Whenever you order a shrimp or steak entree at Panda Express, there’s an upcharge for the premium proteins. At locations near me it’s $1.75, but the standard around the country appears to be $1.50. Now the chain has a new premium-premium protein — the Cantonese BBQ Brisket — with an upcharge of $2.20 in my area and $1.95 elsewhere.
According to the Panda Express website, the dish is “tender beef brisket flame-seared in our signature Cantonese Char Siu style BBQ sauce.”
I liked it the first time. I liked it the second time. But I don’t plan on a third.
Yes, I ordered it twice. Not because I’m addicted to it like YouTube channels that summarize entire TV show seasons in 15 minutes, but because I was so underwhelmed with how my first order looked. Those pieces looked smaller than the promotional photos and were so dark at some places that I thought they were overcooked. Despite how they looked, though, the tenderness was excellent and it was tasty enough that I didn’t completely mind having to purchase the premium entree again.
My second order, from a different location, was much more appealing. The pieces looked more like the size of what’s in the promotional photos and less charred. The meat was slightly tougher to pull apart, but just as tasty overall.
The BBQ sauce was savory, sweet, and quite good, which isn’t surprising for Panda Express, which reliably nails that combination. The sauce also had a warmth that stopped just short of being actually spicy. It tasted different from the char siu I’m used to, probably because this is my first time having the dish with beef. I’ve only had pork versions, which have been much sweeter than this.
While the brisket appeared coated with sauce on every millimeter of meat, there were a few bites where the sauce wasn’t present. With my first order, those bites tasted like beef jerky. Nothing against beef jerky, but that’s not what I’m paying a premium for. The second order didn’t have that problem, but it reinforced that this brisket really needs its sauce to shine.
Panda Express’ Cantonese BBQ Brisket is tasty enough to try once. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual limited-time chicken dishes in sweet and savory sauces. But at a price that could get me another serving of Orange Chicken or Eggplant Tofu, I’ll pass on getting it again.
If this premium-premium protein becomes a crowd-pleaser, I wonder if there’s a premium-premium-premium protein in Panda Express’ future. Perhaps wagyu beef or fried fugu?
Purchased Price: $12.50 (includes $2.20 upcharge)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (5.61 oz) 410 calories, 5 grams of saturated fat, 14 grams of carbohydrates, and 44 grams of protein.
*Because I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.