Burger Wars Round Six: Q Mex vs. Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q

Put on your loosest pants, the Beijinger Burger Cup is back! In the lead up to the Burger Cook-Off Launch Party on August 23 and the start of voting on August 25, we are kicking off with Burger Wars: a series of face-offs pitting Beijing's beef patties against each other. These will not necessarily reflect the ultimate match-ups in our Burger Cup bracket, but give burger fans and burger chefs an idea as to how the product may fare in the final competition.

Come back often for more Burger Wars, information about the upcoming Burger Festival and news on how to vote.

Round Six, affectionately referred to as South of the Border, features burgers with a Mexican twist. Sanlitun’s Q Mex faces off against Yonganli's Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q in a battle of spice, seasoning and a Southern touch. In this round, each Mexican burger (both lost points for creativity from the get go) is put to the test and only one can remain the Mexican burger.

Contestant one: Q Mex
2013 rank: N/A
Q Mex's Mexican Burger (RMB 58) comes deconstructed on a sleek wooden board; one bun is topped with shredded carnitas pork and coleslaw while the other is slathered with sauce. The meat may look like it comes pre-chewed, but in all honesty it made eating the burger hassle free and scored Q Mex massive points. 

Thick potato wedges and chipotle corn come as sides and take you from just about full to full-out gluttony. Travel further south of the border by mixing the corn with the shredded carnitas pork and eating it in your burger. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it – it goes especially well with the patty and vegetables.

Contestant two: Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q
2013 rank: 9
Assembling Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q’s Mexican Burger (RMB 62) was messy and as a result, the shredded lettuce and guacamole were not aligned with the patty and spilled from the sides (I’m OCD, whatever). The guacamole wasn’t quite the glue to hold it all together, but it was tasty enough and gave the burger a much-needed oniony kick. The meat is well-seasoned and generous, the cheddar just sharp enough and the bun deceptively light and fluffy. Overall, a solid burger that comes with a side dish of your choice.

Verdict:
Though what exactly constitutes a Mexican burger is open to interpretation and has wide boundaries, the only borders that mattered here were the ones that divide a classic burger from a true south of the border masterpiece. Q Mex’s burger brought it's A-game and was a more successful integration of distinctly southern flavors than its rival burger. Tim’s played it too safe and could have easily switched up classic ingredients like the patty and cheese to make the burger live up to its name, but is a decent burger for the conventional eater.

See our previous Burger War rounds here:

Burger Wars Round One: The Local vs. Flamme
Burger Wars Round Two: Plan B vs. Grinders Burger Wars 
Burger Wars Round Three: Blue Frog vs. Lily's 
Burger Wars Round Four: Great Leap vs. Slow Boat
Burger Wars Round Five: Frost vs. Home Plate

Photos: Heather Budimulia