I never expected to use “Mexican Street Corn” and “Burger King” in the same sentence. I especially never expected to enjoy the fast-food Frankenstein’s monster that was the product of that phrase.
It’s all part of the new “Million Dollar Whopper” contest, which features three fan-designed Whoppers you can choose from (and vote for):
- Fried Pickle Ranch Whopper (Created by “Fabian from California)
- Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper (Created by “Calvin from California”
- Mexcian Street Corn Whopper (Created by Kelsie from Nebraska)
It’s like the “Hunger Games,” but with less murder and a third installment that isn’t broken into two parts as part of a shameless money grab. Jennifer Lawrence deserved better.
Each Whopper comes with a QR code that will take you to this website, where you can vote for your favorite fan-made Whopper. Voting runs until Dec. 5. The eventual winner gets a $1 million prize.
You can order each one separately. Or, if you’re a maniac like me, you can order the “Million Dollar Whopper Flight” from the Burger King app, a burger bundle that can save you a couple of dollars.
The charge to your bank account is $18.99, but the true cost is the 2,460-caloric calamity that comes with it.
The Burger King “Million Dollar Whopper” Contest Burgers | Review
Unlike previous Whopper spin-offs, these burgers feature some drastic changes and incorporate a bunch of brand-new ingredients. Here’s how each one breaks down:
- Fried Pickle Ranch Whopper ($6.99) – Topped with “creamy pickle ranch,” fried pickles, bacon, lettuce and Swiss cheese.
- Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper ($6.99) – Topped with “maple bourbon BBQ sauce,” crispy onions, crispy jalapeños, smoky maple candied bacon and American cheese.
- Mexican Street Corn Whopper ($6.99) – Topped with creamy street corn spread, lettuce, tomato, crunchy tortilla crisps and “spicy queso.”
The Fried Pickles are the most notable new ingredient. So much so that they’re actually available as a separate menu item. Burger King is calling them “Pickle Fries.” (More on those in a later review.)
What do they taste like?
Fried Pickle Ranch Whopper – This tastes like a normal Whopper with pickles.
The Pickle Fries are great on their own. But when you put them on a burger, they don’t taste much different from normal pickles — just with a little more savory crunch.
I like the idea, but the execution doesn’t change much about the burger. The “pickle ranch” doesn’t carry that much flavor.
Mexican Street Corn Whopper – Of the three new Whoppers, this is the most ambitious. It’s the one that tastes the least like anything else Burger King offers.
The queso (a slightly spiced-up twist on nacho cheese) gives the dish a nice kick, and the corn spread also adds a nice wave of flavor.
It reminds me a lot of eating a taco salad. But instead of a tortilla bowl, you’ve got a sesame seed bun.
This tastes like if Taco Bell made a burger.
Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper – You get more maple flavor than BBQ, which is a win in my book. You can already get a lot of burgers with BBQ sauce.
The crispy bits are the best part. The fried onions and peppers add a wonderful crunch to the texture along with the bacon.
Flavor-wise, it hits on a variety of different notes. The burger is smoky and savory, the bacon is salty, the jalapenos are spicy, and the sauce is sweet.
It’s similar to the Burger King Rodeo Burger but upgraded across the board.
So which one is best?
I’m split between the Mexican Street Corn Whopper and the Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper.
The Street Corn Whopper is the most novel. But in terms of pure flavor, I really like what the Maple Bourbon BBQ does.
The Final Word
I’ve eaten a lot of strange, colorful and outright scary Whoppers over the years. (I still get nightmares about what the Black Whopper did to me.) But these burgers are a much-needed respite from the food-coloring monstrosities BK has put out over the years.
Last month we had the Purple Whopper, and that was literally just a normal Whopper with a purple-hued bun. It’s about time we got some actual innovation.
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“I ate it so you don’t have to” is a regular food column about off-beat eats, both good and bad. I picked the name years ago and now we’re sort of stuck with it.
You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com. Please send all criticisms and complaints about the “Hunger Games” movie adaptation to lcampbell@masslive.com. You can check out the rest of the series here.
