One of the nice things about writing for the world’s best bacon news site is that people occasionally send us free stuff.
Our most recent form of free stuff was a set of coupons to go try out the new Applewood Smoked Bacon Deluxe burger at Wendy’s. No complaints here; I really like Wendy’s to begin with. They have variety – you can get a burger, chili, a potato or all three. Plus, they still have the best dessert deal in all of FastFoodia – the junior Frosty. Where else can you get the perfect amount of post-meal suckable ice cream for $0.53?
But, let me assure you that bacon remains king, and even though I like Wendy’s (and they had sent me free coupns), I went in with the mindset that if it sucked, I would tell the world about it. Frankly, I had very low expectations – I have rarely (if ever) had fast food bacon that really passes the test. Sometimes it is acceptable, sometimes it is limp and soggy, but never has fast food bacon been amazing.
Until now.
I’m not kidding.
WOW!
Here’s the thing – the Bacon Deluxe starts off like any other bacon burger. It has meat, cheese, lettuce, ketchup, tomatoes, onions, mayo, pickles and buns.
And then they add bacon. Applewood smoked bacon. CRISPY, thick, straight-from-the-breakfast-table Applewood Smoked Bacon.
At a fast food establishment, I have never met its equal. The truth is that rapid, high-volume production and bacon are not a match made in heaven. Fast food bacon is usually limp and soggy as a result. In order for bacon to be truly delicious it must be given some time, love and attention in the kitchen.
With this burger’s bacon, Wendy’s seems to have bridged the great fast food bacon divide. I don’t know how they did it, but it seems like they stole it from somebody’s kitchen table.
This is my friend Jonathan inspecting the quality of his burger before tasting. His only complaint was that the lettuce was kind of pale green in comparison to the thick, rich, Al Gore green that was depicted on the Bacon Deluxe standee that was on the floor a few feet away from us.
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And then it was time for the taste test. We were both blown away! I think it’s worth mentioning again that Wendy’s sent us free coupons for the burgers, but the burgers were ALSO delicious. No kidding. I loved this thing. The burger itself was up to snuff with all the other standard burgers on the Wendy’s menu, but the bacon blew this thing off the charts. The Bacon Deluxe unequivocally has the best fast food bacon I have ever tasted.
This is one of me testing out the bacon by itself. Mmmm…
It’s good, fellow Baconites. It’s really good.
Jonathan’s Smaste™ Rating: 38.000
My Smaste™ Rating: 44.971
– Mike
November 5th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Having suffered through one of the namesake bacon sandwiches they’ve previously made, I have my doubts about this one, but I’ll check it out and see if it’s a worthwhile effort on their part that makes up for the shortcomings of the Baconator(tm).
November 5th, 2009 at 9:51 am
How was I not invited to this bacony extravaganza? I feel slighted and hurt and am pouting all the way to Wendy’s to try the sandwich out for myself!
November 5th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
It didn’t seem any different than the Big Bacon Classic (which I always liked) they got rid of a few years ago. I just assumed they brought it back and gave it a new name to trick people into going to try their “new” burger.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I had it for lunch last week and it was DELICIOUS! Of course I ordered it with extra bacon so I’m sure that helped!
November 17th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
So often I have found, even at wendy’s, that the “bacon” added to fast-food burgers is thinner-than-paper-thin (which probably accounts for why it is, as you put it, soggy and limp) Are you telling me that this stuff is actually thick enough you can’t read a newspaper through it?
That said, I can offer up a [mini] chain restaurant that really brings the bacon home when it comes to their “bacon” burgers: Everest [in the Los Angeles area] I say it is a ‘mini’ chain as there are probably 3 or 4 outlets total [think "family business"] Likewise there is another small chain known as “Yaki’s”, which is primarily a teriyaki-bowl restaurant, but they do burgers as well. I’m somewhat “blessed” as these two “chains” have locations that are [literally] side-by-side in my town here at the northern tip of Glendale…
BOTH of them serve real “thick cut” bacon on their burgers [1/8" or thicker!]
November 28th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Delicious.
cheap.
and it has beef, cheese and bacon.
Fucking love Wendy’s. you can get this, and order a salad. It’s a balanced meal, really.
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:12 am
Meh, not that good and not the same as the Big Bacon Classic.
The bun, bacon and cheese is different and honestly I prefered the old bacon. The new stuff has an odd chemical aftertaste and just wasn’t as chewy. Tried the Bacon Deluxe twice, even have some free Wendys coupons, but have never been back. I ordered the Big Bacon Classic as an off menu item for a long time when the Baconator replaced it and everything was fine. Then the Bacon Deluxe came out and they suddenly told me they can no longer make the Big Bacon Classic. Since I don’t like the Bacon Deluxe and they refuse to make me the Big Bacon Classic, I just stopped going to Wendy’s.
The frosties are good, but I went there for the Big Bacon Classic. Now that they replaced it with an inferior product, I just have no reason to go back.