Chef John Tesar was on the griddle for Knife's pimento cheese burgers, and the Easy Slider truck was at the entrance of the event at the Shed of the Dallas Farmers Market. (For more Between the Buns photos, check out photographer Melissa Hennings' slideshow.)
The winner was one of our personal favorites, too: Haystack Burgers and Barley with a chicken-fried steak slider.
Here are some of our other favored sliders from the day:
Haystack Burgers and Barley
Chicken-fried burger
Even if you were full by the time you got to this booth, you weren't going to let a bite of this one go to waste. The chicken-fried steak on its own would've been good enough. But being sandwiched between a slightly sweet bun made it better. And, of course, jalapeño-bacon cream gravy never hurts, either.
Hey, if the Italian beef is good, you could put it in a shoe and we'd eat it. Full Circle did even better than that.
Melissa Hennings
Italian beef slider
You could tell the Italian beef was made with care and a well-thought-out recipe. Some pepperoncini peppers made this simple sandwich worthy of the voting coins that were quickly filling the jar at this table.
Dot's Hop House honored the mourned Club Schmitz with its double cheeseburger. It reminded us of grandma.
Melissa Hennings
Club Schmitz slider
The Deep Ellum spot with one of the best patio spaces also makes a damn good burger. The Club Schmitz (inspired by the double cheeseburger of the former bar by the same name) may seem like a simple enough burger, but it's perfectly seasoned, balanced and towered between two buns. It made us think of cheeseburgers our grandmothers used to make.
Hutchins BBQ
Brisket slider
It wouldn't be a food event in Dallas without a few barbecue options. This one was a straightforward brisket made better with some roughly sliced cabbage and a perfect bun. Too simple? No such thing when it comes to brisket.
Arepa TX
BBQ pulled-pork arepa
After you had fluffy bun after decadent, carb-filled, fluffy bun, the little pocket cradling slightly sweet barbecued pork made this a tasting you could enjoy without guilt. The slaw and pickle paired with it had us wanting more.
