Are you up for a challenge? If you’re carb-counting or weight-watching, just turn the page. But if you’re looking for a hungry man’s meal, ready to pig out on pulled pork or humongous hamburgers, check out this round-up of over-the-top orders.
The Big Pig
It’ll take two hands to wrangle this pulled pork/andouille patty combo that pitmaster Jeff Hennen has unleashed on East Brainerd.
Where: Bones Smokehouse
Location: 7602 E. Brainerd Road
The breakdown: Stack 3 ounces of smoked, hand-pulled pork; 4 ounces of house-made jalapeno andouille patty; a cheddar cheese slice; 2 slices of bacon; 2 ounces of vinegar slaw and 3 jalapeno pickle chips on a toasted white bun. Serve it with fries.
Cost: $8.95
Phone: 423-710-3382
The Fat Stack
Ordinary flat flapjacks just don’t compare. These inch-high pancakes live up to their “insanely great” billing.
Where: Aretha Frankenstein’s
Location: 518 Tremont St.
The breakdown: Three buttermilk pancakes, each made with an 8-ounce scoop of batter that rises into a slab an inch or so in height. Drizzle them with maple syrup or smother them in the house-made apple butter that slow cooks eight hours in a crockpot before coming to your table.
Cost: $7.25 for three (The Fat Stack), $5.95 for two (The Slim Stack) or a single for $3.25.
Phone: 423-265-7685
The Famous Pounder
If you eat all this 20-ounce burger, your photo goes up on the Pounder Wall of Fame. And you get the T-shirt to prove it, along with bragging rights.
Where: Cheeburger Cheeburger
Location: 138 Market St.
The breakdown: Although it’s called The Pounder, it’s actually 20 ounces (4 ounces more than a pound) of Angus beef on a 5.5-inch Kaiser bun, juicy with your choice of cheese and toppings to customize it.
Cost: $10.99 burger, $3.59 upcharge for platter
Phone: 423-265-4108
The Werewolf
It’s a burger. It’s a sandwich. Actually, its both. Don’t wait for a full moon to check this out.
Where: Full Moon Burger and Bar
Location: 61 Market St.
The breakdown: An 8-ounce patty layered with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles, served between two grilled-cheese sandwiches.
Cost: $12.95
Phone: 423-521-6666
Rise and Swine Burger
It’s brunch on a bun. Combine juicy pulled pork, a burger, bacon and egg – and you’re gonna need more napkins.
Where: Diamond Billiard Club
Location: 3600 Hixson Pike in Rivermont Shopping Center
The breakdown: Take 3 ounces of pulled pork, 3 slices of bacon and house-made slaw, then pile them on an 8-ounce patty topped with smoked cheddar cheese and a sunny-side-up egg. Finish it off by serving it all on a brioche bun.
Cost: $9.99
Phone: 423-877-5882.
The Behemoth
Only five couples in six years have been able to finish off one of these 28-inch-diameter pizzas dripping in cheesy, ooey-gooeyness within a 30-minute time limit.
Where: Pie Slingers
Location: 56-A Fieldstone Parkway, Rock Spring, Ga.
The breakdown: Start with 3 pounds of homemade dough, smother that in cheese, extra tomato sauce and three-fourths of a pound of pepperoni. Then take the challenge: you and a friend have half an hour to eat the whole thing; an additional five minutes is added for each additional topping. If you finish it off, you get a T-shirt and gift card – but only five couples have beat the Behemoth so far.
Cost: Ranges from $31 (cheese pizza) to $61.25 (deluxe), depending on amount of toppings selected.
Phone: 706-375-9182
Burger & Flatliner XL Fries
This massive meal lives up to the name of the place where you can get it.
Where: Heart Attack Shack
Location: 4345 Ringgold Road, East Ridge
The breakdown: Two 1-pound burgers loaded up with bacon and cheese accompanied by a serving of “Flatliner XL” fries. Eat it all in under 30 minutes and it’s free.
Cost: $19.99
Phone: 803-5900