The 5 Most Audacious Burgers in North America

3 Written by Mr. Lew on March 13, 2012 – 5:00 am

Let’s face it, you can get a burger nearly anywhere you go. And while a lot of those burgers are the same, a few stand out. I’ve chosen five burgers that are audaciously outside the box, and intriguing enough to try if you dare.

Double Coronary Bypass Burger

Vortex Grill – Atlanta, Georgia

Double Coronary Bypass Burger, photo by Tom Croom

In 2008, “Man v. Food” host Adam Richman visited the Vortex in Atlanta. From the decor to the staff to the food, the Vortex is unique, making it a must-stop spot for tourists. Featured on that episode of Man v. Food was a burger that has the ability to impress, if not to give one a massive stroke.

This burger contains two fried eggs, six slices of American cheese, and eight slices of bacon, which are served between not one, but two grilled cheese sandwiches. It takes a brave heart to attempt to eat this.

Four Horsemen Burger

Chunky’s Burgers – San Antonio, Texas

Four Horsemen Burger, photo by Stacy B.

Upon first glance, you’d probably think that this is like every other burger you’ve ever seen in your life, that is, until you take a bite. This burger is dubbed “The Hottest Burger in the World.” It’s so hot, a challenge was created for anyone insane enough to try it.

The Four Horsemen contains jalapenos, serrano peppers, habanero sauce, and bhut jolokia, which is also known as the ghost pepper. For the challenge, you have to eat the half-pound burger in under 25 minutes. After finishing, you have to wait an excruciating five-minute period. You cannot drink anything and the burger cannot leave your body. Of the over 3,000 people who tried the challenge, only 200 have successfully finished. To anyone willing (or stupid) enough to try this, you have all my respects.

Krispy Kreme Burger (aka The Luther Burger)

GCS Ballpark – Sauget, Illinois

The Luther Burger, photo by Jellorama

This burger, often credited to the late singer Luther Vandross, is known as the cardiologist’s nightmare. The Gateway Grizzlies of Sauget, Illinois have been serving these evil concoctions to ballpark spectators, and their team’s fan attendance has increased ever since. But Sauget, Illinois isn’t the only place where you can find the burger, as it’s now dotting the state fair circuit all across the United States.

This burger is your average bacon cheeseburger with one major difference: instead of a hamburger bun, you get a deep-fried Krispy Kreme doughnut. So ordering this burger instantly makes your dessert choice null and void. The combination of bacon, cheese, and the sweet taste of doughnut adds up to a whopping 1,000 calories.

$100 Burger

m:brgr – Montreal, Quebec, Canada

$100 Burger, photo by Hip Urban Girl

Since 2008, m:brgr has been giving customers the chance to customize their burgers, all the while getting to choose from the most premium ingredients. Recently, when they expanded to Toronto, they introduced a real novelty burger.

The items in this burger read like a laundry list of the most out-there, pricey ingredients you can find: bacon, a grilled pear, foie gras, brie, fig jam, asparagus, Piave del vecchio cheese, garlic roasted ham, porcini mushrooms, honey truffle aioli, and truffle carpaccio, all helping to dress the two all-Kobe-beef patties. If that wasn’t enough, you get regular French fries, sweet potato fries, fried onions, arugula, and cherry tomatoes, all for the price of one hundred Canadian dollars. While their Toronto venture didn’t exactly succeed, you can still find this wondrous burger on the Montreal menu.

Poutine Burger

Burger Bar – Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Poutine Burger, photo by The Gluttoners

In 2011, Burger Bar opened its doors on Montreal’s fabled Crescent Street in Quebec. For those who don’t know, Quebec is famous for introducing poutine: a plate of French fries covered with cheese curds and gravy. Poutine has been around for decades, but no one ever thought of placing it on the next best thing, the burger. That is, until now.

This burger starts with a beef patty, topped with a mountain of fries, then ladled with sauce and covered with cheese curds. On paper, it sounds like the most epic idea known to man. Structurally speaking, you may encounter difficulties when trying to eat this, not to mention the side effects after finishing it, if you finish it at all. But this is exactly what a relatively new restaurant will do to make its impact on an already-crowded burger scene.

Editor’s Note: What’s the craziest burger you’ve ever tried?