Unearth The Voyage
Texas doesn’t do anything small, especially when it comes to food. From massive steaks that could feed a family to burgers piled higher than your head, the Lone Star State is home to some of the wildest eating challenges in the country. Whether you’re a competitive eater or just love a good food adventure, these challenges will test your appetite and give you bragging rights for life.
Big Texan 72-Ounce Steak Challenge (Amarillo)
Amarillo’s Big Texan Steak Ranch has been daring hungry travelers since 1960 with this legendary challenge. You’ll face a 72-ounce steak alongside a baked potato, shrimp cocktail, salad, and a buttery roll—all to be devoured in just 60 minutes. Beat the clock and the entire feast is completely free, but fail and you’ll pay $72.
Thousands have attempted this beast of a meal, but only about 20 percent succeed. The restaurant seats challengers on an elevated stage so other diners can watch the spectacle unfold. Your stomach needs serious capacity and your jaw will get a serious workout cutting through nearly five pounds of beef.
Winners get their photo on the Wall of Fame and earn eternal bragging rights. It’s become one of America’s most famous food challenges for good reason.
Four Horsemen Burger Challenge (Chunky’s Burgers, San Antonio)
Named after the biblical harbingers of doom, this burger lives up to its apocalyptic reputation. Chunky’s Burgers in San Antonio loads this monster with ghost peppers, habaneros, serranos, and jalapeños that’ll set your mouth ablaze. The real torture begins after you finish—no dairy products are allowed for five minutes while the heat intensifies.
Most challengers underestimate just how brutal the Four Horsemen can be. Your eyes will water, your nose will run, and you might question every life decision that led you here. The ghost peppers alone rank among the hottest chilies on Earth, measuring over one million Scoville units.
Successfully conquering this inferno earns you a t-shirt and a spot on their Wall of Flame. Bring tissues and prepare for pain.
Wall of Flame Wing Challenge (Pluckers Wing Bar)
Pluckers Wing Bar scattered across Texas offers a fiery test called the Wall of Flame Challenge. Participants must demolish 15 “Fire in the Hole” wings slathered in their hottest sauce within just 15 minutes. These aren’t your average Buffalo wings—the heat level skyrockets beyond what most people can tolerate.
The sauce combines some of the world’s most intense peppers into a mixture that burns from the first bite to the last. Speed matters here since you’re racing against the clock while your tongue feels like it’s melting. Many brave souls have tried, but the combination of volume and volcanic spice sends most running for milk.
Winners receive a commemorative t-shirt and their name immortalized on the Wall of Flame. It’s a badge of honor among spice enthusiasts statewide.
Big Lou’s 42-Inch Pizza Team Challenge
Big Lou’s Pizza in San Antonio serves up one of the largest pies you’ll ever encounter—a whopping 42 inches of cheesy goodness. This challenge is so massive that it’s designed for teams rather than solo eaters, though brave individuals have attempted it alone. Groups must finish the entire pizza within a set timeframe to claim victory and earn their spot in pizza history.
The sheer size of this pizza makes it a spectacle worth seeing even if you’re not competing. It barely fits through doorways and requires a specially designed oven to bake properly. The crust alone could feed several people before you even consider the mountains of toppings.
Gather your hungriest friends and prepare for a carb-loaded adventure. Success brings glory, failure brings leftovers for days.
Mega Breakfast Burrito Challenges
Several Texas restaurants have taken the humble breakfast burrito and transformed it into a multi-pound monster that could feed a small army. These behemoths come stuffed with eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, cheese, and often surprise ingredients that push the weight to ridiculous levels. Some challenges require finishing a five-pound burrito within 30 minutes, while others give you an hour for even larger versions.
The tortilla alone stretches to extraordinary lengths, and unwrapping one feels like opening a sleeping bag filled with breakfast foods. Your jaw gets tired from the constant chewing, and the sheer volume tests your stomach’s expansion capacity. Many underestimate how filling eggs and potatoes become when consumed in such quantities.
