Moo’s named top 10 best burger

The votes are in and Moo’s BBQ has been named one of the 10 Best Burgers in Iowa. The Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association announced the top 10 restaurants in the contest on Monday.

“We are so excited,” Moo’s owner Jeremy Biondi said. “They called and said to be prepared to do double the amount of burgers you normally do so we got stocked up today.”

Moo's was selected out of nearly 9,200 nominations submitted between Feb. 12 and March 12. It was one of seven restaurants new to the contest along with three returning establishments.

“We moved all of the voting to online this year and set a new record with more than 700 restaurants receiving at least one nomination,” Iowa Beef Industry Council marketing director Brooke German said. “In total, we had more than 300 towns and cities across Iowa represented which proves that there are a lot of great tasting burgers all across the state.”

The quest to find the best burger will soon be underway when a panel of anonymous judges visits each location and evaluates a burger of their choice based on the taste, appearance and proper doneness. To qualify, the burger must be a 100 percent beef patty or patties, although other ingredients may be added such as spices, and served on a bun or bread product. Burgers may include any combination of condiments, sauces, cheese or toppings.

Moo’s has several burgers on its menu including a classic cheeseburger, “The Duke” — a third pound fresh Black Angus blend beef with cheese, onion rings and bacon and a burger that combines it all — “The Iowan” featuring a third pound fresh Black Angus blend beef with cheese, pulled pork and bacon. Biondi said all of the beef for his burgers is sourced from a farm in Tama.

“We encourage everyone to visit the Top Ten restaurants,” German said. “These are only a few of the many restaurants in Iowa that do an outstanding job of promoting and serving our beef product to their customers on behalf of Iowa’s beef farmers.”

Moo’s added burgers to the menu just a little more than a year ago on March 1.

“We can’t wait,” Biondi said. “If we win we are looking at getting a new flat. We have a 24 inch now that can do about 10 burgers at a time. If we get the amount of people the way we will, we are looking at a 48 inch.”

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com