What’s an Angus Burger Anyhow?

Published on Wednesday, July 29, 2009, by James Norton / Edit Post

Angus Third Pounder

By: McDonald’s

I Paid: $3.99 (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 3stars


Marketing: 2stars

What, precisely, does Angus actually mean? That’s the question sentient Americans must be asking as McDonald’s rolls out its new line of Angus Third Pounder burgers, made from 100 percent Angus beef. Well, Angus cattle are heavily hyped and marketed for having richer, more fat-marbled flesh. Which means this burger, which costs $4, is supposed to be superpremium.

I tasted an Angus burger side by side with a regular McDonald’s hamburger and a Wendy’s hamburger, and the Angus stood out as being significantly more enjoyable. (I tried the Angus Deluxe, which has American cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes; the other two varieties are Bacon & Cheese and Mushroom & Swiss.)

The Wendy’s burger was the saltiest of the three, with a low-grade-meat snap or crunch to it and a cheap, fluffy bun. The regular McDonald’s burger was somber and gray—dry, flat, a bit mealy—and much smaller than the Angus Third Pounder. From a burger-for-dollar perspective, the Angus was a better deal even before differences in quality were factored in.

The Angus, by contrast, had an almost whipped texture to it. The meat was juicier, and it had a bit of actual beef flavor and char to it and a nicely balanced amount of salt. The bun seemed denser and a little more serious than usual (indeed, the Angus is marketed as having a roll rather than a bun), and though the burger wouldn’t stand up to the real deal in an actual restaurant, it certainly kicked the butts of its low-grade fast-food competition. This, truly, is an OK burger and a decent $4 value.

Bacon Cheesy Potato Burrito

By: Taco Bell

I Paid: $2.99 (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 2stars


Marketing: 4stars

The name “Bacon Cheesy Potato Burrito” cunningly suggests delicious little chunks of thick-cut bacon floating in a carb-y mass of, well, everything else. Put that notion out of your mind. The bacon is likely part of why this burrito is so incredibly salty, but it doesn’t chart as far as being a texture or flavor contributor. The overwhelming experience of the Bacon Cheesy Potato Burrito is that of eating mediocre cheese fries stuffed into a low-grade tortilla. A salty, creamy cheese-sauce flavor leads, followed by a tolerable starchy potato kick, then more salt—the beef and bacon elements get completely lost in the mix. The end result is 680 calories—plus 70 milligrams of cholesterol and 36 grams of fat—that don’t even taste particularly good.

In fact, if the BCPB is good for anything, it’s unveiling the deeply misleading fraud that is commercial food photography: Take a gander at the official site and then unwrap one of these suckers at home. You’ll find a squishy, indistinguishable mess.

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster column, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook. His wife, Becca Dilley, takes the photographs for Supertaster. She specializes in weddings and food photography, and is the coauthor of and photographer for the book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers.

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POST A COMMENT |7 Comments

COMMENT

  • "Angus" is the new "natural." Both don't mean anything and have no FDA mandated definition. At least "Organic" has to meet some sort of regulatory distinction. It's just implied that "Angus" means "better than dogmeat."

  • The Taco Bell offering looks like their typically LAZY mashup of whatever they already have on hand. For instance, who combines flour And corn tortillas in the same snack except some drunk college student.

    I can't believe how many Americans think this is actually 'Mexican' style food.

  • I found the Angus burger to be rather salty.

  • The Angus Burger Deluxe that I had last week (from an OK McD's, not a great one) looked a heck of a lot better than the one in the picture. Surprising, I know. If I have to eat fast food, I think this is the burger of choice - more due to the fresher/better tasting veggies and better bun than to the beef itself. My bun was different than the one pictured, more like a kaiser roll, and definitely...+READ

    The Angus Burger Deluxe that I had last week (from an OK McD's, not a great one) looked a heck of a lot better than the one in the picture. Surprising, I know. If I have to eat fast food, I think this is the burger of choice - more due to the fresher/better tasting veggies and better bun than to the beef itself. My bun was different than the one pictured, more like a kaiser roll, and definitely not as squished!-COLLAPSE

  • I've tried a couple of the Mushroom and Swiss variety. The first one was pretty good. The second one, from a marginal McD's was not as good.

  • Hearing that a burger has a "whipped texture" and a "beef flavor and char", with the knowledge that there are no open flames at McDonalds to impart a char, makes it highly unlikely that I would waste $4 eating one of those burgers. I'd rather buy a pound of chuck and make three or four burgers on a real grill for $4.

  • Those pictures serve as stark reminders as to why I don't eat fast food. They both look so depressing and lifeless!