Winners often receive free meals, t-shirts, and photographic proof of their morning victory.
Zellagabetsky Sandwich Challenge (Kenny & Ziggy’s, Houston)
Houston’s Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen created a sandwich that defies physics and good sense. The Zellagabetsky towers eight layers high, crammed with corned beef, pastrami, turkey, roast beef, salami, tongue, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing between thick slices of rye bread. Unlike timed challenges, you simply need to finish it in one sitting—however long that takes.
Picking up this sandwich proves nearly impossible without it collapsing into a meat avalanche on your plate. Most challengers resort to eating it layer by layer, turning it into a strategic operation rather than a simple meal. The combination of flavors creates a delicious experience, though the quantity quickly becomes overwhelming.
Finish it and you’ll receive a free cheesecake plus your photo displayed proudly on their wall.
El Jefe Grande Burger Challenge (Kenny’s Burger Joint, Frisco/Plano)
Kenny’s Burger Joint in Frisco and Plano serves up El Jefe Grande, a seven-pound burger that redefines excess. Multiple beef patties stack up with bacon, cheese, and all the traditional fixings, creating a tower of meat that challenges both your appetite and your ability to fit it in your mouth. You’ve got one hour to finish everything, including the sides that accompany this monster.
The beef alone weighs more than most people eat in several days, and the richness of all that cheese and bacon makes every bite heavier than the last. Your hands will be covered in grease, your stomach will protest, but the glory awaits those who persevere. Most challengers tap out around the halfway point when reality sets in.
Victors earn a free meal and coveted placement on the Wall of Fame.
5-Pound Steak Challenges (Various Locations)
Beyond the famous Big Texan, numerous steakhouses across Texas offer their own versions of massive steak challenges, typically featuring cuts weighing 4.5 pounds or more. These challenges prove that Texans take their beef seriously and aren’t afraid to test your carnivorous capabilities. Each restaurant adds its own rules, time limits, and side dishes to make their challenge unique.
A steak this size requires serious dedication and jaw stamina since you’ll be chewing for what feels like forever. The meat quality varies by location, but most use thick, well-marbled cuts that become increasingly difficult to finish as they cool. Your stomach stretches to uncomfortable limits as you push through the final ounces.
Completing these challenges typically earns you a free meal, t-shirt, and permanent recognition on the restaurant’s winner board.
20-Scoop Ice Cream Tower Challenges
Some Texas ice cream parlors and dessert cafes dare customers to conquer towering sundaes featuring 20 or more scoops of ice cream piled high with toppings. These frozen mountains must be finished within a specific timeframe, usually 30 minutes, before they melt into a soupy mess. The challenge combines speed with the ability to handle brain freeze and stomach freeze simultaneously.
Starting out seems fun as you enjoy the variety of flavors, but the cold quickly becomes overwhelming. Your teeth ache, your head pounds, and the sweetness becomes almost nauseating as you shovel spoonful after spoonful. The melting clock adds pressure, forcing you to eat faster than your body wants to process frozen dairy.
Winners typically receive the sundae free, a t-shirt, and photos to prove their frozen triumph to skeptical friends.
Massive Combo Platter Challenges
Various Texas restaurants have created ultimate combo challenges that throw everything at you simultaneously—giant pizzas, mountains of wings, burgers, fries, and more all on one daunting platter. These mixed challenges test your versatility as an eater since you can’t just power through one type of food. The variety sounds appealing at first, but flavor fatigue sets in quickly when you’re eating competitively.
Switching between different textures and tastes keeps your palate slightly more interested than single-item challenges, but the sheer volume remains the ultimate obstacle. Your stomach doesn’t care whether it’s filled with pizza or wings—it just knows when it’s reached capacity. Strategic eaters tackle their least favorite items first, saving the best for when motivation wanes.
Conquering these combo beasts earns you serious respect, free meals, and unforgettable food memories.
