Yes it's back! Finally our long wait is over!
Okay, I admit I was not anxiously awaiting the return of the Double Big Mac mainly because I was not aware it had left which in part was a function of the fact that I'm not entirely sure I was ever aware they existed in the first place.
My menu knowledge of McDonald's is largely trapped in amber from 1977. I know they've introduced new items, and I've even tried them on occasion, but my typical order could be fulfilled by any era McDonald's going back to when men were men and women were women, and stayed that way, typically for their whole lives.
But here we were, a Big Mac that not only had two additional beef patties, but had... actually that's it. Two additional beef patties. Everything else stays the same.
McDonald's is quite proud of it, too, making it a "Featured Selection."
It gets a similar promotion on its web site, however I have a real problem with their listing of ingredients.
How, in the name of all that is holy and right and true, do you list the contents of a Big Mac without following the order of the jingle.
This has already been decided, okay?
Strangely enough, the ingredient list for the original Big Mac is in a different order still.
How hard is it to keep seven ingredients straight? Just have an intern copy-and-paste the thing. Speaking of which, why is there a McDonald's logo in place of a picture of the bun for the Double? Was the Executive Vice President of International Bun Picture Placement out sick that day? Perhaps an IT problem? You are a multi-billion-dollar corporation. Maybe it's time to let go and move on from GoDaddy, okay?
And since when is it a "Big Mac Bun?" It's a bun. With sesame seeds. That makes it a sesame seed bun. Calling it a Big Mac Bun is circular logic.
Q: What kind of bun do they use on a Big Mac?
A: A Big Mac Bun.
That's not an answer!!
Moving on, I must concede that I had a regular-sized Big Mac the night before I taste-tested this new Limited Edition Double. Don't judge me, I think the last time I was at a McDonald's I was coming back from my trip to New York.
Okay, fine, but it was late, no one felt like making anything, meaning my wife did not feel like making anything, so I made a run to McDonald's for my son and myself. My wife had some healthy leftover thing, quite possibly consisting of vegetables and barely enough sodium to keep a man alive for more than a month.
It had been a while, and I really enjoyed that Big Mac, assembly issues not withstanding.
I don't like to jump to conclusions, but I feel like this is a food service worker who has lost his passion for excellence. That, or it's a cry for help. How hard is it to put a patty on a bun? Not that hard, I can tell you, as I used to work at a McDonald's.
It's a round bun and a round Patty. It's not even a logic test. You put the patty on the bun. This is about as uncomplicated as life can get. I'd maybe understand if it was a Fillet-o-Fish, because now you've thrown in a variable: A square patty with a round bun. Imagine if this guy worked at Wendy's.
Incidentally, these are all supposed to have the new-and-improved "pillowy" buns, along with meltier cheese (because American cheese just isn't melty enough) and a better sear on the patty, however I think the biggest impact these particular innovations have had has yet to escape the marketing department because absent being told, I'd have no way of knowing.
There is one change I have noticed and that is the extra Secret Sauce, an innovation I do applaud. They might have even overdone it a bit, but when I worked at McDonald's and we were making our own lunch, I used to add my own extra sauce.
Why didn't I just order a Double Big Mac the night before instead of the regular? I considered it, but unfortunately was momentarily gripped by a passing bout of sanity.
Then I woke up the next morning thinking, you know, perhaps I could do a real service to the readers of Not the Bee. Maybe I could help some poor dietary-challenged Christian conservative and possible anarcho-capitalist crypto investor prepper Star Wars fan obsessed with cheese (we have a varied readership) avoid the unfortunate outcomes of getting a Double Big Mac, which go beyond the mere caloric bomb and include that look your wife will surely give you. You know the one, that combination of disgust and pity combined with an unmistakable sense that she's thinking "I should have listened to my mother."
Perhaps, this was a sword worth falling on after all.
Also, I was hungry. It was early afternoon and I was working from home so I headed out to the same McDonald's as the night before. I was a bit nervous given yesterday's results and pictured two patties swimming around on the bottom of the bag and another one stuck to my receipt.
Incidentally, if your local McDonald's uses the app I highly recommend it. They have a dozen deals a day from which you can choose. For this order I was one drink shy of a medium Double Big Mac Meal for $7.09.
Take that, inflation!
And profuse apologies to my cardiovascular system.
The box it came in was clearly larger than the one used for the regular Big Mac.
However, it wasn't taller, which struck me as odd given the only dimension two extra beef patties would add would be height.
(And yes, I kinda switched the boxes around when I was taking pictures. What can I say, I was slipping into a Secret Sauce coma.)
Of course, it was a generic "double" box.
The size is used for larger sandwiches such as Quarter Pounders, and the Spicy McCrispy chicken sandwich my son got the night before.
I tried a bite, and I have to say, it was both crispy, and spicy. And chicken. Probably.
Okay, time for the big reveal, the Limited Time Only Double Big Mac!
Oops, sorry, that was the marketing photo, likely AI-generated with the accompanying phrase, "Big Mac with four patties and also appetizing."
Here's what it looked like in real life:
Honestly, as far as the average ideal-corporate-advertising-photo-to-reality ratio goes, not bad, and far and away superior to the previous night's take on the classic and its tragic auto accident vibe.
How did it taste?
It tasted like a Big Mac with two extra patties.
I'd like to say the addition of extra meat was unexpectedly transformative (sometimes that happens) but it wasn't. It was unmistakably a Big Mac, only with more meat.
New York Post reporter Ben Cost reviewed the portly Big Mac as well, considering it superior to the original arguing that the latter always suffered from an excessively high bread-to-meat ratio.
I disagree believing the original struck an excellent balance among its various components (save for the previously mentioned paltry Secret Sauce), however the Double has a place, I think, just make sure you have a bit of an appetite worked up as this sucker clocks in at 780 calories vs. the original 590. Those extra calories cost just $1.60 more at my McDonald's (just outside Washington DC) which percentage-wise, is a pretty good deal, particularly considering those additional calories are coming in the form of beef.
I also don't hate the overall macro breakdown, and that 40 grams of protein had me pleased as I had just finished lifting. Nothing I'd want to make a daily habit of, but sometimes a big burger just hits the spot.
It's a limited edition, so it's unlikely it will still be around the next time I might want one, but if you want a big burger, and like Big Macs, it's perfectly fine, just don't feel you have to rush out to get one. It really is just a Big Mac with two extra patties that you could probably order off-menu anyway if you really wanted to.
Bon Mcappétit!
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