar cheese and whiskey pimento cheese, covered in Vortex barbeque sauce.
Roaring Fork (Scottsdale) adds some spice to its Big Ass Burger: a one-pound patty is topped with Poblano pepper, smoked pepper bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles.
Two bacon-infused, half-pound ground chuck patties are topped with brisket, vintage white Tilamook cheddar cheese, two slices of thick cut bacon, onion rings and barbecue sauce,then sandwiched by a French bread bun to make the Double Piggy Back at Frack Burger (Portland, Ore.).
Another one-pounder is the Widowmaker at Wing Zone (locations across the USA): four patties (making up one pound of meat) are topped with bacon and cheese.
Wild Wing Café (Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina locations) serves a Hail Mary burger during the NFL season: double the meat for one pound of Angus beef patties, which are served between two grilled cheese sandwiches made with Texas toast and topped with fried pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and mayo.
The Mojo Burger at Puckett's Gro. & Restaurant (Franklin, Tennessee, near Nashville) weighs in at just under a pound, but it's topped with a mound of slow 'n' low cherry-smoked BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, cheddar cheese and pickles, with a drizzle of BBQ Ranch sauce. Definitely worth a mention!
Though the Bad Ass Burger at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar (North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Colorado) doesn't weigh in more than 10 ounces, once it's loaded up with buttermilk fried bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and horseradish mayo, this burger is quite a contender at more than a pound.
Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen's (Houston) Max's Budapest Burger starts with "just" a half-pound hamburger patty, but then topped with another half-pound of braised Hungarian short ribs, smoked gouda cheese and crispy fried onion strings, served on a molasses wheat bun.
The Sasquatch Burger at The Lodge (Scottsdale) is made of Black Angus beef and topped with bacon, fried onion and cheese, all served between two grilled cheese sandwiches instead of buns.
Haven't had your fill quite yet? The National Hamburger Festival will be held August 8–9 in Akron, Ohio, and The Melt, a California franchise famous for their grilled cheese sandwiches, will attempt to create the largest cheese sculpture in Guinness Book history in the shape of a giant cheeseburger in celebration of the launch of their new burger menu. The sculpting will be held September 18 on Venice Beach, Calif.
