The Best And Worst Food Challenges On Beard Meats Food

Take one look at Adam Moran, the man behind Beard Meats Food. With his dark brown beard and lean frame, he looks like more beard than dude. However, this bearded Brit is more than meats the eye. He's the top competitive eater in the U.K., and currently the 13th best in the world, and he's taken his penchant for eating more food in one sitting than most people eat in days to his YouTube channel, where he tackles eating challenges at restaurants across the world.

With hundreds of videos posted since 2015, he's far from an amateur eater. But amazingly, Moran got his start from trying to be healthy. While in his 20s, he focused on fitness and dieting, and after one long stint, he treated himself to a food challenge at a British restaurant. He loved it so much that he kept trying new ones, and eventually, his YouTube channel was born. 

Now, more than 3.8 million subscribers regularly tune in to watch Moran pack down everything from British classics like bangers and bash to American favorites such as country-fried steak — and nearly all of his challenges double as conquests. By June 2023, he had only failed 14 out of nearly 600 challenges. Here's a look at which of these were Moran's most incredible failures, as well as his most amazing triumphs. Just be warned that as you watch, you'll likely feel an odd mix of hunger and disgust.

Moran is a British chap, but even he couldn't complete the undefeated bangers and mash challenge, although he said he was excited to try it since he's used to trying to pack down American fare like burgers and nachos rather than British classics. He put his stomach to work at The Brown Cow pub in Ackworth, United Kingdom for the chance at a t-shirt, but he would have had to down 30 sausages, a pile of mash with gravy, a whole cauliflower, and several carrot sticks within 20 minutes to get it. "This could be the first restaurant challenge I failed in..." Moran said, his sentence unfinished, upon looking at the enormous helping of food.

Unfortunately, he was right — and viewers didn't even get all of the commentary they're used to since Moran had to try and eat as fast as possible when he attempted the challenge in November 2019. It was made even more difficult for Moran as the sausages and mashed potatoes were steaming hot. "Mashed potatoes hold heat better than any substance on the planet," Moran said. Ten minutes in, Moran knew he wouldn't be able to complete the challenge, as he still had more mash to go and hadn't even started on the cauliflower. He soon began shoveling cauliflower in his mouth by hand, but it wasn't enough. "I feel like I should give you a t-shirt," a Brown Cow employee told Moran.

Moran was determined to conquer the one-hour Breaking Badass BBQ Challenge at Longhorns Barbeque Steakhouse in Newcastle in April 2016, especially since it had beat him the last time he gave it a go. But this wasn't the time for the bearded competitor, either. He once again wasn't able to finish the tray of barbecue fare with a dozen chicken wings, a full rack of ribs, sausages, six slices of beef brisket, two pounds of fries, coleslaw, four bread buns, three pots of beans, one pot of jalapeños, five strips of pork crackling, and a pile of pulled pork. Although the challenge was seven pounds the last time he tried it in 2015, Moran claims that it appeared to be double that on his second try.

Moran dug into the tray, tossing emptied bones onto a plate while his then-girlfriend watched ons. He said that he enjoyed American-style barbecue except for the brisket, which had grown cold and was like "chewing through an Army boot." Though he only left just one pot of beans on the table the last time, this time a smorgasbord of meats and beans remained on Moran's tray by the one-hour mark. However, he said it wasn't that he was full, he just didn't want any more. He then ordered a Reese's peanut butter cheesecake, which isn't a half-bad consolation prize.

Moran can't feel too bad about not finishing the No Clucking Chance challenge at Huckleberry's American Diner in Darlington, United Kingdom. The 11-pound plate of four pieces of Louisiana chicken, four pieces of deep-fried chicken, onions, onion rings, eight waffles, corn, and three pounds of cheese fries is so big that it has since been downsized, even though the restaurant chain is known for its monstrously sized meals. Moran said that this was his toughest challenge yet when he attempted it in May of 2016.

As Moran dug into the pile of fried goodies, he wore a Huckleberry's American Diner jersey, luckily not covering it in chicken bits as media and fans surrounded him. But unfortunately, they would leave disappointed, as Moran couldn't finish the meal within the 40-minute time limit. "This makes it nearly impossible for all but three people in the entire universe," he said. 

With eight minutes left on the clock but the plate only 75% emptied, it became clear that Moran wasn't one of those three people. He looked visibly sick and saddened when he gave up — although he perked up when he ordered the dense s'mores galore dessert, which he said was "seriously one of the most awesome things I've ever tasted." Once home, he continued to cheer himself up with a pint of Ben & Jerry's while watching competitive eaters online.

