Bottom Line: The Firecracker Wrap from Jimmy John’s is fresh and tasty but could use more heat, while the chips definitely bring a kick.
Jimmy John’s Sandwiches is known for its quick service and delivery, but it is not necessarily considered a go-to location for those looking for some heat. Sure, it has its “fiery” Jimmy Peppers and it has menu items from time to time that bring a kick, but it is likely not first on the list when someone wants to eat spicy. Perhaps the chain has decided to start catering more to the spicy food crowd, though, and it has a couple of new items on the menu of interest with the Firecracker Wrap and Firecracker Jimmy Chips. Here is the official description of those from the website:
Firecracker Wrap: Turkey, salami & ghost pepper cheese, crushed Firecracker Jimmy Chips, garlic aioli, Jimmy peppers, lettuce, onion, tomato, mayo, & oil & vinegar, in a red jalapeño tortilla.
Firecracker Jimmy Chips: Sweet and savory Jimmy Chips with a strong kick of red pepper heat.
I stopped by recently and got the combo that includes the wrap and the chips along with a drink, and that goes for $13.19 in my area. (The sandwich by itself is $9.99 and the chips are $2.49.)
The wrap is pretty meaty, stuffed with cold cuts that taste quite fresh. The mildness of the turkey seems to dominate, but that salami is in there as well, bringing some salt and zing. And as I got further in, I tasted more of the salami. The garlic aioli brings some creaminess, and maybe just a hint of garlic. The chips that are added to the wrap are nice and crunchy despite being packed in with everything else, and most of the heat comes from those.
I did not detect the Jimmy Peppers, and the ghost pepper cheese brings mostly the creaminess and sharpness you expect, but not much heat. The veggies are nice and fresh, and the tang from the oil and vinegar is noticeable, adding a satisfying finish. The jalapeño wrapper does not add much in the way of heat or taste, but it holds everything together well and delivers a good chew.
The wrap does not have much heat, though that does build as you eat it. Still, it does not get above Mild on my scale and fails to live up to its Firecracker moniker. Some more of the Jimmy Peppers might have helped, and maybe more of that ghost pepper cheese. Or perhaps they should spice up that garlic aioli so that it brings a kick. Still, the wrap was quite good overall, and I could see getting it again. I will just ask for extra peppers and/or have some hot sauce at the ready to add some burn.
While the sandwich fell short of delivering the heat I was looking for, the Firecracker Jimmy Chips did not disappoint. These have an immediate richness to them along with some sweetness and a hint of smoke. They also have a peppery taste, but it is not overwhelming. They are very red, and you might expect them to taste similar to Lay’s Flamin’ Hot Chips. But they do not have that sourness, which is a good thing. They remind me of other chips I have eaten, but I can’t quite put my finger on which ones. These don’t appear to be kettle-cooked, but they are pretty thick and have a good crunch, which is another thing I really like about them.
The Firecracker Jimmy Chips don’t seem too hot after the first bite or two, but they build up and get beyond the Medium level on my scale, approaching Hot. These make up for the milder wrap and certainly proved to be quite a surprise. Jimmy John’s should sell these in grocery stores as I think they would fly off the shelves!
Nutrition-wise, the Firecracker Wrap totals up to a whopping one thousand calories. The website shows a range from 690 to 1,000 cals, but the lower number is if you get it wrapped in lettuce leaves instead of the tortilla. They don’t give any further breakdown of the nutrition, but this is definitely a hefty wrap. Add in that bag of chips and you total 1,290 calories and will need to start shopping for the next size up in pants! I split the wrap over two meals, and that worked pretty well. But I did scarf down that full bag of chips with the first half of the wrap, so I spent some extra time on the treadmill when I went to the gym later.
The Firecracker Wrap and chips are on loan from Limited-Time-Only-Ville and will be around through the summer months. I certainly hope that the chips become a permanent item on the menu and it would be nice to see JJ’s experiment with other spicy wraps and sandwiches to see if they can kick things up even more.
Nutrition Info:
Firecracker Wrap
Serving Size: 1 Wrap
Calories: 1,000
Firecracker Chips
Ingredients: Potatoes, peanut oil, corn maltodextrin, sugar, dextrose, salt, barley flour, yeast, monosodium glutamate, red 40lake, onion powder, spice, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, natural flavor, garlic powder, citric acid, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, yellow 6 lake, yellow 5 lake.
Serving Size: 2 oz (56g)
Calories: 290
Fat: 17g (3g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 3g
Carbs: 34g
Sodium: 280mg