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. The IBIC says consumers have a chance to cast their vote for either Iowa’s Bino Burger or New York’s Hot & Smokey Candied Bacon Burger. The voting is open now through 11:59-p.m. May 30, 2021. The 2021 Iowa’s Best Burger was recently awarded May 3rd, to Bambino’s in Ossian.

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. The 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.

Iowans to cast their vote for Bambino’s Bino Burger using the online nomination form on the IBIC website, or the Iowa Beef Council Facebook page. Remember, the nomination period will close at 11:59 p.m. on May 30, 2021. Officials say 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!