Earl Eats Two Fast Food Bacon Burgers - A Review

It may seem unfair to compare a premium burger from McDonald's to a Junior offering from Burger King. But on this day, that's what I set-out to do...The Flame Grilled Bacon King Jr. from Burger King vs. the Bacon Smokehouse Burger from McDonald's. Both are similar in their descriptions but very different in their price points. How do they stack up, and which one is the Best Burger Bargain.

Let's start at Burger King: they describe their BACON KING™ Jr. as a "smaller package, same BIG taste. Two flame–grilled 100% beef patties topped with thick-cut smoked bacon, melted American cheese, ketchup and creamy mayonnaise on a toasted sesame seed bun." 

McDonald's describes their Bacon Smokehouse Burger as "A burger made with unexpected flavor combinations, including crispy Applewood smoked bacon, smoky bacon-onion sauce, real white cheddar(sharp), mild sweet mustard sauce and in-house fried onion strings. With a 100% fresh beef 1/4 lb. patty that’s hotter, juicier and cooked when you order. Served on an artisan roll." 

I liked both of these burgers very much. The BACON KING™ Jr. from Burger King had 2 patties while the Bacon Smokehouse had just the one, but it is a quarter pound patty. I have always liked the flavor of Burger Kings Flame Grilled patties, although a good friend of mine is just the opposite. The bacon was good on both too. The sharp white cheddar on the McDonald's offering was a pleasant addition but 2 slices of American from BK was good too. McDonald's "artisan bun" was nice and soft but the BACON KING™ Jr.'s bun was nicely toasted with the traditional sesame seeds.

I do like the addition of fried onion rings on the McDonald's burger as well as their bacon-onion sauce. I also like the creamy mayonnaise BK ads to theirs. I don't think the ketchup added to the  Burger King sandwich was necessary since it tends to cover up the flavor of the beef, but the mustard sauce on the McDonald's burger added a light tang without covering the beef flavor.

Results & Conclusions

As mentioned earlier, I liked both of these burgers. It seems like McDonald's is really trying to improve their fare. The Burger King sandwich is not really anything new, but is re-imagined and slightly downsized. If I were judging on simply which is best, McDonald's Bacon Smokehouse Burger wins. The fried onion rings,  sharp, white cheese and condiments won the day. However...

Burger King's is the best VALUE, by far! The McDonald's was nearly $6 for the sandwich alone. Burger King's price was around $3. Is it as good? NO! Is it good? YES!