MONROE — When Green County Beef Queen McKenna Pfeuti announced Monroe’s Buggyworks Restaurant and Pub as the winner of the Green County Best Burger Contest with its We Curd You Love Bacon Burger, owner Jeff Ewald proudly hoisted the giant, silver spatula over his head.

“I’m so happy,” Ewald said. “I’m just really proud of my staff and thrilled we won because the competition was so good this year.”

Ewald expressed his gratitude for the award after it was announced during the 37th Annual Green County Beef Producers’ Steak-Out. 

“I’m extremely grateful to the Green County Beef Producers for putting this contest on and to everyone who participated,” he said.

Placing second in the contest was Minhas Kitchen with its Huber Burger and Bullet’s Restaurant with its Jameson Burger.

Ewald and his employees have entered a burger in the contest for the last five years and prior to bringing home the spatula, hadn’t managed to place. They’ve tried entering their Number Six Burger, named after a buggy model they have displayed in their restaurant, which features cream cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, garlic aioli, mixed leaf lettuce and roma tomatoes. 

After that, they threw their Moody Bleu and Bacon Burger into the competition; with Roth Kase’s smoked bleu cheese, thick-cut peppered bacon, caramelized onion, mixed leaf lettuce and roma tomatoes. 

Ewald then decided he wanted to feature their most popular item — cheese curds. That’s when they came up with the We Curd You Like Bacon Burger, featuring cheddar cheese and bacon, which still fell short in the Best Burger Contest. 

When brainstorming with employees on how they could improve, server Morgan Harms suggested they feature their second-most popular item — their house-made mac and cheese sauce featuring cheese from five Green County cheese factories. That led to the birth of the We Curd You Love Bacon Burger. They also found a better bun for the burger. 

Ewald describes the burger as an “evolution.” He said the burger sold just as much as the other six burgers combined. 

Nelli Mcdermott, chair of the Best Burger Contest, said 1,200 people voted in the contest this year. She expressed gratitude that she didn’t have to vote, because she said it would have been too hard to choose the best burger.

Ewald, who opened the restaurant in 2014 said he’s never entered the same burger twice, but is tempted to enter the We Curd You Love Bacon burger again next year to see if it can defend its title.

Whenever his staff congratulates Ewald on the trophy, he said he’s quick to correct them.

“I don’t consider it my trophy at all,” Ewald said. “Congrats to you. You guys did it.”