Burger King’s latest attempt to clone the McRib

Not so long ago, we talked about the summer Burger King Rib Sandwich offering. Their menu continues to move toward direct McDonalds competition by making sandwiches that look very much like the competition. With the McRib back, BK decided to try a different approach having not gained much ground on the McRib with the previous offering. They now are offering a revamped version of this sandwich for their BK® Value Menu. Here is my review of BK Rib Sandwich 2.0.

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The latest version of this sandwich does away with trying to make the patty look rib shaped, instead gong for the simple burger shape more closely as that used on their Whopper Junior. It also uses a sesame seed covered bun, has dill pickles (2 ordering it as on menu), onion (same as used on their burgers) and BBQ. I ordered mine with extra pickles, or as the BK calls it “heavy pickles” which provided me with 4 pickles.  Many of the changes they made appear to be more toward using items already used for other sandwiches on the menu, which would be expected to allow this sandwich to be offered at the $1 price point.

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My first impressions were that it reminded me of their Rodeo Cheeseburger sans cheese and onion ring. I wouldn’t be surprised if the BBQ on both was the same. Their self proclaimed sweet and tangy BBQ was not all that noticeable, being overpowered by the volume of bun to rest of sandwich. I like BBQ flavor, so they would need to kick the amount of that up more. McRib patties are immersed in BBQ sauce, something that BK should take note of if they are really going down the path of emulating the McDonald’s menu.

The patty has the BK signature charbroiled taste as this patty must run through the same cooking technique as the burger patties. The Rib Sandwich patty wasn’t much more thick than their cheeseburger patties. As they decided to change the shape, why not make it more like the round burger patty that covers more of the bread? The sesame bun, onions, and pickles are what I expected them to be based on previous purchases I have made at BK.

Being only $1, I didn’t order this with any concern that this would be close to what the McRib tastes like. I walked away with the same thoughts. While an improvement over their Rib Sandwich 1.0, I wouldn’t drive much out of my way to get one. If they still are offering them after the McRib goes into hiding, I might go back and order another (much more likely if it is available 6 months from now when I really want a McRib and begin considering trying gas station rib sandwiches). I found the only real competition this version of the BK Rib Sandwich brings is the $1 pricing.

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