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When firefighter Tony Stowe isn't working on blazes, he's whipping up award-winning recipes. In fact, he has one that's put him in the running to be "America's Hottest Firehouse Cook."
Tony says he loves burgers, so for the 5th Annual Tabasco Cook & Ladder Competition that's what he decided to make. "I had a friend who said his favorite meal was lamb chops and mint jelly, so I thought I would try to put a spin on that," Tony said.
The spin is these are "lamb burgers" instead of hamburgers, and the secret ingredient is the milder green Tabasco Jalapeño Pepper Jelly.
Hundreds of firefighters across the country sent in their recipes, and Tony will go to New York in February to compete against nine other firefighters. "The winner takes home 10 grand; five for the firefighter and five for the fire house here," he explained.
Another secret to Tony patties is he puts a hole in the middle. He says it serves two purposes: to help it cook all the way through and to keep the burgers from getting too thick.
At Fire Station 16, the guys work a few days on and a few days off, so they eat and sleep at the station. They know they're pretty lucky to have Tony there.
"There's a number of fire stations doomed to pizza and take-out on a regular basis," Capt. Tony Allred said.
The guys here eat like kings, and Tony doesn't mind doing the cooking as long he doesn't have to do the dishes.
"It's one of my favorite things is to put smiles on their face and fill their tummies. Everyone says that's the way to a man's heart, so if I ever get in trouble, they remember to save the chef first," Tony said.
Here's how Tony recommends you eat his lamb burgers: Serve on a Ciabata roll with jalapeno jelly, then put on tomatoes, onions and lettuce and enjoy. If you'd like to try his lamb burgers, CLICK HERE for the recipe.
Tony leaves in February for the finals, and he's promised to let us know how he does.
E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com
