Fast Food Review: Burger King Carolina BBQ Whopper

I've wondered for years why a chain like McDonald's or Jack in the Box didn't come out with a pulled pork sandwich. (My money was on the latter.) But a few months back I heard that Burger King was going to do it. I was pretty sure I wouldn't try it; BK is my least favorite fast food chain by far.

Then I learned that BK would be releasing two other "regional sandwiches" at the same time as the pulled pork: Carolina BBQ and Texas BBQ. The sandwiches are available as Whoppers, grilled chicken, or fried chicken.

I decided that I would give one of them a try: the Carolina BBQ Whopper.  It's described as this: "grilled burger patty with pepper jack cheese, thick-cut bacon, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, Sweet Southern dressing and Bull’s-Eye Carolina Style BBQ sauce on a sesame seed bun."

The sandwich by itself was $4.99 and took five minutes to be ready. The bun was fresher than any Burger King bun I have ever been served. That's not exactly difficult to be - BK serves my least favorite of any fast food bun - but this was still fresher than any I can remember.

The lettuce was the same watery BK lettuce that is always used. It's not good, but it's not terrible.

First the positives: the meat did not have the usual Burger King freezer-burned taste that I have experienced with 95% of the burgers I have ever had. The bacon was crispy, better than any I have ever had on a BK burger. And the addition of the Bull's Eye Carolina barbecue sauce was a good choice. I think it might complement chicken better, but I liked it on the burger.

But overall, I did not enjoy the burger very much, and that's due to one thing: the "Sweet Southern Dressing." Have you ever purchased a jarred coleslaw mix? I find them repulsive, sickly-sweet concoctions of mayo and buttermilk. (Anytime I have used such a dressing, I cut it with a lot of vinegar.) That's precisely what this dressing tasted like.

And then I remembered something: when I first read rumors of this promotion a few months back, the sandwich was described as containing something called "coleslaw sauce." Perhaps BK realized that wasn't a particularly appetizing name and re-dubbed it "Sweet Southern Dressing." But it's still coleslaw sauce.

I do not plan to get this burger again. (Unless Burger King comes out with a new promotion that sounds interesting to me, I'll probably never go to Burger King again - there is a Five Guys one block from me and a Shake Shack four blocks away.) I have to say, though, other than the terribly sweet dressing, I was surprised at the quality of the particular burger I ate. It was certainly better than I was expecting.

Maybe I should give that pulled pork sandwich a try.

Or maybe not.