Bacon and Beer Classic
Citi Field Ballpark
123-01 Roosevelt Ave
New York, NY 11368
THE CONQUEST
What’s better than bacon? You might think the obvious answer is “nothing,” but the right answer is “more Bacon!” What’s better than more Bacon? More Bacon and Craft Beer…in festival form! Thankfully the fine folks at Cannonball Productions feel so strongly about this that they created the Bacon and Beer Classic.
Bacon Cheeseburgers from Schweid and Sons
In their own words, the bacon and beer classic is a one-of-a-kind event hosted inside major league baseball stadiums across America. It is a premier experience focused on traditions where one’s nostalgia of baseball meets their love for bacon and beer. As the up to 10,000 attendees walk through the stadium they will get a taste of history through the hundreds of craft brew samples and mouth-watering bacon-inspired tastes local restaurants cook up.Live music will get people dancing, interactive games will bring out their inner kid, and the cooking demos and beer schools will teach everyone – from the expert to the novice – a thing or two about bacon and beer.
Sounds good right? Wait until you see how it looks.
THE BACON
BLT Cup from Ribs Within
For those with a VIP pass it meant 4 non-stop hours of eating Bacon dishes from all kinds of restaurants and suppliers and sampling of what felt like an un-ending sea of Craft Beers. Lucky enough for me, I was asked to be a judge of the event and got to attend both the brunch and evening sessions. That meant Bacon after Bacon after Bacon after Bacon and all washed down with all sorts of IPAs, White Beers, Porters, Stouts, Ciders and other Crafted Beers.
Bacon Mini Burgers from F.Ottomanelli Burgers & Belgian Fries
It was my duty (and honor) to taste all the wonderful dishes served along with the other judges. With 50 plus dishes, it was no easy task. Our tasting sheets listing all the Food was 3 full pages long! There were several instances when I thought I couldn’t eat another bite and then after I took a moment to relax, I remembered it was Bacon!
Bacon and Blue Pizza Bites from South Brooklyn Pizza
Peanut Butter and Bacon Burger from Whitman’s NYC
Bourbon Bacon Mini Donuts from Sweet Dreams
This was not available to eat but the Lardon over a Fire Roasted Corn Salad from Strip House was, I just didn’t take a picture of it.
Maple Bacon on a Stick from Landhaus
Truffle Chicken & Smoked Bacon Quesadilla from Crowne Plaza Times Square Brasserie 1605
Alambre de Tocino from Sembrado
Triple Cut Maple Glazed Bacon Chimichurri from Lexington Brass
Maple Bacon wrapped Slider stuffed with Brie from The Dog and Duck with a very excited Adam Poch glaring at my bite.) 
Grilled Bacon Bites from Pig Guy NYC
The one thing I was not able to do was take photos of all the tasty bites. With dozens and dozens of dishes to eat and rate, I just had too many things going on and too many papers, folders, pens and a tasty cup to carry around. Waaauugh, I know.
SCHWEID AND SONS
Schweid and Sons is a a retail brand of high-quality, fresh, gourmet ground beef made by Burger Maker. The Bacon and Beer Classic was the very first public event that the company has participated in. 
Schweid and Sons served a Bacon Cheeseburger on a Martin’s Potato Roll, made with The Custom Blend: a custom blend of Certified Angus Beef chuck and brisket, for a tender juicy burger.
Currently it’s available at ShopRite stores around the greater NYC area. 
Was it delicious? I would of course tell you yes, it’s the best Burger Meat available. What happens to it after you get some is up to you.
But don’t ask me, ask the official judges as they voted it “Judges Choice: Best Bacon Dish.” Let it be known that I abstained from voting once Schweid and Sons was nominated.
Enjoy some more Burger glory shots courtesy of Ben Trivett Photography.
- Adam Poch, AKA “bacon spokesman” from Big Brother 13
- Chef Lisa Fernandes from Top Chef Season 4 & Sweet Chili Truck
- Ben Robinson from Thrillist
- Chef Russell Jackson from Next Food Network Star Season 9 & Subculture Dining
- Derrick Prince from Masterchefs, Stanton Social & Born To Braise Hell
- David “Rev” Ciancio (ME!) from BurgerConquest.com, Burger Maker & Idle Hands Bar
To be included with this group was a complete honor. Their influence on the culinary and dining culture is incredible and to think I am on some similar level is funny and exciting to me.
We had a blast eating and hanging out but we took our roles very seriously. For each session, we spent nearly a collective hour’s worth of time discussing the nominees and deliberating the winners.
Despite a heavy amount of differentiating opinions, everything ran along smoothly … until Mr. Met showed up in the green room. For those that don’t know, I have a slight case of Masklophobia – fear of mascots/costumes. Everyone else thought this was hilarious. 
Announcing the winners from a top the Mets dugout.
Bucket list achievement unlocked: selfie of a selfie of me on the Citi Field jumbotron…wearing a Yankees hat.
TL;DR – There was a lot of Bacon, Beer and delicious Cheeseburgers at the Bacon and Beer Classic at Citi Field.
Watch it in 30 seconds:
