REVIEW: Jack in the Box Hot Mess Burger

Jack in the Box Hot Mess Burger

Jack in the Box’s Hot Mess Burger is possibly the messiest fast food burger my hands and mouth have ever wrapped themselves around, so I guess Hot Mess is an appropriate name.

How messy was it?

Six napkins and a pair of shorts soaking in water messy. Unfortunately, the bag I brought it home in only had four napkins so my burger entrails covered hands had to scramble for more disposable cloths.

What makes this burger so messy?

It’s not the seasoned beef patty, deep fried onion rings, or sliced jalapeños. What was to blame for my excessive use of paper products was the greasy, toasted sourdough bread and the melted white cheddar and pepper jack cheeses.

To be more accurate, 90 percent of the mess was from the cheeses. The white cheddar and pepper jack didn’t appear to be slices placed on the burger. Instead they were more like a cheese sauce because as they sat on my burger they didn’t harden much and it oozed all over the place. It’s as if the person who made my sandwich thought it was a smothered chicken-fried steak or wanted my sandwich to look like it was throwing up cheese after I opened its wrapper.

Jack in the Box Hot Mess Burger Throwing Up Cheese

But the cheeses weren’t there for just looks, they, surprisingly, provided a lot of flavor. In fact, I’ve never experienced a cheesy flavor level like this with a burger before. I’m not surprised Jack in the Box used white cheddar because it appears to be the new black. Burger King and McDonald’s have used the pale cheese in some of their recent burgers. As for the pepper jack, it’s hard to notice any flavor from the peppers in it because of the jalapeño.

Speaking of the jalapeño, if you love canned jalapeño peppers, then you’ll love how this burger tastes. When I peeled back the sourdough bun, it looked as if S.S. Jalapeño sank in the White Cheese Sea. There were so many peppers that, on the drive home from the restaurant, the bag that contained my Hot Mess Burger became a chili pepper air freshener, filling my car with the aroma of jalapeño. Every bite I took from this sandwich had at least a slice and they gave this burger a nice spicy kick and a lot of flavor.

The beef patty was tasty, but dry (which is par for the course). The onion rings, while a nice addition, were noticeable in only a few bites, but I’m fine with the Hot Mess Burger being mostly a cheese and jalapeño show.

Even though the Jack in the Box Hot Mess Burger was extremely messy and is quite unhealthy (which is expected), it’s so good that I think they should call it the Hot Mmmmess Burger.

(Nutrition Facts – 846 calories, 528 calories from fat, 59 grams of fat, 20 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 108 milligrams of cholesterol, 1201 milligrams of sodium, 388 milligrams of potassium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 34 grams of protein.)

Other Hot Mess Burger reviews:
Junk Food Betty
Man Reviews Food

Item: Jack in the Box Hot Mess Burger
Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: A very fine Jack in the Box burger. Strong cheesy flavor. Lots of jalapeño slices. Has a fondue fountain’s worth of cheese. Toasted bun. Jalapeño bring lots of flavor and a bit of heat.
Cons: Very messy. Onion rings didn’t add a lot of flavor. Dry beef patty. Having my computer’s autocorrect automatically change every “jalapeno” to “jalapeño.” Has two grams of trans fat.

19 thoughts to “REVIEW: Jack in the Box Hot Mess Burger”

  1. Reminds one that there’s a very fine line between the indulgences of splurge and splooge. But when the two come together, it’s like the Pop Rocks of the Milky Way getting semented in your mouth.

  2. hey marvo, could u review the new fish burger from jack in the box too?
    i saw a sign for it outside the store. it appears to be a new item, different from the fish sandwich. at my store, it was selling for 3.50 for the combo.

  3. Same here, Chuck. No JITB, White Castle, In-and-Out, Ben & Jerry’s, and the only Haagen Dazs shop around here closed down years ago.

    1. I have bad news Kenneth, you can not live in a place that has In and Out and White Castle. You have to choose one or the other :(.

  4. That is one speedy review. This and the potato wedges intrigued me. I’m afraid I’ll need a nap after them, though.

  5. This looks and sounds quite tasty. Not sure why “very messy” is in the negative section, though, given that “mess” is right there in the name. Truth in advertising and all that.

    Sadly, there are no JITB locations in my state, as far as I know.

  6. I saw a banner inside JitB for this burger, but I had already ordered. I wanted to know more about this burger and stumbled onto this hilarious review. Keep up the good work!

  7. I tried one. Thought it was real good. I’m puzzled by your concern about 2 grams of trans fat. I mean, we’re talking 60 grams of fat, 850 calories, 1200 mg of sodium and 50 carbs. Oh. My. Lord. Healthy this ain’t!

    1. Bukkake burger? My thoughts exactly when first seeing that thing LOL! For those of you who don’t have jitb’s in your state, there are far too many here in California, I’m sure there are enough to spare you some of ours lol. Or better yet, trade! Like they do in sports lol. Steak & Shake is one of the few things I miss about Florida.

      I have to say “nice try” with this burger. As jitb has one of the worst onion rings in fast food: flavorless & mushy. Benefit of a doubt aside, I’ve tasted them enough toknow that’s how they always do it. So I agree they did not add much to the burger. Speaking of adding to the burger, that’s what I did. Most of my cheat days would be spent on a hot mess. Adding a couple of fried eggs adds flavor & is better at keeping you full (1-2 bunless bacon breakfast jacks if you want to be crazy). And I’d spread a dab of Frank’s red hot on top of the cheese goo. Sort of a “red hot, wild, crazy mess”. Bam.

      P.S. Speaking of “bam”, that’s pretty much how I felt after that & the cinnamon shake lol. Like I got hit with a dart! I was out for like 2 hrs lol.

      azy mess”. Bam.

  8. This burger had to be one of the best burgers I have ever had at a fast food restaurant!! It was everything one desires in a good burger, and it was inexpensive. I really wish this wasn’t limited edition, because I would love to have one right now…. or two:)

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