GrubGrade

Back in April we reported that it had been 8 years since McDonald’s last released a new burger.  Yup, 2001 marked the “Year of the Big N’ Tasty”…and people then and now still refer to it as the “Big N’ Nasty”.  Well fast forward to 2009 and McDonald’s hopes to please the palates of the Nation with a brand new creation.  This time, Mickey D’s is going with Angus beef, a big size and some higher quality ingredients.  Introducing the newest members of the McDonald’s menu, the Angus Third Pounders.

In a time where mini burgers and value items seem to be taking over every menu board, McDonald’s is going in the opposite direction with the new Angus line.  These burgers are pretty hefty.   I’m not the biggest McDonald’s burger fan but it is my duty to put all my issues aside and take on the latest offering at the giant that is McD’s.  Each burger is 1/3 pound of 100% Angus beef and is served on a sesame seed roll.  The burgers come with a $3.99 price tag for the sandwich alone. There are 3 Angus Third Pounders to choose from; the Angus Deluxe, the Angus Mushroom and Swiss, and the Angus Bacon and Cheese.  (Note: Burgers can always be customized)

• Angus Bacon and Cheese – Topped with bacon, red onion, fresh pickles, ketchup and mustard .
• Angus Deluxe – The classic cheeseburger topped with fresh leaf lettuce, tomato, pickles and red onions (sandwich served with mayo).
• Angus Mushroom and Swiss – Topped with sauteed mushrooms and swiss cheese (sandwich served with mayo).

Bring your appetite because these burgers are the new beasts at Mickey D’s.  Kudos to the Golden Arches for giving the consumer three choices.  I’ve taken 3 bullets for GrubGrade and have tried all 3 burgers.  There is some good and not so good with the new line of sandwiches and it’s important to keep in mind that I’m not a McD’s burger lover in general.  Overall though, I’m happy to say that McDonald’s got it right this time and they are forgiven for the Big N’ Tasty.  The emphasis seems to be on trying out some higher quality ingredients and giving the customer a filling burger for less than 4 bucks.  Let’s get to the reviews:

• Angus Bacon and Cheese:  Nice sized non-greasy Angus beef patty and very impressive (and dare I say fresh) sesame seed bun.  The Bacon and Cheese version would’ve won me over if not for the bacon being virtually unchanged from any bacon that McD’s has ever released. It  just has this “McDonaldsy” taste…hehe…not sure how to describe it other than that.  It just took a burger that screams “I’m better than any McD’s burger you can remember!” and quiets it down by bringing back the bacon that has always been pretty mediocre tasting.  The bacon had a nice texture and crisped edges, but just tastes like McDonald’s.  I honestly have no other way to describe the taste of the bacon except it tastes like McDonald’s.  There was a good amount of the bacon as it does jut out from the rest of the package.  If you enjoy the McD’s bacon you’ll probably score this one a little higher than I did. There are two slices of cheese on the burger, one above the patty and one below.  I think I’d be OK with just one slice as the second didn’t really seem that necessary (just more fat). The fresh red onion was very un-McD’s-like which is a big plus.  The inclusion of pickles has it’s pro’s and con’s.  The pro is that the pickles are fresh, crisp and nothing like the nasty limp pickles found in the other burgers, but the con is that I don’t feel pickles belong anywhere near a bacon cheeseburger.  There was also ketchup and mustard on this burger but I’ve never been a fan of bacon burgers with ketchup/mustard for some reason.  I thought McD’s could’ve done more with this bacon burger. It is a little too reminiscent of the Deluxe, but with added bacon and no lettuce/tomato/mayo.  Why not make it a Western Angus with some BBQ sauce and fried onion crisps or something?  Nutrition-wise, this behemoth is 790 calories and 39 grams of fat.  A decent burger that could’ve been very good.  So close…  GrubGrade: 7.25/10  (Decent)

• Angus Deluxe:  Once again, I’m loving the new bun and burger.  Very impressed.  The Angus Deluxe is the winner of the three burger choices.  Pretty much everything works well together. The Angus beef patty is quite good and not overly salty as I have come to expect from McDonald’s burgers.  Two slice of cheese worked better on this burger than it did on the Bacon and Cheese version. What really struck me was that I haven’t seen lettuce like this before at McDonald’s.  Good job on that.  Looks like it was just plucked from the garden, no foolin’.  I expect fresh lettuce from Wendy’s, but McDonald’s?  Seriously?  Yeah and the red onion and tomato impressed me just as much.  You can tell by the pictures, good stuff.  This burger is one that I’d probably not be against getting again if I was making a  McD’s stop. Once again, I must point out that the pickles are unlike the pickles you are used to.  Not dark, salty, bitter hot limp pickles.  These are crisp and fresh pickles slices and I’m hoping it’s contagious and spreads to the others.  Probably the only glaring issue is the huge helping of thick mayonnaise.  Yuck!  I hate to deduct points for distribution of ingredients but putting on way too much mayonnaise is something that seems to be proper procedure at McD’s. I think the Deluxe’s inclusion of lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles do wonders in keeping a nice moisture balance.  Trust me that all the mayo isn’t necessary and needs to be scraped off ASAP.  Clocking in with 750 calories and 39 grams of fat, you should be full for a while after conquering the Angus Deluxe.  My favorite of the three… GrubGrade: 8.25/10  (Very Good)

