The Secret Difference Between McDonald's And Wendy's Bacon

McDonald's isn't known for its grilled bacon, though it is available on various burgers and breakfast sandwiches. Wendy's on the other hand, highlights the crispy meat in sandwiches like the beloved Baconator burger and makes it a central focus of its fresh breakfast menu. Chef Mike Haracz, a self-described former McDonald's corporate chef who shares the chain's secrets on TikTok, revealed that there's one key difference that makes Wendy's bacon so much better. 

According to Haracz, McDonald's bacon is partially precooked before it reaches the restaurant and then reheated, whereas Wendy's is cooked fresh at the restaurant daily. Wendy's freshly cooked bacon, as a result, is crispier and tastes better. He explained that during his tenure at McDonald's, the bacon came in precooked, most likely as a cost-cutting measure. Haracz hypothesized that the chain did this to fit more bacon into the packages and to potentially ensure that it lasted longer. While precooking reduces the grease the cooks have to deal with at the restaurant, it also sacrifices flavor and texture.

Even though McDonald's tops Wendy's in some fast food surveys, its two bacon products are in many ways very similar. They are made with essentially the same ingredients — pork, salt, sugar, and preservatives like sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite. They are also both smoked using applewood, which is supposed to add a natural sweetness to the product. One difference is that McDonald's has natural smoke flavor added, whereas Wendy's does not. However, the cooking method appears to be a big factor in how tasty the product is.

Wendy's head-start on making bacon could have given it a leg up on the cooking process. While Wendy's has been slapping bacon on burgers since 1982, McDonald's only introduced bacon in 2019. Spurred by the massive number of bacon searches online, McDonald's added it for what was to be a limited-time on a few of its items. The change seems to have been a success because several products on the main menu still carry the smoky addition. 

Considering the TLC that Wendy's gives to its bacon, it's no surprise that the chain adds it to many menu items. Wendy's even claims to be the top seller of bacon cheeseburgers. Depending on the location, it has about seven burgers with bacon. The fast food eatery has chicken sandwiches, salads, and fries that can come with the crispy topping. You can also order the chain's iconic Frosty shake with bacon. However, we couldn't find a way to do that in the app, so you might have to go to the restaurant for this delicious-sounding combo.

McDonald's, on the other hand, has fewer menu items with bacon. The breakfast sandwiches can be made with bacon, including a McDonald's Egg McMuffin, McGriddle, biscuits, and a bagel sandwich. The only burger where it is a default addition on the main menu is the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Bacon. The bacon-topped cheesy fries that were a limited-time offering are gone, and there is no mention of adding a sprinkle of bacon to the iconic shakes, though it's not a bad idea.