TOM HAYES
By TOM HAYES
ONE of the most dangerous collaborations has hit Traralgon, with Missen Link Burgers and Uncle Mungo’s creating what is believed to be Australia’s Hottest Burger. After several tags of the hottest burger up in Queensland, Missen Link owner Guy Missen and the Uncle Mungo’s team thought they could do better together. Combining Uncle Mungo’s ‘COVID-19 Delta Variant’ hot sauce and the burger creation skills of Missen Link, the two have produced a monster of a challenge. “I kept on getting (tagged) in Australia’s hottest burger up in Brisbane and I’ve been using Uncle Mungo’s hot sauce since the start of Missen Link and, sent it to (Uncle Mungo’s) and we both thought we could do better,” Mr Missen said. If anyone knows what a Missen Link burger tastes or looks like, they know they are in for a treat. Known for loading their burgers with whatever comes to mind, the creativity really hit the roof with this one. So, what’s in the burger? There is two jalapeno smashed beef patties, American cheese, streaky bacon, onion, tomato, lettuce, more jalapenos, pickles, Missen Link spicy mayo, and of course Uncle Mungo’s Bhut Jolokia BBQ sauce and COVID-19 Delta Variant hot sauce. Some may ask, why? If you are familiar with Guy or Missen Link, his creations are out of the ordinary and he is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible. “It just comes down to someone who’s willing, different and out of the norm, a lot of other venues like to follow each other and copy each other, I’m one of the weirdos that likes doing the stuff that no one else is doing,” Mr Missen said. Uncle Mungo’s hot sauces just continue to get hotter, but what makes them so hot? “The ‘COVID range’ has reaper, savina habaneros, scorpion (chilli), it’s got pretty much the top four to five chillies in the world,” Uncle Mungo’s operations director, Samantha Russell said. “It’s hotter than police-grade capsicum spray, so we can only sell it in 100mL bottles because our insurance classified it as a weapon. “Your body rejects it after a certain point … it always ends up with paramedics helping them (customers) and giving them fluids, they (customers) sign medical waivers and they know what they’re in for.” The scoville scale is a measurement of spiciness in chillies, peppers and hot foods, measured via capsaicinoid sensitivity within foods. “Capsicums have zero scoville heating units because they have no capsaicin, jalapenos – everyone knows how hot they are – they contain around 10,000 scoville heating units, this Delta (hot sauce) – I had it lab tested – it has 3.3 million scoville heating units,” Uncle Mungo’s director Thomas Russell said. “I make this stuff for a living and even I won’t have it again.” Uncle Mungo’s stock many products from sauces, to chicken salts, beef jerky and even chocolate! Mr Russell is a sobered alcoholic, and found his passion for hot sauce creation while on school holidays with his kids. His first batch went on to sell on Marketplace for a $70 profit in just seven minutes, and after that he was hooked. Back at Missen Link, they have created a challenge to compliment the burger, which has already had a fair share of takers. The burger is currently selling for $20. Before you start, you must sign a waiver, and to complete the challenge you must finish the entire burger in store, without vomiting, and you will get your money back along with some other additions. “If they can eat it without drinking anything and wait five minutes … then they get a $50 voucher and their name on the ‘Wall of Flame’,” Mr Missen said. The challenge has only been around for a little over two weeks now, and more people have finished the challenge than first anticipated. “I’d say out of the 60 people that have done it, about 10 have completed it … it is more than I expected, but some people are just eating it as fast as they can and dealing with it after,” Mr Missen said. Not all stories are successful, as that is still around 50 people that weren’t able to handle the spice, even one unlucky passenger had to have an ambulance called for him. “I’ve attempted a bit, and it’s too hot for me these days, maybe younger me could do it,” Mr Missen said. Anyone is able to try the burger challenge, all that you need to do is come in and order it, sign the waiver and you’re off to the races. Mr Missen hopes to keep the challenge around for as long as he can. “It’s around for as long as Mr Mungo can supply the Delta sauce, he isn’t going to run out anytime soon,” he said. He isn’t stopping there, as Mr Missen already has his eyes set on making Australia’s hottest pie. He hopes to have something put together in the near future for people to come and try, also at Missen Link. The editorial team can confirm the heat, after trying the hot sauce for ourselves. It is no joke!
