It took a couple of tries before Kelley Perras knew how to cook the monster.
Now she's fairly proud of her creation – a five-pound burger filled with three pounds and eight ounces of meat, topped with six slices of cheddar, and stuffed between two buttery slices of sweet bun.
The Morinville Monster, as the burger is lovingly called, will be served at Saturday's Food & Jam Festival in Morinville, and Perras hopes that lots of people will come out to try it.
She stresses the trying part, as she's not able to eat the burger herself.
"It's way too much burger for me," she laughs.
The idea for the burger originated with Kareen Tucci, a member of the Morinville Festival Society.
Perras, who owns Kelley's Deli & Bakery in Morinville, says Tucci approached her about creating the burger to fundraise money for the society.
Especially hungry festival visitors can now pay $50 to join a Morinville Monster eating competition.
The person who chows down the burger in 60 minutes or less (and faster than everyone else) wins their money back, a trophy and tickets to Rocktoberfest.
The rest of the money goes to fund future events.
"They can use whatever utensils they want, whatever they like to eat it with," says Perras. "But they have to eat it themselves, there is no outside help."
Creating the Monster
When she first created the Monster, Perras wanted to stuff the bread with several beef patties. But that would have been too complicated to eat, she says.
So she decided to make one large patty instead (equaling about four large burgers placed in a circle), stuffed with bread, eggs, mayonnaise and spices, which then bakes in the oven for 40 minutes, much like a meatloaf.
She also downsized her creation, to include less meat, she says.
"It was what you call a waste because there is no way they could get anywhere near eating this," she says. "So we downsized it so that the whole thing weighs five pounds."
Those wanting to register to eat the Morinville Monster can do so at morinvillefestivals.com or sign a form at Kelley's, Noah's Ark, Smith Music and RV City in Morinville.
The competition will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Jean Baptiste Park on Saturday, Oct. 4.
