Review: Jack in the Box Hot Ones Sriracha Double Jr. Jumbo Jack and Buffalo Sauced & Loaded Curly Fries
Bottom Line: Jack in the Box’s team-up with Hot Ones fails to deliver on the heat, but they do make a decent Double Jr. Cheeseburger.
When the restaurant industry spices up something that is not poultry, I usually make an attempt to give it a try, because even though I enjoy chicken, I am getting a bit tired of the bird these days. Jack in the Box has been one of the few fast food chains that does try to heat up its non-poultry items, and just recently they teamed up with Hot Ones for a whole new menu. You can get a look at all the options they offer here, and I went with the Hot Ones Sriracha Double Jr. Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger and the Hot Ones Buffalo Sauced & Loaded Curly Fries. Here is the rundown on those two from the website:
Sriracha Double Jr. Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger: Two 100% beef patties seasoned as they grill, topped with American cheese, tomato, pickle, lettuce, onions, ketchup & Hot Ones™ Sriracha.
Buffalo Sauced & Loaded Curly Fries: Jack’s seasoned curly fries topped with shredded cheddar cheese, cheese sauce, & Hot Ones™ Buffalo Sauce.
You may notice from the picture that the Jr. Jumbo Jack looks like a smashed mess, but it ended up being the star of the meal without needing the Hot Ones sauce. The two patties are surprisingly beefy and well-seasoned, and not dry, as is so often the case with fast food burgers. The American cheese works well with this type of burger, bringing some creaminess and a touch of sharpness. The veggies were surprisingly fresh, and even though that sheet of lettuce was ridiculously large, it still worked out well on the burger. The pickles added a nice pop of vinegar, and the bun held everything together well enough.
As for that Hot Ones Sriracha Sauce, it acted like a spicy mayo, though it was definitely light on the spice. I detected a little bit of creaminess from it and maybe some tang, but mostly it got lost in the mix, and the whole thing barely got to Mild on my scale. But I have to say I still enjoyed the burger. I haven’t had the Jr. Jumbo Jack in a while, but it is a pretty good fast food selection. Add some jalapenos and Spicy Good Good Sauce, and who needs the upcharge for the Hot Ones name?
As for the loaded curly fries, it’s a mess of fries loaded with cheese and sauce, but somehow that Hot Ones Buffalo Sauce didn’t really stand out. There was a decent amount of cheese (though concentrated at the top), and the fries were well-seasoned and tasty even if they did not retain much crispiness in this concoction. But I hardly detected any of the expected Buffalo tang, and these had almost no heat at all, not even getting to Mild on my scale. I had to add my own hot sauce to give the fries a kick, so they were pretty much a fail beyond the junk food indulgence.
I got the Double Jr. Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger because their other Hot Ones featured items, like the Sriracha Curly Fry Burger and the Buffalo Chick-N-Tater Melt, seemed like absolute calorie bombs. But I ended up not doing myself any favors because the burger was 580 cals and the loaded fries were 710 cals (they don’t have a further nutrition breakout for either item). So that ended up breaking the calorie bank, and I will be doing some penance in the gym.
The burger cost $4.49 in my area, and the fries tacked on another $4.00. But that’s really not too bad when you consider the amount of food. You could actually split that meal with somebody, and it wouldn’t be too high calorie-wise or too much of a drain on your pocketbook. The Hot Ones menu is a limited-time offering, but I expect it will stick around through the summer. I may end up trying one of the other items at some point, but I know to add jalapenos or get that Last Dab packet of sauce (for a hefty $1.25 upcharge) if I want any heat with my meal.
