I was driving home from work and saw a sign saying Arby's had a Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich and pulled in to give it a shot.
I was skeptical. A lot of fast food places have done BBQ themes this year, slapping some mediocre crock pot style BBQ pork on a burger. There's also the infamous McRib. But attempting to do brisket in a fast food setting takes some big kahones. If anyone could pull it off, it would probably be Arby's since they make that freakishly delicious roast beef sandwich.
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| Photo Credit: Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich photo from Arby's website |
The sandwich is priced at $4.99 and rings in at $7.49 for a combo. It's a pretty tall sandwich of a slightly crispy bun, layers of brisket smoked for 13 hours, smoked gouda cheese, fried onions, BBQ sauce and mayo.
The brisket was shaved thin and it had an obvious cure/smoke ring on the edges. The brisket looked a little odd but maybe that's because I'm not used to seeing shaved razor thin like that.
Grading this on a fast food curve, I'd give this a solid b or b+. Trevor had one and agreed. There was a strong enough smoke flavor from the meat, cheese, and bbq sauce. If you're not a big fan of liquid smoke in your BBQ sauce, you might want to ask for Arby's sauce instead of the BBQ sauce. I don't mind it if not too overpowering. The meat was tender and the onions crispy, giving a nice overall texture. It was good enough that I had another one for lunch today.
Hey look, fellow BBQ Brethren, Neil "Big Mista" Strawder is on their commercial!
This isn't going to compete against a brisket sandwich from your local BBQ joint. But as far as fast food BBQ themed items go, I think this is the best of the BBQ bunch and it's a good sandwich.
That being said, I'd rather have a couple of the Arby's Classic with some Arby's Sauce and/or Horsey Sauce. It's hard to beat the original.
[Standard Disclaimer] No compensation was received for this post.
With all the fast food I've eaten over the years, I can't remember the last time I went to an Arbys....not even sure where the local one is here....I'll have to hunt it down (if for no other reason to try the Arby's Classic).
ReplyDeleteI need to reconsider Arby's.....
ReplyDeleteThe last time I had Arby's there was a square plastic piece of who knows what in my sandwich, and I've never been back!! lol I did, however, see the commercial and was intrigued because they said it was smoked for like 13 hours... I wonder if that is is true. Glad you enjoyed it at least!
ReplyDeleteI have been wondering if that sandwich was any good. Thanks for being the guinea pig!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report Chris - I've been so disappointed with the fast food industries BBQ offerings, I wouldn't have even tried it.
ReplyDelete