After trying its hand at seemingly every possible variation of the King burger imaginable, the suits at Burger King finally decided to get rid of the flame-broiled patty altogether and try something radically different with the fast food flagship.
Enter the Pulled Pork King, which as the name suggests, is a Sloppy Joe-like sandwich consisting of BBQ-sauce-slathered shredded pork, crispy onions, and a handful of pickles…all underneath a toasted sesame seed bun, as apparently required under a decree of the Burger King himself. (An aside, but does the titular Burger King even have a first or last name?)
I went into this with pretty low expectations, but I have to say I was very surprised by its overall quality. The shredded pork was flavorful and unexpectedly smoky, giving it an authentic taste and texture you wouldn’t expect to come out of a fast food kitchen.
Likewise, the BBQ sauce itself was very good, packing enough vinegary tart and sugary sweetness to placate seemingly all of your tastebud’s domains — although I’m disappointed to report that said sauce was nowhere near as “hot and spicy” as advertised. But the crispy onion and pickles certainly did their part, bringing enough mouthfeel and flavor diversity to the product without taking away from the marquee pork taste.
At $5.79, the Pulled Pork King is a hefty investment for a BK offering, so your mileage may vary on whether or not the L-T-O is worth that kind of moolah. That said, the sandwich itself is fairly large and filling, so if volume is a priority, you probably won’t be disappointed by this one unless you have the stomach of a competitive eater or something.
Of course, this being a King burger relative, the usual caveats about salt and squishiness do apply: with more than 1,000 milligrams of sodium, this thing will starch your throat fast, and heaven help you if you drop this thing on your lap — good luck EVER getting the BBQ sauce stains off your Dockers there, buddy.
Burger King’s Pulled Pork King checks off just about all the boxes you would want a summertime, L-T-O sandwich to check off. It’s unique and ephemeral, and smacks of instant nostalgia, but at the same time, it’s also a stunningly flavorful item that tastes way better than you’d expect it to be. Never in a million years would I have thought Burger King of all restaurants would’ve figured out the secret sauce to crafting a great, on-the-go pulled pork sandwich, but here we are.
Long story short, if you’re a fan of BBQ or plain adventurous when it comes to fast food, you would be wise to give the Pulled Pork King a try. Heck, it’s so good, it kinda’ makes me wonder how BK would fare at an L-T-O brisket-burger next.
Purchased Price: $5.79
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 690 calories, 25 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,190 milligrams of sodium, 82 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 34 grams of sugar, and 35 grams of protein.
Why does all fast food pulled pork have to be ground up into a wet hair paste? Pulled pork should be chunky.
Had my first one today and there was nothing ground up and mushy about mine. Nice large shreds of pork.
I had the sandwich today for lunch, as I was hoping they had frosted orange Icees, but didn’t. The meal was ~$12 in NYC at 34th St. Macys. I swapped the drink for a Twix milkshake, bringing my total to over $15 for a sandwich, fries, milkshake combo.
I liked the tangy sauce and surprised by the size of the sandwich (big), but hated the texture. Not enough crunchy crispy onions. Meat felt super soggy and not like a nice traditional BBQ you’d get out of NC. I’ll stick to burgers next time, though it may be awhile. $15 for fast food is insane in a place like NYC, where there are so many fast casual spots, food truck/street carts, and other non-chain places where I can get equivalent taste and/or quantity for the same or less.
I forgot about the $1 taco, but after seeing all the bad reviews plastered across the internet, I am glad I didn’t grab one of those. Its been awhile, but I always thought the JITB taco’s were barely worth it at 2 for $1, lol.
smoky flavor is easily replicated with liquid smoke. i’d be shocked if that isn’t how they did it.
For $5.79 that is a sad sandwich!!! I would NEVER ORDER A PULLED PORK SANDWICH AGAIN!!! I was told that the amount of pork on the sandwich was the right portion the bun is to big for the amount of meat!!! Disgusting that was the worst money I have ever spent on fast food!!!
Mine was nothing like that. The bun is big but the amount of meat on mine is common with the amount of meat that you would normally get at a BBQ joint in central TX, nice chunky shreds if pork piled high and running over on all sides of the bun.
I got mine to go and had to drive 7 miles home and to my surprise the buns were not wet and sloppy.
I liked mine and would have liked it better if it were not for those nasty crunchy onions, it would have been much better with some fresh onions like a real BBQ joint.
My sandwich cost $5.99 in central TX.
It is a great sandwich. Bought 2 today and were not as good as the last 2 times. Less meat and onions. For 12.12 give me a break
I get the pulled pork sandwiches fairly regularly. Love them. So does my dog but I buy him a plain hamburger (for the patty) and just give him a small amount of the pork from my sandwich.
I love the flavor and there is a generous amount of pulled pork. I do not find them mushy at all.
I wouldn’t have thought that I would like the crispy onions they put in the sandwiches but I do. They put a fair amount of onions and pickles as well. A very good sandwich.
I don’t get the combination – I don’t want more calories and I don’t want to spend more money!