The idea of eating 100 year old grease, well…isn’t appetizing. But, I need to further explain so you understand the culture and method behind the popular eatery in Memphis, Dyers on Beale.

In my many travels, I’ve grown to love the idea of just stopping by the competitors for the World Food Championships and peeking in on their brick and mortar restaurants. Learning kitchen secrets, tasting the food they are entering and also meeting the personalities behind these signature dishes.

This particular stop had me at 100 years in the history of vitamin “G”. The back of the employee uniforms of every Dyer’s crew members says “Have you had your vitamin “G” today?” Seriously, they take the idea and method behind the burger very serious. It starts with two chilled three ounce patties…almost like a meatball. Then they transfer the chilled meat to a chilled marble slab, and like an artist preparing their palette or a drummer testing the snare drum they begin to smack, spread and spin this patty into a thin giant meat pancake. Okay, so I know at this point your wondering why. Well, their famous sandwich is the “Double Double.” Their signature burger has double meat and double cheese, but because of the thin patties, it is surprisingly easy to swallow. The other reason for the thin patty is they float the two three ounce patties in a bubbling secret weapon – the 100 year old grease!

From the opening day in 1912, Doc Dyer’s started collecting the burger drippings and well…. They make tons of grease every day. It’s the poaching liquid for their mouthwatering signature sandwich. It’s a slow process and worth the wait, the hand pattied burgers are slid into the hot grease with 100 years of character and cooked slowly until ready, stacked on a fresh and sweet bun with onions and perfectly melted cheese. The gluttony is finished off with simplistic fixins of pickles, mustard and hand cut fries.

There is nothing silly or novel about these burgers. It’s not a gimmick; it’s the real deal, a craft of serious people about seriously simple food. Their process is impressive and interesting. It’s not surprising that Playboy Magazine named them as one of the 10 best burgers in the country and Esquire named them among the top 60 things to do and worth shortening your life for.

Situated on Beale street in downtown Memphis Tennessee with a historic backdrop, Dyer’s burgers on Beale has the ingredients and talent to bring home a WFC win, if they can compete and not melt under pressure. It’s hard to pin point what the key to a victory in Vegas will be, but I know that there is no smoke and mirrors at Dyer’s in Memphis, just a perfectly delicious burger. Now the biggest issue…. How to get the 100 year old grease to Las Vegas.