Joey Chestnut's Next Challenge Is Slugburgers

CORINTH, Miss. (AP) — Hot dog eating champ Joey Chestnut will take on the Mississippi slugburger on Saturday in Corinth.

Main Street Corinth made the announcement over the weekend on its Facebook page.

On July 4 at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating contest, Chestnut broke the record he held with Takeru Kobayashi, as each had six total championships heading into last Thursday's event. Chestnut downed 69 hot dogs, another record.

Chestnut's closest competition was Matt Stonie with 51 hot dogs.

Stonie is the slugburger record holder having downed 30 slugburgers in 10 minutes to become the first World Slugburger Eating champion last year. It was the first year in which the slugburger-eating contest was part of the Major League Eating competitive circuit.

The winner will get $1,500.

There are at least five possible origins for the slugburger's name. Those include "slug" as slang for a nickel, the burger's original cost — and as a circular piece of cheap metal sometimes substituted for money because the burgers, which originally used starchy extenders, were seen as hamburger substitutes.

According to "A GOURMAND'S Guide To Dining In & Around Corinth" by Milton Sandy Jr., a slugburger is a burger made of a mixture of beef and some form of cheaper breading extender. It is deep-fat fried to a golden brown instead of grilled as common hamburger.

In earlier days, Sandy said cornmeal was commonly used as an extender in slugburgers and animal fat was used for frying. In modern times, soybean meal has become the ingredient of choice which adds some protein value to the creation and vegetable oil is commonly used for frying. The standard garnish for a slugburger is mustard, pickle and an ample dose of onions and a side of fries.

The 26th Annual Slugburger Festival is Saturday in Corinth. The eating contest is at 4:30 p.m. at the Crossroads Museum.