Arby's new, limited-time Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich is the first brisket sandwich for the chain and features slow-smoked beef brisket, smoked Gouda cheese, crispy onions, barbecue sauce, and mayo on a toasted, bakery-style bun.
I paid
$5.29 for one.
There was a delectable smoky aroma wafting through the restaurant while my sandwich was being assembled. Unfortunately, the sandwich didn't quite live up to the smell.
There was a good amount of brisket slices and they sported a nice smoke ring, which let me know that they had been smoked for a good bit (for at least 13 hours according to Arby's). They were a bit on the dry side though; it seemed the meat had been cut closer to the surface, resulting a definitely smoky but dry-to-really dry brisket.
The barbecue sauce might have helped it hold on to moisture, but the sauce was separated from the beef by a creamy slice of gouda. The sauce was a bit forgettable and had an overly sweet, smoky flavor whereas a spicier barbecue sauce with some tomato tang would have worked better.
The bakery style bun was dense and soft. It had a single cross-hatch atop it to drive home the "bakery-style" theme.
The crispy onions added just a slight bit of crispness and slightly charred onion flavor that I enjoyed immensely.
The inclusion of mayo is weird and noticeably so. The mayo was spread on the bottom bun and ended up being one of first things I tasted in every bite. It didn't mesh well with the other ingredients at all.
Overall, Arby's Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich didn't work out well for me. I liked the brisket's flavor but it was too dry (it may have been an operational problem of my specific Arby's though). The barbecue sauce was too generic and a missed opportunity. Finally, the mayo just didn't fit.
If you end up trying it, I recommended nixing the mayo and possibly the barbecue sauce as well.
Nutritional Info - Arby's Smokehouse Brisket sandwich (203g)
Calories - 610 (from Fat - 320)
Fat - 35g (Saturated Fat - 12g)
Sodium - 1230mg
Carbs - 42g (Sugar - 7g)
Protein - 35g
