By Dru Chai
Is it true that summer officially ended last week? Summer is always synonymous with BBQ -- the sunny weather, the backyard gatherings, and the road trips. So does that mean that everyone should stop eating BBQ because it's no longer summer? Of course not. In my eyes, every day is BBQ day.
I feel more passionate about BBQ than ever before. I've been fortunate enough to travel around the country judging BBQ competitions and trying local BBQ joints -- but my favorite aspect has been meeting all the different pitmasters along the way. People from all different cultures coming together for one common bond -- the love of BBQ.
So when I found out that Wendy's took the time to meet with local pitmasters in a road trip around the country to research for their new BBQ menu items, I was immediately intrigued and skeptical at the same time. How could a fast food chain sell quality BBQ?
After my first bite of the Wendy's BBQ pulled pork sandwich, it was evident that Wendy's placed a huge importance in the quality of the pork, which had a subtle hickory smoke flavor. The pork is also shredded -- not chopped or minced. This is a huge plus in my book. The pulled pork is also not overcooked or mushy, my pet peeve when eating BBQ.
I was given a choice of BBQ sauce -- sweet, smoky, or spicy. I chose smoky for the sandwich, and spicy for the pulled pork cheese fries. I thought that the sauce for each item was the right amount -- drizzled over the items and not slathered. There's nothing worse than eating BBQ that's drenched in overpowering sauce. The coleslaw was crisp, and provided a nice contrast to the richness of the pulled pork. I'm also a big fan of the toasted sweet brioche bun, which was perfect for holding up all of the ingredients within the sandwich.
Wendy's BBQ pulled pork cheese fries was strangely addicting. Although the flavor profile of the pulled pork was the same as the sandwich -- except for a slight kick of the spicy BBQ sauce -- it was the cheddar cheese sauce that stood out. I liked the red onions as a garnish, but others may find the taste of raw red onion slightly polarizing. After eating the layer with the pulled pork, I was left with a lonely batch of plain fries that begged to be topped with more meat. Yes, first world problems.
For a quick-service restaurant offering, both pulled pork menu items from Wendy's get a thumbs up. Between the two BBQ menu items, the sandwich was my favorite. After finishing both, I was beyond full and satisfied, without having to wait 12+ hours to slow-smoke pulled pork in my own backyard. These two BBQ items from Wendy's are offered for a limited time.
