Review: Jack in the Box - Hot Mess Burger

Jack in the Box's new, limited-time Hot Mess Burger features a jumbo beef patty seasoned with salt and pepper, sliced jalapenos, onion rings, and melted white cheddar and pepper jack between two slices of grilled sourdough bread.

My local Jack in the Box offered it for $4.29. They also rang a little bell and did a shout when I ordered it; it was entertaining.

I like Jack's grilled sourdough bread. It's a bit greasy, a little buttery, and not really sour at all. The grilled sides are always weirdly smooth compared to the more craggy surface of a homemade grilled cheese, but provide a thin, crispy layer and a spongy soft crumb inside.

I could see the salt and pepper seasoning prominently on the burger patty and it was a good size in proportion to everything else. More importantly, I could taste the beef which had a nice, coarse texture. It's not juicy, but it's rare that a fast food chain burger ever is. Moist is usually as good as it's going to get.

The onions rings are breaded and lose most of any crunch smothered in the cheese. They do deliver a fair amount of onion notes in the burger.

The cheese was a nice, gooey mess that added a creamy, mellow, low-key flavor with the occasional tangy pop of the mildly spicy jalapeno slices. I'd have to guess there's some cream or processed cheese in the mix here because real cheese alone doesn't tend to melt as well as it did here.

The package comes together very well in the Hot Mess Burger. There is a lot of cheese compared to most fast food burgers, but it's mild enough that it doesn't threaten to overwhelm the other ingredients. Like the Sourdough Jack, the Hot Mess Burger takes a few simple flavors and puts them together in such a way that goes over well and doesn't allow any single flavor to get lost in the mix.

It's a bit funny though, for a burger inspired by a faux rock band, it doesn't really scream so much as it harmonizes.

Nutritional Info - Jack in the Box Hot Mess Burger
Calories - 846 (from Fat - 528)
Fat - 59g (Saturated Fat - 20g)
Sodium - 1201mg
Carbs - 49g (Sugar - 6g)
Protein - 34g