Tennessee State Fair Fires Up with Tasty Competition

Johnny Cash’s favorite food was his Ring of Fire Chili, and he was also fond of June’s homemade Ring of Fire BBQ sauce. This is a Smashup of Johnny and June’s greatest hits in the kitchen! It is topped with a beer-battered onion ring made from Tennessee BrewWorks Beer and cheddar cheese from Flowers Creamery in Ethridge, Tennessee!

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The Tennessee State Fair kicked off with a sizzling grill-off, and RFD-TV’s dynamic duo took home a ribbon for “Best Use of Tennessee Products” and 2nd overall! Anchor Tammi Arender and Engineering Vice President Jaymee Sharp formed the two-person cooking team, bringing local flavor to the competition.

The event spotlighted locally raised beef, with the theme centered around “Wheat and Other Small Grains.” Tammi added a personal touch by making homemade hamburger buns using wheat from Smokin Oaks Farm in Robertson County, TN. Adding to the flair, Tammi and Jaymee dressed as Johnny Cash and June Carter, naming their creation the “Ring of Fire” burger, complete with a Tennessee Brew Works beer-battered onion ring.

The Tennessee State Fair continues through August 24 in Lebanon, TN.

Recipe: The “Ring of Fire” Chili Burger

INGREDIENTS

Buns:

• 3 cups SMOKIN OAKS ORGANIC FARM flour [wheat grown and milled on their farm in Robertson County]
• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp of softened butter

Burger Patties:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 Tbsp of Tenn Sorghum Molasses [From Muddy Pond Farms]
• 2 Tbsp of black pepper
• 2 tsp smoked salt [Smoked by Jayme Sharp]
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp oregano

Ring of Fire BBQ Sauce

• ¼ cup Ring of Fire (Cash recipe directly from their cookbook)
• ¼ cup Ritz crackers
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp Jack Daniels TN whiskey

Burger Patties

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 Tennessee-grown onion, chopped
• 1 Tennessee-grown red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pkg chili seasoning
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 cup TN State Parks Beer [from TN Brew Works in Nashville. Christian Spears, proprietor, says this beer is made from locally grown grains (including Barley from the Brandon Whitt Farm in Murfreesboro]