Moran called the Undefeated Meat Mountain Challenge at Tavassoli's Cafe and Grill in Leeds, United Kingdom "one of the most difficult eating challenges I've seen in a long time" when he attempted it in November 2017, and it's easy to see why. The nine-pound plate must be finished in 20 minutes and includes fries, hash browns, mozzarella dippers, bacon, pulled pork, burger patties, and chorizo, which is all smothered in garlic mayo and sweet chill sauce and complemented by a Kinder Bueno milkshake. The latter was likely in Moran's favor, as we all know that Moran loves a sweet.

When Moran gave the challenge a go, it had never been completed before. Sadly, our bearded hero wouldn't become the first, even in his "count blessings, not calories" t-shirt. "It's not surprisingly undefeated," Moran said upon looking at the mound of food, which was remarkably different from the image he had come across on Facebook when he first learned of the challenge. 

He gave it his best effort regardless, foregoing a fork and instead digging in his with his hands. At the 20-minute mark, a decent portion of the mound remained, as did plenty of milkshake dripping down Moran's beard. "The milkshake — I could have done like 10 of those," he said. But just as some people might change their hairstyle after a breakup, Moran changed his own hairdo the day after the loss, claiming it would make his eating more aerodynamic.

The Breakfast Club, a quaint all-day restaurant with tons of U.K. locations named after the iconic '80s film, might not seem like much to sniff at, but its 50-Item Fry-Up Challenge sure is. Diners can attempt to complete the £25 challenge in 30 minutes and, if they do, they'll get £20 back as well as a hat and keychain. When Moran attempted the challenge in May 2021, it was undefeated and he wouldn't turn out to be the first successful contestant. With a literal 50 items on three oversized platters — including three pounds of hash browns, which counted as one item — the challenge is essentially an enormous traditional English breakfast with a few extras like Spam, eggy bread, and mushrooms. At least the extras made for an interesting breakfast challenge, Moran said, as he dipped enormous slices of Spam into baked beans.

Fans surrounded Moran as he dug in, but he didn't share their confidence even early on in the challenge. Halfway through, the platters looked much the same. "I didn't take this seriously enough at the start — I was quite slow out of the gate," Moran said, attempting to consolidate the heaps of food. With three minutes left, all the hash browns remained, as did a few other items. Moran accepted defeat, guzzled down a Coke, and asked if they had any ice cream on the menu. They gave him the hat anyway.

In August 2023, Moran tackled what he deemed the hardest challenge he had so far done that year — the 10-pound Burgatory challenge at the Public House in Sylvan Lake in Alberta, Canada, which included two three-pound burger patties with cheese, 10 pieces of bacon, and lettuce and tomatoes nestled between three 10-inch pizzas, which likely rivaled the biggest fast food burgers in history. According to the chef, "It's like a McDonald's Big Mac, but with pizzas." To no one's surprise, the $60 challenge — which had to be completed within an hour for a t-shirt and a name on the wall of fame –- was undefeated until Moran showed up. The challenge had even been unsuccessfully attempted by a professional football player, who only made it halfway through the towering, fatty construction.

Moran didn't have all of the elements on his side, either. He said that his stomach hadn't been feeling up-to-par lately –- he even claimed to have brought an extra pair of underwear with him -– plus, the burger was steaming hot. But Moran dug in any way with a fork before folding the pizza in half and eating it like a taco. 

Moran still couldn't muster much confidence. He stood up, began talking to himself, and said that someone in the room should get ready to dial 911. But by the 47-minute mark, the cholesterol concoction was gone. The chef even celebrated with a new tattoo bearing the "Beard Meats Food" logo.

For years, Moran dreamed of heading to Noble, Oklahoma to try Kendall's Restaurant's Chicken Fry Challenge. In November 2022, he finally did it, going head-to-head with three chicken-fried steaks topped with gravy, two servings of mashed potatoes, two servings of green beans, a biscuit, a side salad, and two cinnamon rolls. Although the challenge is 20 years old, food has been added to it over the years, so when Moran attempted it, it was more difficult than ever. If you complete it in an hour, the $45-dollar meal is free and you get a shirt. Fail, and you get a conciliatory loser's cup in what's known as the wildest food challenge in Oklahoma. 

Moran got his $45 back and a new shirt — and he enjoyed the meal, too. He even called it the "best food challenge I've ever attempted" which is saying a lot considering Moran has posted hundreds of videos. Before trying out the challenge, Moran hadn't eaten for 26 hours, so his appetite was raring to go, to the point where he said even the green beans were delicious. 

"This is my kind of food because you don't really want to stop eating," Moran said. "I reckon that a fish-and-chip shop who started selling this back home would make a killing. Even the salad dressing is amazing. This is my favorite food challenge ever." At just 27 minutes, the platter of country-fried deliciousness was done.

