Big Mac’s secret? We go straight to the sauce
THE world’s most iconic burger celebrates its 50th birthday this year. The Big Mac (originally named The Aristocrat) was introduced in Pittsburgh in 1967, and has gone on to become a worldwide phenomenon.
Today, the Big Mac can be ordered in every corner of the world, and although the exact ingredients and sizes change slightly from country to country, one crucial element remains consistent: the “special sauce’’.
Shrouded in secrecy, the sauce is what makes a Big Mac a Big Mac.
But what is it?
And what makes it so “special’’?
As with the “ingredients’’ list on any packet of food sold at a supermarket, the official McDonald’s website includes a list of the secret sauce’s ingredients, but it stops short of providing quantities.
So, keen to crack the burger’s secrets once and for all, we took to the test kitchen with a mountain of mayo and a pile of pickle relish and started experimenting.
After almost a dozen trials, and consuming a dangerous amount of homemade Big Macs, here’s what we believe can be revealed as the definitive Special Sauce recipe:
BIG MAC SPECIAL SAUCE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS: 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise 1 tbs gherkin relish 2 tsp vinegar 1⁄2 tsp paprika 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp mustard powder 1⁄2 tsp crushed mustard seeds 1⁄2 tsp white pepper 1⁄2 tsp sugar 1⁄2 tsp salt
METHOD: Stir all ingredients together until well combined. Serve on a burger, or as a dipping sauce for fries.
We took to the test kitchen with a mountain of mayo and a pile of pickle relish and started experimenting.