A Birmingham restaurant wants to know who makes Alabama’s best burger, all in the name of charity.

Carrigan’s Public House in Birmingham is gearing up to host its inaugural Big Birmingham Burger & Bourbon Bash competition from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 20. The event, in collaboration with George Dickel 8 Year Bourbon, will pit ten restaurant and bar teams from Alabama against each other to cook the best burger for both the public and a team of three judges. The winner will get bragging rights, the 2023 trophy, and the competition’s crown jewel: a purple wrestling-style championship belt, complete with a watermark of a burger on the state of Alabama.

To enter the competition, teams must make a donation to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. The suggested minimum donation is $500, and teams must make the contribution via the official Carrigan’s and George Dickel donation page. Teams must also be able to cook a minimum of 200 bite-sized burgers for the public Crowd Favorite competition as well as three full-size burgers for the judges (one burger for each judge).

“There’s always a conversation about who has the best burger (in Birmingham) and everybody wants to say Chez FonFon. Some people say Carrigan’s,” says Jess Parsons, a spirits marketing and brand manager who represents George Dickel and Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. “Obviously, at the end of this, it’s not who really has the best burger necessarily. But it’s a fun thing for us to do and a reason to bring everyone together to support a charity.”

This year also marks Carrigan’s 10-year anniversary. And after two years of operating in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by nearly a year and a half of normalcy, Jason Acreman, the restaurant’s general manager, says the competition is a way to get people excited about Carrigan’s again.

“This really turned into a community event,” said Acreman. “All the breweries that have been here forever supporting us. We want all the great restaurants to participate. We want everybody local who wants to come in here and have a good time. And let’s raise some money for charity.”

So far, teams from five Birmingham-area establishments have entered to flip burgers for the Bourbon and Burger Bash: Carrigan’s, The Lumbar, Marty’s GM, Trim Tab Brewing Company, and Watkin’s Branch.

Carrigan’s and George Dickel will accept entries for the competition until May 15. So far, all of the participants are from the Birmingham area, but proximity to Birmingham isn’t required to enter the contest. Entries are welcome from all over the state, as long as teams can provide their own cooking appliances, propane tank or coals, ingredients, and utensils.  Event organizers will include tents, tables, and chairs.

“The goal is to raise money. I’m not gatekeeping. Anyone who wants to come can come,” said Acreman.

The Big Birmingham Burger & Bourbon Bash kicks off at 9  a.m. in the Carrigan’s parking lot. Guests will be allowed to enter the grounds at 11 a.m. for the public sampling (There is no cost to enter. However, the competition is accepting donations for the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.)

The public burger sampling will run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Guests will receive one raffle ticket to vote for their team (Additional raffle tickets will be available for guests to purchase). The judge’s sampling will start at 1:30, followed by the announcement of the People’s Choice competition winner at 2:30.

In addition to burger and bourbon samples, the bash will feature a number of vendors and pop-up shops, as well as a lineup of four DJs and bands– Stevo Blaque, Joy Boy, Sam Norris, and Red’s Hot Sting Band.

Partners and sponsors for this year’s event include Yellowhammer Brewing, Trim Tab, Cahaba Brewing, Alabama Crown, and George Dickel Eight-Year Bourbon. Parsons and Acreman say they are still welcoming sponsors or partners who would like to donate supplies, money, or time to the event.

If all goes well, Parsons and Acreman hope to make the Big Birmingham Burger & Bourbon Bash competition an annual event– to benefit a different charity each year, as well as give other restaurants a shot at taking home the trophy, plus a year of holding the grand championship belt.

“We want that to get passed around,” Acreman says of the belt. “And whoever wins is going to get that belt. They can put it whenever they want it for a year. And the next year, we’ll come back and do it again.”

Businesses looking to enter or become sponsors or partners for the Big Birmingham Burger & Bourbon Bash should email Jason Acreman at [email protected].

Looking to attend the  Big Birmingham Burger & Bourbon Bash? Here’s a glance at the schedule below: