Drive-Thru Gourmet

Bunches of bacon beef up McDonald's new signature smokehouse burger

This new burger boasts a mess o' bacon.

Courtesy photo

This week, I reached out for a new Bacon Smokehouse Burger, the latest addition to the la-di-da Signature Crafted Recipes Collection at McDonald's, with more than 14,000 restaurants across the old U.S. of A.

Signature? Exactly how much is Ronald McDonald's autograph worth these days?

Here's the Bacon Smokehouse Burger breakdown: a quarter-pound beef patty, Applewood-smoked bacon, real white Cheddar cheese, smoky bacon-onion sauce, mild mustard sauce and fried onion strings on a fluffy bun.

Total calories: 840. Fat grams: 45. Sodium: 1,580 mg. Carbs: 45 g. Dietary fiber: 2 g. Protein: 46 g. Manufacturer's suggested retail price: $5.19 or thereabouts.

Like any burger, the bottom line — and layer — is the meat, and the Bacon Smokehouse comes with McDonald's fresh, never-frozen quarter-pound beef patty. You may have heard that McDonald's uses fresh beef in its more exquisite burgers now — it's all they can talk about every 15 minutes on TV. Hey, when Charles Barkley brags about a burger, there's a good chance he's speaking from experience. Lots of experience.

Because McDonald's cooks its big burgers to order on a flat iron grill, they do arrive on your tray or through the drive-through window hotter and juicier than in warm, holding tray days gone by.

The Bacon Smokehouse is gussied up with a mountain of accessories. The onion strings are breaded and deep-fried in each store. It's curious, to say the least, how all the burger big boys are slapping French fried onions on their sandwiches lately. It's like watching TV at 6 pm, all the local news stations are doing weather at the same time, sports at the same time, ending with a goofy joke at the same time. It's collusion. Where's Robert Mueller on this? It's time to flip a witness ... and some burgers.

The Bacon Smokehouse has two sauces, bacon-onion and sweet mustard, which is totally unnecessary and only increases the cone of glop uncertainty. I'd lose the sweet mustard, which brings forward the smoky essence of the bacon-onion schmear.

Real cheese!
I love when McDonald's boasts, "Real white Cheddar!" It's like that scene from National Lampoon's Vacation where Clark Griswold asks Cousin Eddie ... "real tomato ketchup?"

"Nothing but the best."

Bottom line: The Bacon Smokehouse is a mighty, heavy-duty McDonald's burger with all of McDonald's flair and heft. I liked it a lot.

The Bacon Smokehouse also is available in Buttermilk Crispy Chicken and Artisan Grilled Chicken versions.

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Ken Hoffman reviews popular fast food restaurant items. Have a suggestion or a drive-thru favorite? Let Ken know in the comments or on Twitter.

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Sobering statistic

Texas ranks as one of the deadliest states for New Year’s crashes

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Be sure to arrange a safe ride home on New Year's Eve.

At more than 314,000 miles, Texas boasts the largest system of public roads among the 50 states. It also holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of the deadliest states for New Year’s car accidents.

An analysis of 2014-2023 traffic data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows Texas is the ninth worst state for traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

During the 10-year period covered by the analysis, commissioned by AutoAccident.com, Texas tallied 280 traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day — the highest total of any state. The 280-person toll in Texas works out to 9.61 deaths per one million residents, a rate that’s 37 percent above the national average of 6.99 deaths per one million residents.

The analysis reveals that nearly three-fourths (64 percent) of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day traffic deaths in Texas were drivers, nearly one-fifth (19 percent) were pedestrians, and 16 percent were passengers.

“New Year’s Eve is one of the most dangerous nights on American roads,” says Edward Smith, managing attorney at AutoAccident.com, a personal injury law firm.

“With impaired driving incidents spiking during holiday celebrations, every driver has a responsibility to make smart choices that protect themselves and others sharing the road,” Smith adds. “Even in states with strong safety records, one preventable death is too many.”

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), more than 2,000 drunk driving-related crashes happened during the 2024 holiday season. Last year, December ranked as the No. 1 month in Texas for wrecks caused by drunk drivers.

“The holidays are a wonderful time to be with family, and yet they can also be a painful reminder for those who have lost loved ones to preventable crashes,” says Marc Williams, executive director of TxDOT. “Let’s make a new holiday tradition to drive like a Texan: kind, courteous, and safe. That means always getting a sober ride.”

TxDOT offers these four tips for staying safe on the roads as the calendar switches from 2025 to 2026:

Designate a sober driver before the celebrations start.
Ask a sober relative or friend to pick you up if you’re too tipsy to drive.
Use public transit or rideshare services.
Stay off the roads until you’ve sobered up.

traffic fatalities crime holidays new year's day new years eve traffic