• Angus Mushroom and Swiss: I’m all about trying to be as fair as possible.  I have to preface my impressions on the Mushroom and Swiss by letting you all know that I’m not crazy about ’shrooms on my burger.  Maybe if they are subtle enough that they give a meal a little something special I might be OK with it, but this burger was very overwhelming for me.  I tasted mushroom more than any other ingredient.  Yeah, even all the mayo! Actually with the mayo coming in as another “just too much” ingredient, I’m knocking off points for the bombardment of fungi.  Since I’m being fair though, let’s be nice to the mushroom lovers out there.  If you’re crazy about mushrooms in your burger, I think you will enjoy this.  Although I’m not a fan, I can tell you the ’shrooms didn’t suffer from being drenched in some odd sauce that often plague these types of burgers.  Once again, the ingredients came off as pretty fresh which is still boggling my mind as I write this. The two slices of Swiss cheese came across as pretty mild yet seemed to be of decent quality.  There was plenty of Swiss on this burger too.  Here’s a big issue I had with the ingredients with this Angus version; what I taste the most….I tasted mushrooms 1, mayo 2, burger 3 and Swiss 4.  In order for this burger to achieve a better grade, I would’ve personally preferred it to be burger 1, Swiss 2, mushrooms 3 and mayo 4.  I was impressed again over the great bun that holds together the meal just perfectly.  I just can’t get passed that overwhelming taste of mushrooms.  Ease up Ronald!  I’ll be fair to the ’shroom lovers and say it’s average.  On the nutrition front, the Angus Mushroom and Swiss will set you back a whopping 770 calories and 40 grams of fat.  Was not and still not a ‘Shroom Burger fan, but I think my grade is fair.  GrubGrade: 6.00/10  (Average)

In closing, I’ll throw out a little golf clap for the fast food giant. The quality is certainly a lot greater with this burger than with any other McDonald’s burger before it. McDonald’s already has a ton of options on the $1.00 Value Menu and decided to offer up something new that will satisfy those with big appetites.  The approach taken seems to be is replicating a higher quality sit-down restaurant burger at a reasonable price.  At $3.99, the Angus Third Pounders are worth trying at least once to see if you can be a believer that in some ways McDonald’s is changing for the better.

• Pros: $3.99 is a good value for the size of the burgers.  Very fresh lettuce, tomato, red onion.  Higher quality tastier bread than what I’m used to at McDonald’s.  For a big burger, not very sloppy thanks to the great bun.
• Cons:  McDonald’s obsession with drowning your sandwich in thick mayo, gross.  Not crazy about the Mushroom Swiss version.  Clutch at your chest for these 700+ calorie 40g of fat monsters.  Holy Saturated Fat!

Value: 7.75/10

Grubbing on the Go: 7.25/10

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GrubGrade:  Angus Bacon and Cheese 7.25/10 (Decent),

Angus Deluxe 8.25/10 (Very Good),

Angus Mushroom and Swiss 6.00/10 (Average)

(Overall GrubGrade is not an average)

Price:  $3.99

Nutrition Facts – Angus Third Pounders

Angus Bacon and Cheese

Calories – 790

Fat – 39 grams

Saturated Fat – 17 grams

Cholesterol – 145 milligrams

Sodium – 2070 milligrams

Carbs – 63 grams

Dietary Fiber – 4 grams

Sugars – 13 grams

Protein – 45 grams

Angus Deluxe

Calories – 750

Protein – 44 grams

Fat – 39 grams

Saturated Fat – 16 grams

Cholesterol – 135 milligrams

Sodium – 1700 milligrams

Carbs – 61 grams

Dietary Fiber – 4 grams

Sugars – 10 grams

Protein – 40 grams

Angus Mushroom and Swiss

Calories – 770

Fat – 40 grams

Saturated Fat – 17 grams

Cholesterol – 135 grams

Sodium – 1170 milligrams

Carbs – 59 grams

Dietary Fiber – 4 grams

Sugars – 8 grams