McDonald’s Angus Burger Review

(Want to try a McDonald’s Angus Third Pounder? See the bottom of this post to win free Angus burgers!)

Today, July 2nd, McDonald’s introduced a new burger to their menu across the nation to add more flame after their secret menu.  The Angus Third Pounders are the first new burgers the company has launched since the Big ‘N Tasty in 2001, this after two years of test marketing.

McDonald’s was kind enough to overnight me some coupons so that I could try these new Angus burgers today, the day they were released. While that sounds like a nice gesture, it is actually a bold move on McDonald’s part, considering the last time they sent me a gift card, I absolutely ripped them for their idiotic Olympic promotion on Friendster. Yes, Friendster.

Let it be known to the world: I HATE McDonald’s burgers. Big Mac? More like big crap. McChicken or chicken nuggets, sure sign me up, but McDonald’s burgers are terrible. Burger King and Wendy’s both have far superior burgers. But I’m here to serve you, the readers, not myself, so I trudged over to McDonald’s today with a couple co-workers to give these bad boys a try. Let me say this, and this is no joke: this was the best McDonald’s burger I’ve ever had. Seriously. Ever. I know I just set the bar low in terms of its other burgers, but this easily surpassed them all.

There are three different varieties available: Deluxe, Bacon & Cheese and Mushroom Swiss.  I went with the Deluxe, which features mayo (trying to eat healthier, so I passed), mustard, lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, American cheese and red onion.  My cohorts sampled the other two.

The first thing I noticed was that the burger they served me actually LOOKED like the picture of the burger on the menu. Astonishing. That pretty much never happens.  Biting into it I was pleasantly surprised. The meat, while still inferior to the unfrozen beef of a Five Guys type burger, tasted noticeably better than the average McDonald’s burger. The bun was fresh and tasty, and the veggies, my goodness, the veggies were the freshest I’ve ever had on a McDonald’s burger.  My colleagues agreed, noting everything tasted fresher than normal and the bacon was perfectly crispy.  Plus, the burger is noticeably heftier than some of their other offerings.

This is when the McDonald’s supplied fact sheet came in handy. According to its fact sheet, McDonald’s introduced four totally new ingredients to the menu with the launch of this burger: bacon, swiss cheese, red onion and sauteed mushrooms. Wait a second I thought, McDonald’s has NEVER served a bacon burger before? But seriously, that’s accurate. Think about it. While other fast food chains got swept up in the bacon craze, McDonald’s NEVER introduced a bacon burger. Unbelievable! This also marks the first ever use of swiss cheese, mushrooms or red onions (most burgers have white onions) by the chain. Bravo McDonald’s, welcome to the bacon craze and welcome to the 21st century of expanding palates.

At $4, the burger isn’t cheap, I might still rather have a couple McChickens for half the price, or pay an extra buck for a Five Guys burger.  However, the quality is a noticeable step up from usual McDonald’s fare. I can’t imagine I’ll be back at a McDonald’s anytime soon, as I avoid that place like the plague, but for those of you that regularly frequent it, you might want to give this burger a try.

Click below the fold to read details on how you can win free Angus burgers!

Update: Winners have been chosen and are being mailed their gift cards. Thanks everyone!

I have five cards for a free Angus burger to giveaway to my readers. You have until Friday, July 10th to enter.

Two ways to win:

1. Leave a comment saying why you love, hate or feel indifferent towards McDonald’s.  I will pick three of these comments at random to win.

2. Join the So Good Facebook Fan Page and/or follow So Good on Twitter. I will pick two people at random who join the group or start following So Good on Twitter between now and July 10th.

Good luck everyone!