Porketeers headed to Las Vegas for World’s Best Burger Championship after snagging San Diego title

After a final showdown, an El Cajon couple, Dennis and Sherry McGrath earned the prestigious title of Best Burger in San Diego and now head to Las Vegas in November to compete in the World Burger Championships. 

Representing San Diego and Bull Outdoor Products, the McGrath’s will compete against more than 400 world-class cooks, chefs and restaurants for a total possible prize package of $60,000.

After a final showdown, an El Cajon couple, Dennis and Sherry McGrath earned the prestigious title of Best Burger in San Diego and now head to Las Vegas in November to compete in the World Burger Championships. 

Representing San Diego and Bull Outdoor Products, the McGrath’s will compete against more than 400 world-class cooks, chefs and restaurants for a total possible prize package of $60,000.

Dennis McGrath said he has a day job, but along with his wife are weekend BBQ warriors. The McGrath’s began his BBQ catering service in 2005, but with the success of competitions, they dissolved the first company name and focused on branding their now popular name the Porketeers.

Always working in the food industry, McGrath said creating the business was natural to him, but after competing in his first competition, the “bug bit me.” He said they moved away from BBQ to compete in the Best Burger in San Diego Competition, a recipe they came up with that week.

“My wife and I didn’t even know how to put it together until the day of the competition,” he said. “It sounds simple, but it is a bacon-jalapeño cheeseburger. We incorporated the bacon inside the burger, a 12-ounce patty. It was off the top and the judges were amazed by it.”

He said on their truck, the menu is traditional BBQ, with ribs, pulled pork and brisket using smoking techniques he learned while living in Texas for a while. He said they just launched something out of the norm a few weeks ago that people are going crazy for—brisket tacos.

McGrath said they do not take competition too seriously, but are in it for the love of it. He said they have several more competitions coming up before November and will continue their tour with their BBQ truck at competitions, local breweries and special events. To see when and where you can sample Porketeers outdoor dining visit www.porketeers.com.