Wendy’s is making an addition to their “Make You Crave” Menu, so we had to take a look.
Here’s how Wendy’s describes the Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger:
A quarter-pound of fresh, never-frozen beef, covered in creamy cheddar cheese and bacon jam, topped with Applewood smoked bacon, crispy onions, and a slice of American cheese, all on a pillow-soft, toasted cheddar bun. We’re calling it our cheesy, bacony masterpiece, but you can just call it delicious if you want.
Wendy’s has been bucking the typical fast food trends the last few years, by introducing promotional sandwiches, and then keeping them on the menu full time.
The Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger and Jalapeño Popper Chicken sandwich were both introduced as if they’d be limited time only sandwiches, but now find their residency firmly supplanted on the “Make You Crave” Menu at Wendy’s. The Pretzel Pub sandwich seems to have a pseudo sublet occurring where it’s on the menu for about half the year.
The next sandwich entering the foray is the Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger and the Big Bacon Cheddar Chicken Sandwich. With a name reminiscent of the HOF worthy Big Bacon Classic, we decided to review the burger variety.
With a slew of never before seen ingredients, including a cheddar cheese bun that looks like a take on the Italian Herbs and Cheese bread from Subway, Wendy’s continues to innovate through the pandemic while some of it’s competitors seem to be focusing on refinements of core products.
While I was violently underwhelmed with the size/value of the Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger, when unfurling the Big Bacon Cheeseburger, there definitely was more heft present. It’s easy to notice from the get go that my sandwich’s cheddar cheese “spread” lacked a general consistency and appeared to be a pitter patter of ingredients thrown at the canvas by an interpretive artist.
While the appearance wasn’t the most organized (it never is), all of the ingredients seemed to be accounted for. While it’s hard to really judge texture and consistency from pictures, the Cheddar bun was a marvelous crispy wonder. Typical burger buns, no matter how premium their titles are, end up being soft, spongy, carb blankets. This bun, with the sprinkling of cheddar on top and then baked in, retained a toasty texture that I’d be remiss to remember if I’d ever experienced before with fast food burgers.
Biting into the burger, I’d have to say the mash of ingredients worked incredibly. Textures abounded, along with a mess of indulgent flavors that didn’t scream fast food whatsoever. I immediately thought to myself that this was the best fast food burger I’ve had in memory. The bacon jam was incredibly succulent and the burger was relatively coated in it. The crispy onions could have been more bountiful but they retained their crispiness amidst the wash of other ingredients.
The 1/4 burger definitely felt beefier than my last Wendy’s burger experience, making me wonder if I got some sort of Jr. sized mixup last go around. Regardless of past transgressions, this Big Bacon Cheeseburger was stellar. From the crunch of the bun to the beef/bacon combination, the portfolio of ingredients just worked. It was cheesy, it was beefy, it was saucy, and it was glorious. After finishing, I even eliminated my fast food qualifier from earlier, this is the best burger I’ve had in a long time.
There isn’t much more to say than go out and try it.
Wendy’s Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger 9.5/10