Casey’s is heating issues up in an enormous approach with the debut of its Barn Burner Rooster Pizza, a daring new slice born instantly from the corporate’s annual Pizza Competitors, and personally topped the winner by culinary icon Andrew Zimmern. The pizza, created by Casey’s district supervisor Terrell Banks, delivers a spicy, candy, and savory punch because of its sriracha base, grilled hen, bacon, actual mozzarella and cheddar cheese, purple onion, jalapeños, and a post-bake drizzle of Candy Child Ray’s BBQ sauce. It is the form of flavor-forward danger that Zimmern says completely aligns together with his lifelong method to meals discovery. “Nice meals can come from surprising locations,” Andrew Zimmern defined, and Casey’s, he says, resides proof.

Chef Andrew Zimmern did not simply pattern the profitable slice, however he praised the whole philosophy behind Casey’s meals program, noting that many individuals nonetheless underestimate the model. “People do not count on a comfort retailer or a gasoline station to be an incredible pizza vacation spot,” he informed The Blast. “However Casey’s proves that nice meals can come from surprising locations.”

He identified that Casey’s is quietly one of many largest pizza gamers within the nation, and that high quality begins on the basis. “A pizza’s platform is its dough and its crust, that is the place most pizza loses me,” Zimmern mentioned. “Casey’s has an incredible crust. A number of, in reality. They usually make it in-house.”

That dedication to high quality substances stood out to him as properly. “Casey’s makes use of 100% actual mozzarella cheese,” he emphasised. “They’re sticklers for high quality, and it is why they’ve an incredible pizza.”

Judging Casey’s Pizza Competitors was no small affair. Zimmern described it as huge, high-energy, and much larger than he anticipated. “They stored telling me, ‘You are going to be blown away,'” he recalled. “And it was enormous. 1000’s of individuals. 4 groups making their award-winning pizzas.”

However one entry rose above the remaining. “Primary on my rating sheet, and it should have been primary on the opposite judges’ rating sheets too, was the Barn Burner,” Zimmern mentioned.

He broke down precisely why it labored, tying it again to the science of taste. “The science of consuming is about contrasts,” he defined. “Crunchy crust with gentle toppings. Candy versus savory. Smoky versus acidic, and this pizza has all of that,” pointing to the BBQ sauce, hen, sriracha, bacon, purple onion, and jalapeños as the proper stability.

Regardless of the title, Zimmern made it clear the Barn Burner is not designed to scare individuals off. “I would not name it spicy sizzling prefer it blows your mouth off,” he mentioned. “It is extra heat and alluring than it’s spiced sizzling on the tip of your tongue.”

As somebody who admits to all the time reaching for additional warmth, Zimmern mentioned the pizza nonetheless delivers. “This definitely scratches everybody’s itch for certain,” he informed The Blast.

Past Casey’s, Zimmern used the dialog to dig into the larger image of pizza tradition and why he thinks the class is about to blow up creatively.

“There is a super quantity of creativity happening on the earth of pizza,” he mentioned, noting that financial pressures are pushing cooks towards pizza as a extra accessible medium. “It is a inexpensive meal… and it may be handed on to individuals at a good value.” That accessibility, he believes, is unleashing innovation. “Each time that occurs in any meals class, there is a torrent of creativity unleashed,” Zimmern mentioned.

And in relation to pizza guidelines? He is able to toss them out solely. “I am an anarchist in relation to meals,” he admitted. “I believe every part is healthier whenever you break the principles, so long as it nonetheless tastes good.” He even revealed that a few of his favourite pizzas do not embrace cheese in any respect. “My favourite pizzas haven’t got cheese on them,” he mentioned, pointing to tomato pies and world flatbreads as inspiration.