Fast Food Review: Jumbo Jack with Cheese from Jack in the Box
Jack from Jack in the Box often taunts me with nationally advertised television commercials while the closest JITB from me is a 7-hour drive away. Damn you Jack!!! (violently shaking fist) Well, a recent trip to Texas had me in close proximity to a bunch of Jack restaurants so I had to grab some grub there… for… you know… research purposes 🙂 . So I went with what looked to be a traditional-style burger with the word “Jack” in it. The result: The Jumbo Jack with Cheese.
The Jumbo Jack with Cheese is described like this:
Jumbo beef patty topped with 2 slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, chopped onions, Mayo-Onion sauce and ketchup on a sesame seed bun
While I’m far from a cheeseburger connoisseur, I think I know what makes a good fast food cheeseburger. A beautiful example of a fast food cheeseburger that ranks as one of the best with me is the Double-Double Animal Style from In-N-Out. The Jumbo Jack with Cheese is an example of a really good cheeseburger that gets the job done, but doesn’t leave you daydreaming of the west coast like In-N-Out does for me. The $1.79 Jumbo Jack with Cheese weighs in with a 100% pure “Jumbo” beef patty which clocks in at _???__ ounces (help anyone?)… a 260 gram serving size for the sandwich. With the fresh sliced tomato, pickles and diced onions, I had no issues as it’s your standard fare. The lettuce was a little on the weak and limp side. While a nice bright green and no scary brown, the lettuce still came off as limp and bothersome. I’d only put Burger King as a more disappointing lettuce experience. Gaahhh, enough about lettuce. How’s the beef? Thick and hearty with a decent retention of moisture and beefy flavor. There aren’t many ways to describe a beef patty, but it wasn’t overly seasoned, dry and flavorless, so that’s always a victory right? I would’ve liked the Mayo-Onion sauce to have more impact, but honestly, I didn’t know it was anything other than typical mayo until I looked up the description of the Jumbo Jack later on. The sesame seed bun was a sesame seed bun… I’m not going to try to find a new way to describe a bun today… sorry. If anyone out there hasn’t tried a Jumbo Jack from JITB, but have tried a Big Buford from Checkers, I’d have to say they are very similar in taste.
Hard to complain too much about a good-sized burger that isn’t pushing the boundaries of $4 like the McDonald’s Angus burgers. I’ve got to admit, $1.79 was a steal when you compare it to a lot of other fast food burgers and that helped boost my GrubGrade rating into the 8’s. I’d get it again for that price alone. A very good burger that’s cheap and no frills is what this fast food nation is all about!
Pros: Flavorful hearty beef patty with no dry-out. Decent produce other than the lettuce. Generously priced at only $1.79.
Cons: I got some limp and disappointing lettuce with my burger. Mmmm shiny American cheese.... throw some cheddar on there Jack!
Taste: 8.50/10
Value: 7.00/10
Grubbing on-the-go: 6.50/10
Price: $1.79
Overall GrubGrade: 8.25/10
More Info: JackintheBox.com
Nutrition Facts:
Jumbo Jack with Cheese
Calories - 582
Total Fat - 34 grams
Saturated Fat - 15 grams
Cholesterol - 63 milligrams
Sodium - 1190 milligrams
Carbs - 46 grams
Dietary Fiber - 1 gram
Sugars - 8 grams
Protein - 22 grams
I don’t think Texas uses mayo-onion sauce in Texas. For example, the Big Cheeseburger has mayo-onion sauce and two types of cheese everywhere except Texas, where it has two slices of American cheese and mustard instead of mayo-onion sauce.
I’m much more of fan of their Ultimate Cheeseburger. No lettuce, no omatoes. Just beef, cheese, condiments, and bun. Perfect.
Obviously, I meant “Jack in the Box uses mayo-onion sauce”.
Does Jack cook it’s burrgers on a griddle? Looks like 4 oz (uncooked) patty based on that nutrition. I can’t get a feel from that pic with the cheese how the sear was. Is the meat sweat and smokey like a burger kind or carls junior burger, or is it more along the lines of what McDoanld’s serves up (salty/umami-ey)?
“Does Jack cook it’s burrgers on a griddle?”
I’m quite certain they do.
looks really good