REVIEW: Wendy’s BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

Wendy's BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

There are several places I never want to find pulled pork, including a high school cafeteria, the bathroom, and inside an open wound. Fortunately, Wendy’s has nothing to do with these three things.

Similar to Denny’s fascination with bacon, Wendy’s has a newfound obsession with pulled pork. This autumn season, Wendy’s fast food restaurants will be offering a limited-time only menu including BBQ Pulled Pork Cheese Fries, a BBQ Pulled Pork Cheeseburger, and a BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if Wendy’s introduced a pulled pork Frosty before the month ends. Wait a second…

Oh, Wendy. You sassy, redheaded minx.

Before I continue my review, I must confess: pulled pork has always confused me. Yes, it’s delicious, but I’ve never understood which part of the pig must be pulled in order to procure said barbecued meat. Behind the ears? No. Under the stomach? Nope. Between the legs? Good lord, no!

Still pondering the anatomy of hogs, I found myself inside a local Wendy’s restaurant. With five dollars in my pocket and the hunger-pangs in full effect, I decided it was high-time to try the new BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich, which features hickory-smoked pulled pork meat, a layer of coleslaw, and a toasted brioche bun. Each sandwich is finished with one of three sauces: smoky, spicy, or sweet.

The sandwich arrives in a red, cardboard box decorated with Wendy’s smiling mug. Opening this package reveals the pulled pork sandwich in all its glory, topped with a grease-soaked bun that glistens in the sunlight.

The pulled pork itself is smoky and meaty. A praiseworthy approximation of barbecue flavor, it lacks the dry, chewy qualities I’ve noticed of low-quality pulled pork. Sure, Wendy’s pulled pork might not be as succulent and flavorful as pulled pork from the finest Southern barbecue joints, but it certainly holds its own.

The pork flavor is enhanced by the sweet sauce, which has a pleasant tang reminiscent of the sauce found on both the McRib and Burger King BBQ Rib Sandwich. The amount of sauce on my pulled pork sandwich was just right; the meat was not supersaturated with sauce, but I was still able to taste the barbecue sauce flavor. The only drawback was that the sweet sauce seemed a bit lukewarm when compared to the meat. I suspect the sauce wasn’t heated before the sandwich was assembled. As I continued to eat, the residual heat from the pulled pork slightly improved the sauce’s temperature, but the first few bites were subpar.

Wendy's BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich 2

In comparison to both the pulled pork and sauce, the coleslaw is a letdown. Its flavor is subdued and one-note, hardly noticeable in a mouthful of smoky pork. Its main contribution to the sandwich is textural, adding a light crunch to each bite. Even so, it fails to seem as crisp as the freshest of coleslaws.

My sandwich’s contents occasionally spilled out mid-bite, but this cannot be seen as a flaw — pulled pork is an inherently messy food. Luckily, the cardboard box conveniently doubles as a tray. You will receive full protection from falling meats, just in case you decide to eat the pulled pork sandwich while in the nude, all alone in your empty apartment on a Friday night.

I finished my Wendy’s BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich feeling fulfilled. Though the coleslaw topping lacked bite, the sandwich’s balance of smoky pork and tangy sauce was deeply gratifying. For a fast food take on a Southern classic, Wendy’s pulled it off. The BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich rivals other barbecue sandwiches I’ve tasted at a competitive price.

As a disclaimer, I want to assure the reader that neither I, nor The Impulsive Buy, endorse the pulling of pigs. Furthermore, we have never engaged in any form of hog-yanking activity. Please be kind to our animal friends, no matter how tasty.

(Nutrition Facts – 410 calories, 120 calories from fat, 14 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 5 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 4.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 1230 milligrams of sodium, 360 milligrams of potassium, 48 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 17 gram of sugar, and 24 grams of protein.)

Item: Wendy’s BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Wendy’s
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Smoky pulled pork flavor. Tangy sauce. Perfect amount of sauce. Eating in the nude?
Cons: Lukewarm sauce. Coleslaw flavor is one-note. Ethical dilemmas of pulling pigs.

26 thoughts to “REVIEW: Wendy’s BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich”

  1. I actually tried this out a few weeks ago. Going in, I didn’t have much high expectations since I mean Wendy’s isn’t quite known for it’s pulled pork. We all know it’s a burger joint.. However, I actually really enjoyed the sandwich and have tried the Pulled Pork fries too and loved that as well. It makes me happy to see Wendy’s doing something different from the competition. Stuff like this is good for change.

  2. Positively the worse BBQ I have EVER eaten in my life. Not even a close 2nd. This is garbage. I got the smokey sauce on the side. It was basically cattlemans. The bun was fresh. The slaw was bad and omg the BBQ was just full of fat and gristle and just tough meat fat. Not even close to decent BBQ. Never again.

  3. Stringy sandwich for the price !!!

    I continue to learn the lesson of not always seeing is believing, no no in this case
    stringy pork stringy cole slaw for the huge price … in fact the sandwich is feather light and poor and looks hungry by itself … shitty marketing as usual
    save your five bucks … dont do it

  4. The Bread was ok the coleslaw was crunchy but had very little flavour. The meat was bad. It was stringy and had a flavour and texture that reminded me of cold cuts. Truthfully, it turned my stomach will not be ordering again.

