6 Belt-Busting Steak Challenges

Think you can hang with the big boys?

Here are 6 steak challenges you can try if you’ve got frequent flier miles, some stretchy pants and a HUGE appetite.

Luckily, though, for most of them, if you complete the challenge your meal is free! Bonus!

6)  72 Oz. World Famous Big Texan

• 4.5 lbs (72 oz)
• ~5,400 calories
• The Big Texan Steak Ranch – Amarillo, Texas

In 1960, Bob Lee opened The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo Texas on Route 66. Shortly after, the “free if you can eat it” steak challenge came to life.

Since then, tens of thousands people from around the world have traveled to Amarillo and attempted to eat the 72-oz. sirloin steak & sides. Do it under 60 minutes and the meal is free. Fail and you pay $72.

Some have succeeded; many have failed.

In March 2008, American competitive eater,  Joseph Chestnut , finished the meal in under 9 minutes!

Some things that weigh about the same:

• Steel toe work boots
• A cat
• A Macbook
• 4.5 pounds of feathers

(Image via Big Texan)

5)  72 Oz Steak Challenge at The Lone Star

• 4.5 lbs (72 oz)
• ~5,400 calories
• The Lone Star – Toronto, Canada

The Lone Star in Toronto also has a 72-oz. steak challenge. Eat the sirloin with all the trimmings in under 1 hour and it’s free. Fail and you pay $54.99.

The staff at the Lone Star reports that around 10% of the people who attempt the steak challenge are able to finish it. A recent winner provided the following suggestions:

• Train ahead of time – try to eat a lot of the same thing in one sitting.
• On the day of, eat as light as possible, but make sure you eat little things throughout the day so your stomach doesn’t shrink.
• Cut the steak from one side only to keep as much moisture in as possible. If the steak is dry it will be harder to chew.
• Order rare (easier to chew.)
• 1 hour goes by fast – don’t stop chewing!

(Image via Gghpt.com)

4)  76 Oz. Steak Challenge at J & R’s Steak House

• 4.75 lbs (76 oz)
• ~5,700 calories
• J & R’s Steak House – 6 Locations in New York

Moving up in weight classes, J & R’s steak challenge weighs in at just less than 5 pounds. A clay brick weighs about 5lbs.   Finish 76 oz. of steak in under an hour and it’s free. You also get your name on the Wall of Fame and a T-Shirt. Lose and you pay $59.99.

Boss “Hog” Calhoun (pictured below) has finished the challenge 4 times!

(Images via J and R’s Steakhouse)

3)  80 oz. Thorny’s Steak Challenge

• 5 lbs (80 oz)
• ~6,000 calories
• Thorny’s – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Weighing in at the equivalent of a 5-lb. bag of sugar, Throny’s in Myrtle Beach takes our 3rd position. Eighty ounces of sirloin beef plus a baked potato, roll and salad must all be consumed in 60 minutes. Do that, and the meal is free. Fail and you pay $70.

Throny’s in Myrtle Beach is conveniently located a few blocks from some major tourist attractions including the beach, Ripleys Aquarium and less than 2 miles from Myrtle Waves Waterpark.  After you’re done downing your 80 oz. of beef you could go for a swim – just be sure to wait 30 minutes, errr umm, maybe 30 days.

(Image via The Sun News)

2)  96 Oz. Kelsey’s 6 Pound Challenge

• 6 lbs (96 oz)
• ~7,200 calories
• Kelsey’s – Valparaiso, Indiana
• 96-oz. Top Sirloin Steak
• Potato
• Small House Salad or Soup
• 1 Slice of Bread

Six pounds! To help put that into perspective, a child’s bowling ball weighs 6 pounds. If you can eat it all in one hour your dinner is FREE. Fail and you pay $42.95.

About 10 people a year attempt the challenge. Over the past 23 years only 5 people have succeeded. The latest winner did so in 52 minutes. He said, “I never tried to do anything like it before. I’m not a massive eater…It was cut and chew, cut and chew, cut and chew.”

(Image via Kelsey’s Steakhouse)

1)  120 Oz. Gregory’s Steakhouse

• 7.5 lbs (120 oz)
• ~9,000 calories
• Gregory’s Steakhouse – Allentown, Pennsylvania

Weighing in at the equivalent of 2 ½ phone books – Gregory’s Steakhouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania, takes number one with a whopping 7.5 lbs. of ribeye. That’s about 9,000 belt-busting calories!

There’s no time limit and if you conquer the steak, you not only get a free meal, you also get your picture on the wall.  According to Gregory’s staff, several people have finished the giant steak, but no official timed eating record has been established. It’s rumored that back in 1992 a kid finished the steak. Competitive eater, Joey Chestnut (who also holds the 72-oz. Big Texan speed record) did it at only 8 years old!

(Image via Flickr.com)