For more than two decades, diners have put their appetites to the test with the Four-Foot Hot Dog Challenge at Doogie's in Newington, Connecticut. It includes a couple of two-foot hot dogs with four hot toppings as well as a side of fries and a beverage. All must be consumed within 20 minutes for a chance at a t-shirt, a spot on the fast-food eatery's wall of fame, a $20 gift card, and a discount card. The challenge was even once featured on the colossal food challenge-loving "Man v. Food." Moran can add it to his list of conquests, too, after flying across the Atlantic Ocean to try it in September 2023.

He grabbed a root beer and topped his hot dogs with American cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, and Swiss cheese before bringing them to the table and digging in with a restaurant full of cheerleaders. Onlookers said they believed Moran could finish it all, despite the thick bread that Moran was warned would be a serious obstacle. 

Moran was optimistic throughout the video that he would be able to finish the meal, and he was right. Better yet, even though he said he doesn't usually love hot dogs, he also enjoyed it. "This is really delicious, by the way," Moran said. Good thing he was able to keep it down, too. An employee told him "If you get sick, you have to clean it up."

The Breakfast Baguette Challenge -– which included eating a 20-inch baguette packed with eggs, sausage, bacon, black pudding, hash browns, cheese, and cheeseburger patties, alongside a bowl of black beans, a bowl of baked beans, and fries — was so difficult at the Garden Café in Long Eaton in the United Kingdom that the time limit had to be extended by 15 minutes. Still, when Moran tried to conquer it within 45 minutes, it had yet to be completed. He became the sole winner of the challenge when he beat it in July 2023, earning his name on the wall of fame and keeping the £25 cost of the meal.

Despite the unpresuming size of the cozy grab-and-go café, the Breakfast Baguette Challenge was decidedly not humble, as it could barely fit through the kitchen door and left Moran feeling less than confident. A gaggle of onlookers watched as he dove into the tray of food, dipping the baguette into the beans and tomatoes. But in the end, he didn't need to feel nervous or even required the extra time — Moran finished the meal in about 34 minutes.

In January 2024, Moran headed to Sweden to attempt to be the new record holder of the biggest burger to ever be eaten at rock-themed bar and restaurant ROST in Ängelholm –- and he started the year successfully with yet another amazing challenge completed. That meant that Moran got to eat the burger for free and also earned a $93 gift card to the restaurant, plus his name was put on the wall of fame and he got to take home a t-shirt when he was named the conqueror of the four-year-old Swedish Burger Challenge.

To do that, he had to eat 100 grams more than 2,776 grams of beef (the latest winner's record) within an hour. Moran upped the ante and aimed for 3,000 grams of beef in three towering burgers teeming with cheese, red onions, mustard, ketchup, peanut butter, red onions, pickles, and bacon. We're not sure if he's counting calories, but he ordered a Coke Zero to wash it down. Within just 14 minutes, all 3,000 pounds of beef along with the added toppings –- as well as his Coke Zero -– had been inhaled.

Pizza is far from being the staple food of Norway, but apparently, the Norwegians liked it enough to create Norway's Pizza Challenge at Oslove's Pizza in Oslo, where fans of all things doughy, saucy, and cheesy attempt to eat a 75-centimeter pizza topped with two meats –- the biggest in the country. They must do so within an hour for a chance at a free meal (otherwise paying about $75 for the pie). Sorry, there's no t-shirt or wall of fame here. 

When Moran downed the pizza in February 2024, he was the first successful challenger. That was even more impressive considering that even drinking water instead of Coke alongside the pizza was considered cheating by the pizzeria owner.

The pizza was so big that it couldn't even fit within the frame of Moran's video as he sat down to eat it, accompanied with garlic dip for extra flavor. Within just 18 minutes, only the crusts remained, which Moran dipped in water to help them go down easier. Just 14 minutes later -– for a grand total of 32 minutes -– Moran had eaten the entire pie and became the first person to conquer the challenge.

In June 2023, Moran headed to become a first-time winner yet again in the undefeated Giant French Toast Challenge, where he packed down a 2.5-kilogram brick of French toast loaded with cream and fruit within just 30 minutes to earn the $38 meal for free, a tote bag, as well as a free ... wood spoon. But it couldn't have been too bad for Moran, who said that French toast is his favorite and he loves it "more than I love my own granny." 

He dug in for the challenge at Diggle Lock, a brunch spot in Oldham in the U.K., where it was served on a wood tray with rope handles. All of the toppings added an extra kilogram, bringing the final weight to 3.5 kilograms, or approximately 7.7 pounds of food.

"This is going to be rough, but delicious at the same time," Moran said as he dug in with his hands and food mobbed his long beard. Twenty-two minutes later, he had completely housed the French toast. "That was flippin' scrumptious," he said.