A few thoughts popped into my head right before I was about to order Jack in the Box’s Chili Cheeseburger.
- Is the chili just the seasoned meat in Jack’s tacos?
- Does the chili have beans?
- Will there be a Twitter war between Jack in the Box and Wendy’s because Wendy’s tweeted Jack’s chili must not be good since it isn’t offered in a bowl, and then Jack retorted by tweeting Wendy’s chili is made from old beef patties?
- I should start going to sleep earlier.
- Can I use Apple Pay in the drive-thru?
- Should I get onion rings?
- Is the drive-thru cashier upset because I’ve been sitting here in front of the speaker without saying a word for about a minute? What about the four cars behind me?
Jack’s Chili Cheeseburger features a beef patty, two slices of cheese, a layer of beef chili, and onions on a bun. If you want something even beefier, there’s a double version with two patties.
While it’s being advertised as new, the internet tells me this is not the first time Jack has offered a chili-topped cheeseburger. So maybe the recipe was pulled out of the Jack in the Box vault, which I imagine is shaped like Jack’s head and the combination dial is Jack’s hat, while the lever to open it is Jack’s nose.
The chili is bean-free, in case you were wondering, and, even though they look somewhat alike, I’m pretty sure it’s not the seasoned ground beef in Jack’s tacos. What’s on this burger is redder and they don’t taste the same.
While it’s never going to win a chili cook-off, the marquee ingredient in the burger tastes fine on its own and is even meatier thanks to the beef patty. But the elements that make this limited time menu item delectable are the chopped onions and cheese. The American cheese complements the chili’s spices, while the onions not only enhance the chili with their pungent flavor, but also add some crunch to the mush-fest.
Oddly, even though the idea of topping a burger with chili sounds like a mess-fest, all of it stayed between the buns. Also, something to note, I ordered one for my wife and hers had noticeably less of the topping than mine.
While I’m not sure I’d order Jack’s chili a la carte, if it was available that way, it does makes this cheeseburger surprisingly tasty.
Purchased Price: $7.49*
Size: Small combo
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on the website.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are much pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.
Re: 3, Wendy’s doesn’t serve chili. They serve hamburger soup. I’ve heard they grind up hamburger patties that have sat around too long to sell, but I suspect they actually cook the meat just for their hamburger soup…but chili doesn’t have broth. Soup does. And theirs tastes like hamburger patties, not chili.
I really miss Steak N Shake. Chili from their restaurants, and chili with their name on the can, are my two favorite prepared chilis. And it’s like half a day to drive to the closest restaurant that didn’t close when they decided to sell off all the corporate-owned locations. The next time I make it to one of their restaurants, I’m buying a case of canned chili to bring home with me…
My hub’s former coworker used to work at Wendy’s in high school and they 100% did chop up old burger patties and threw in the pot. It originally comes in a big plastic bag and they add old chopped up patties over the course of weeks(!) that it stays in the pot ready to serve. Yikes, right?
100% accurate. I worked at Wendy’s throughout high school. One of the neighbors kids just started working there recently and we had a good chat about what was still happening. Frosty machines, salads, etc.
Meat that had been dropped while moving it from the flattop, meat that had been on the grill too long, and messed up orders (provided that order had no cheese) all went into the chili meat pan.
My store would make chili 3x a week. Gather up what was in the walk-in, boil the crap out of the meat, grab some chili mixin’ bags along with the canned beans, cook for a couple of hours, and serve it up.
Couple things.
Not every store put dropped meat in the chili pan. That was my store. The manager’s logic was that we were going to boil the heck out of it anyway. I’d bet that even 20 years later, some store must be doing this still.
When you come through at 1:45 am and order a ton of burgers, chances are VERY high you’re going to get some burgers from the chili meat pan either re-heated on the flattop or with a quick dunk in the fryer.
Every chain has there share of BTS secrets. Wendy’s is still one of my favorite fast food restaurants but trust me that I had a hearty laugh when they started to advertise a family chili feast on the menu. Thanks but no thanks……
fail… make ur own chili… and chili should be bean freee.. period… take two buns.. slather that on the bun.. close it out.. add sone hot sauce.. ur done ir u can just use tortilla chips… do it the right way… dont spend ur money were it doesnt belong.. and wendys is the king if burgers ftw but jaks nuggerts r really good.. u gotta get thw avocasdo lime sauce… they should botttle it..
best. review. ever. period.
Those onions don’t look very chopped up to me
I have tried to post a picture of the so-called chili cheeseburger I received this evening one there wasn’t even a full slice of cheese on it and no chili at all I couldn’t even find a chili beans definitely doesn’t look anywhere like their pictures which I consider false advertisement what they serve when I went to take it back to the store to complain I was advised that they are only giving a little spoon to put chili on their cheeseburgers worst chili cheeseburger I’ve ever eaten in my life I’m very disappointed in Jack in the box as soon as I can find a way to post a picture I took of my burger be quite surprised about the way it looks