Bottom Line: The King’s Hawaiian Sweet Heat Beef ‘n Brisket sandwich from Arby’s delivers the beefy goodness you expect from that chain while kicking up the heat.
Arby’s is spicing things up again, and it is worth paying attention to what they are doing because they know how to bring the heat when they really want to. Their Diablo sandwiches were among the hottest things I ever had in the drive thru (more on those here), and their follow-up with the Spicy Roast Beef was pretty darn good as well (read my review here). Now they are adding some sweet to the heat with King’s Hawaiian Sweet Heat Beef ‘n Brisket and Chicken sandwiches (you can see my review on the latter here).
Since I have had more than enough chicken of late, I tried the Beef ‘n Brisket version for which they offer the following description:
13-hour smoked brisket and thinly sliced roast beef topped with natural cheddar cheese, crispy onions, sweet garlic & dill pickles, and a sauce that is a little sweet and has a little heat – all on a toasted King’s Hawaiian® bun.
I didn’t distinguish much between the beef and brisket, and both types of meat seemed to be all mixed together. But this sandwich has the good beefy taste you expect from Arby’s with some smokiness in there as well. The onions add some texture and a bit of sweetness, but they did not stay too crunchy. The sauce delivers the expected creaminess and a good zing with a touch of heat. The cheese mostly gets lost in the mix and does not add much to the taste, but it doesn’t detract from it either.
The pickles have a nice, tart pop and some crunch, and I would swear they deliver some heat as well. But there were far too few of those (I will ask for extra next time). The King’s Hawaiian bread adds some more sweet, but not too much, and it holds everything together well. I wouldn’t call it the star of the show, and I didn’t detect that it was toasted as promised, but it is still a good bread choice. Take note that this is a big and messy sandwich, though, so no eating and driving!
After the first couple of bites, I hardly detected any heat at all. A couple more brought it to around the Mild level, but by the time I finished the sandwich my mouth was feeling some burn and I would put this around the Medium level on my scale, which is good for the drive thru. It is definitely not as hot as the Diablo sandwiches, but around the same heat level as the Spicy Roast Beef. And I count this as a superior fast food sandwich that I will be picking up again before it rotates out. It successfully blends good heat with good taste and is quite enjoyable.
But here’s the rub: Arby’s has a problem with consistency, so the quality of the sandwich can vary widely. I remember reading comments on the Diablo sandwiches and it sounded like people who were disappointed received a very different product from what I got. And that makes sense because I have encountered bad Arby’s locations before, and the experience was not good. So check the online reviews for the location before you go, and if you find a good one then stick with it.
Calorie-wise, this sandwich is on the high side for a fast food item at 717 cals. And it also brings 39g of fat and a whopping 1550mg of sodium! If you add a medium order of curly fries you are over a thousand calories and probably need to consider putting on your stretchy pants. (Side Note: Bring back the potato cakes, Arby’s!) I know that none of us consider this establishment a go-to location for diet food, but don’t be splurging on these too often!
As expected, these sandwiches are visiting from Limited-Time-Only-Ville. The Beef ‘n Brisket sandwich is also rather pricey at $8.99 in my area for the sammy alone and $13.21 for the combo. (The Sweet Heat Chicken Sandwich is $7.19 by itself and $11.41 for the combo). Fast food may be fast, but it’s not very cheap these days! But that Beef ‘n Brisket is pretty darn good and it brings some heat, so lovers of spicy food should enjoy it if they are looking for a quick meal.
Nutrition Info:
Calories: 717
Fat: 39g (15g Sat/1g Trans)
Protein: 38g
Carbs: 55g
Sodium: 1549mg