  5. Just had this sandwich. No resemblance to the picture. Not even enough pork and slaw to show outside the Bun. Admittedly the Wendy’s I went to is not the best, but I’m reading the other reviews and thinking the pork cannot possibly make up 24 grams of protein! Besides the lack of meat, the meat that was there was strong and strange. Nope, no more. Great place down the street – Ohio Hog Company – that serves a 1/4 lb of truly fresh charred pulled pork sandwich with great slaw every time for $5.50. Only reason I went to Wendys was the real BBQ place was closed but now I know. I’ll stick with only their Chili.

  6. Had one yesterday. It was a decent burger but really nothing to hit home about.

    The pork itself I was a little disappointed with due to it not having much sauce. The slaw, which I initially regretted forgetting to tell the cashier to exclude due to normally not eating slaw was actually tolerable. It is stored in very cold conditions and then plopped right on top of the burger.

    Would rate it 7/10 myself but would never try it again. There’s better menu items at Wendy’s than this.

  7. I found the sandwich to be pretty good. The proportion of cole slaw to meat was good and the BBQ sauce (sweet) was applied with an amount that didn’t create a huge mess but I could taste it in every bite. I didn’t find the meat fatty or grisly or dry, in a blind test I would be surprised that this came from Wendy’s and not a BBQ shack. Normally I am Wendy’s biggest critic but I think that they did a good job with this sandwich. I wish my local Wendy’s store would do a better job of getting my order correct, but I do give them credit for mixing up the menu a bit and trying new things.

  8. My first bbq sandwich at Wendys was perfect, portion size, hot, tasty. They even included a fork, as bbq fell off the bun. Two weeks later, a different Wendys and I was laughing at my sandwich. Cold bun, more slaw than meat. I called the survey number on receipt to report my dissapointment. It has to be that Wendys. I went back to that same Wendys 4 weeks later and ordered the bbq sandwich again. They had to make more Bbq they told me. I got my sandwich 16 minutes after. I didnt see the meat, I saw lots of slaw, my bun was refridgerator cold and the meat was lukewarm. It has to be this particular Wendys, but no more. Im done after this third visit. The sandwich is not worth 5 dollars.

  9. I am very disappointed in the pulled pork Fries that I purchased in the Hialeah-Miami Lakes store off 186 st. I ordered two side of this item and asked for half spicy and half smoky. I received just the smoky version and for 3.99, I received basically a small french fry order with maybe one slice of melted cheese and 1 small barely a tablespoon of pulled pork. The pork was delicious, there was just so little of it. When I asked for an extra side of sauce, they told me they had to charge me for it. WOW, a dry slightly dusted order of small fries with barely any meat and they wanted to charge me for sauce…no thanks….. guess I wont be getting this item ever again. Sad, Wendy’s, the idea is great but you are short changing your customers by being cheap with the meat and portions…not a good quality. M

  10. I loved every bite and was the best sandwich I had ever eaten! The surprise was the addition of a mild-tasting cole slaw topping, the flavor of which did not overcome the bbq flavor.

    That same evening, my husband discovered that he had forgotten to turn off the propane on our grill so it was empty and we could not grill our meat. He set out for Wendy’s and ordered three flavors of the BBQ pulled pork. Each was distinctive in flavor and delicious. Each was appetizing to look at and very satisfying. The bun was delicious, too. YUMMY!

    Can you believe that I had the urge for another sandwich the next day, so we stopped there again. Sadly, this specialty item was discontinued. 🙁

    I would love to have the recipe for THAT cole slaw and THAT recipe for the pork.

    It definitely rated 4 stars with us.

  11. We had the pulled pork sandwich in Hadley MA at Wendy’s and it was excellent. Just heard they were no longer serving it and am very disappointed. Hope it isn’t true!

  12. I went to Wendys in Las Cruces after I saw the commercial for the pulled pork sandwich…I really was not
    expecting much but wow and I mean wow…I ordered it with the spicy sauce…price was 4.49 I was totally
    amazed at the flavor of the pork the right mix of meat with very good slaw…I can not remember getting a better pulled pork sandwich….I have been let down many times with chopped pork its not the same…so while visiting my parents in Virginia I stopped by a Wendys to get a couple of these for them…crap they just stopped
    carrying the pulled pork sandwich that day….I hope they bring it back I now have another reason to go to
    Wendys beside their chili and frostys….

  13. Except I live in the south where good BBQ joints are dime a dozen. I can get a better BBQ sandwich for less money at the local BBQ joint down the street. So, why would want to go to Wendy’s for this??

  14. Wendy’s should stick with burgers because their pull pork sandwich SUCKS! Mine was very dry, no flavor and there was more cabbage than pork on the bun. Mcdonald’s boneless pork rib sandwich is much better than that!

  15. This is by far the worst sandwich I have ever tasted in life. The meat tasted fake like it was created in a factory. I was literally concerned for my health after eating this. I will NEVER ORDER this sandwich again ….ever in life … I can still taste the badness both physically and mentally . Wendy’s ..please for the sake of human decency…stick to burgers. That is all.

    Oh yeah..almost left out something.. If anybody gave this sandwich a positive review, they must have: A. Never had good bbq before B. On hard drugs. C. Paid to lie (work @ Wendy’s) or D. All of the above.

  16. .Beware!!!!!!I mine had a bone in it and it broke my crown in half. Wendys says that Smithfield Co. Makes that product so they are not liable. Its been four months since I filed a claim with Smithfield And still nothing.

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