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Which of McDonald’s new “Beef Burgers of the World” is the best? We find out【Taste Test】

Dale Roll Jul 3, 2020
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There’s no international cuisine quite like the different McDonald’s burgers of the world!

If you’ve been to a McDonald’s in more than one country, then you probably know that depending on the country the menu can be vastly different. That’s why if you’re a fan, you’ll want to try it out in every country you visit.

Sadly, travel is greatly restricted right now, so our own fast food aficionado, Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa, can’t travel to the McDonald’s of the world himself. But no matter! McDonald’s has brought the world to Japan with their “Beef Burgers of the World” campaign!

The campaign, officially titled the “Massing of Beef Burgers from McDonald’s Around the World” campaign, is scheduled to come in waves of different flavors over the next several months. The first wave, which started on June 24, is made up of Canada’s Mighty Beef Original (490 yen/US$4.56), the U.K.’s Smokey Barbecue Burger (490 yen), and Japan’s Karubi Mac (420 yen). Each of the burgers are based on popular burgers previously sold in their respective countries, although the Karubi Mac isn’t a new burger, per se, but the return of a Japanese favorite.

Naturally, with three burgers to choose from, Seiji went with the only logical option and bought all three, because what kind of journalist would only taste test one of McDonald’s new burgers?!

Taken out of their respective wrappers and placed together on a plate, Seiji’s initial reaction was to notice that all three burgers were pretty hefty in size. They barely fit on the plate!

The one that caught his eye the most was the U.K.’s Smokey Barbecue Burger. With its fluffy-looking bun, and its toppings of cheese and bacon, Seiji couldn’t deny that it was calling to him, so he tried it first.

Biting into that fluffy bread was like having a soft feather duvet caress his lips. The flavor of the hefty patty rolled lightly on his tongue, and coupled with the bacon, it was like a meaty heaven.

But the star of this burger show was undoubtedly the sauce. The rich, sweet, barbecue flavor was what made the burger, what unified all the ingredients. Since barbecue sauce is often a love-it-or-hate-it kind of flavor for Japanese consumers, preferences may be split on this burger, but if you’re the type who prefers to use the sweet sauce at yakiniku, this might be a hit for you. The barbecue sauce and the meaty flavors of the beef and bacon–this is a power combo.

But while the sauce does all the work in the U.K.’s burger, Canada’s Mighty Beef Original Burger is an exquisite example of how teamwork makes for better results. The tart sauce combined with the sweet tomato bring this burger to another level.

The bacon, in particular, plays a key role. Unlike the Smokey Barbecue Burger, which has strips of bacon, the bacon on the Mighty Beef Original is diced into chunks and mixed with the sauce, giving it a chance to more smoothly meld with the flavor of the beef and the rest of the ingredients. Precisely because Seiji tried the Smokey Barbecue Burger first, he was able to appreciate the difference more deeply.

And with all the other ingredients working together perfectly, neither standing out too much nor being hidden by any other, this is, most certainly, a “One for all, all for one” burger.

Unfortunately, Seiji was sad to see that Japan’s Karubi Mac seemed to cower in the shadows of its western alternatives. Though the sweet flavor of the karubi beef was complemented with a mayonnaise topping, Japan’s representative was somehow…lacking.

Seiji does like McDonald’s more basic burgers, like its teriyaki burgers, but at the same time he acknowledges that they are pretty simple. Normally he wouldn’t mind the plainness of the Karubi Mac, but after trying the U.K. and Canadian burgers, he couldn’t help but notice the stark difference.

To Seiji, the clear winner of the three is the Canadian Mighty Beef Original. You just can’t beat the way each of the ingredients work together to make a perfectly complimented taste! It was a shame that Japan’s burger didn’t live up to the others, but they have had so many delicious burgers in the past, and you can’t make a perfect burger every time, so Seiji doesn’t consider it a total loss.

Let us know which one is your favorite on social media…and whatever you do, don’t forget to try the Hokkaido melon dessert drinks, too!

Photos © SoraNews24
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