Here's How Many Big Macs Joey Chestnut Can Eat In 38 Minutes
Joey Chestnut will forever be linked in everyone's mind with one particular food product — the hot dog, or, more specifically, the Nathan's Famous hot dog. Year after year at the annual Nathan's Fourth of July eating contest, millions of fans have watched him obliterate world records (the 74 dogs he downed in 2018 currently tops the charts) and massive piles of franks and buns. His competitive eating career has earned him over half a million in prize money and endorsements — and yes, he does branch out beyond hot dogs.
Major League Eating, whose website calls Chestnut "the greatest eater in history," lists among his recent accomplishments the world records for consumption of glazed donuts (55 in eight minutes), tacos (126 in eight minutes), ice cream sandwiches (25.5 in six minutes), poutine (28 pounds in 10 minutes), and Eggo-style waffles (81 in eight minutes). His most recent world record, however, is for an iconic burger that may be the world's best-known fast food item: the one and only Big Mac.
So how many Big Macs did Chestnut manage to stomach?
On February 12, while everyone else was stocking up on chocolates and wine in preparation for Valentine's Day (or entire pints of Ben and Jerry's, for those of us of the single persuasion), Joey Chestnut was setting out to prove his love for giant meals and record-setting. According to a YouTube video he just released, Chestnut used Uber Eats to order up 32 of the McDonald's signature burgers, leaving a reasonably generous 20 percent tip. When his order arrived, he unpacked each carton at super-speed (or maybe that was just film editing). Then he set to chowing down — and 38 minutes 15 seconds later, he held the new world record for most Big Macs eaten in a single sitting.
32 Big Macs — is that a lot? Why yes, it most certainly is. All together, the 64 all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on 32 sesame seed buns weighed in at 15.36 pounds and supplied Chestnut with 18,016 of his recommended daily allowance of calories (his limit undoubtedly being much higher than that of we mere mortals). Joey did show some restraint, though, as he skipped the fries and soda, accompanying the Big Macs with warm water alone. (Doesn't sound too tasty, but it probably helps the digestion.) Upon completing his feat, Joey described it as an "epic cheat day," and then announced his intent to lapse into a well-deserved food coma.