Sawbelly Brewing wins Burger Bowl again: Meet the chef behind the spicy southern creation

EXETER — Searching for the best burger in town? Look no further than Sawbelly Brewing.

The restaurant at 156 Epping Road won the Exeter Chamber of Commerce’s Burger Bowl for the second year in a row with a southern twist by chef Brad Wallace.

“I was surprised,” Wallace said. “There were a lot of really good burgers in this competition … it was any man’s game, so I was really surprised but extremely excited for the win.”

The 10-day competition, sponsored by Kennebunk Savings, had 19 restaurants from around the area, including Newmarket, Epping and Seabrook, competing for the title of best burger.

The winner was voted on by the public with more than 1,000 votes cast.

Wallace’s winning burger was called “The 2nd CHAMBER.” He said the name was a play on the restaurant’s intention to defend its title by stating, “We’re coming for the second Chamber of Commerce Burger Bowl.”

The burger features a 50-50 beef chuck and smoked pork belly grind with sriracha jalapeno cream cheese, smoked cheddar, house bread & butter pickles topped with smoked pork belly, Slammah sauce and Cajun spiced shallots on a house-made jalapeno cheddar bun.

Smuttynose Restaurant in Hampton, with its “Gouda Than The Rest” burger, came in second while STREET Restaurant took third place with its Korean-inspired creation, “Gotchu-thang Burger.”

More: Galley Hatch Restaurant blends old and new with Hampton dining room makeover

The secret behind the best burger in town

Wallace, who was behind last year’s winning burger “sawBELLY” said he wanted to push the envelope this year.

“The thought process was kind of stressful, to be honest,” he said. “I wanted to come up with a burger that was different than the year prior, but also a little more over the top and better than the year prior as well.”

A Texas native, Wallace tapped into his southern roots for inspiration and looked back into previous recipes.

“After trying a bunch of different burgers, I wanted to keep the same flavor profile but just use different ingredients,” he said. “It’s more based on the original burger from the year prior but with some tweaks.”

Wallace said his secret was the homemade jalapeno cheddar bun and using simple ingredients, but with high execution.

“We wanted to make a burger that we knew that we could execute flawlessly in-house so every burger is consistent when it reaches the table,” he said.

Over the 10 days, Wallace said Sawbelly Brewing sold more than 250 of “The 2nd CHAMBER.”

“I told everybody the only way it’s going to stay on is if we win,” joked Wallace.

'Readers are in for a treat': Author Andre Dubus III to headline Exeter LitFest 2024

Although he was born in Texas, Wallace grew up in Merrimack, New Hampshire. He said he fell in love with the restaurant industry after a stint as a dishwasher and worked his way up the ladder.

A self-taught chef, Wallace said he chose to work in Exeter because of “the up-and-coming food scene.” With backgrounds in fine dining and casual restaurants, he said Sawbelly Brewing gave him the best of both worlds.

“I really wanted to put out simple food but just as fresh as possible,” he said. “They (Sawbelly Brewing) also gave me the opportunity to be as creative as I want … it’s just a really cool atmosphere.”

On his preference between “sawBELLY” or “The 2nd CHAMBER,” Wallace picked the latter without missing a beat.

“In this style of food, I think this (“The 2nd CHAMBER”) is my best creation as far as the burger side of the culinary world,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sawbelly Brewing wins best burger again in Exeter NH contest