Smaller Than Expected

Arby’s is known for their meats. That’s their slogan: “We Have the Meats”. They do have a wider selection of meats than just about any other fast food restaurant, with not just roast beef and fried chicken but also fish, turkey, burgers, and, at times, items like elk or brisket or more. This is one such time, with Arby’s unveiling two barbeque sandwiches as part of a collaboration with comedians-turned-sauce and rub purveyors Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer (AC Barbeque) These sandwiches, the Quarter Pound Brisket and the Quarter Pound Pulled Pork, are out for a limited time, and as such I felt like I had to go out and at least sample one of the sandwiches.

To be up front, I didn’t buy the pork sandwich. This isn’t because I’m Jewish, although that certainly does complicate things, but I really am just not a fan of pork (pulled or otherwise). Beef, however, I do very much enjoy, and smoked brisket is such a lovely, tender meat that being able to get it quick and easy sounds like a great thing. A quick roll over to Arby’s, where I grabbed not only the sandwich but packets of both sauces on offer – Cedric's Sweet Bussin Brown Sugar and Anthony's Spicy Chipotle – and I was all set to do my review.

And, for a short answer: the sandwich is fine. There are a number of little things I’d change about the sandwich, including either the size or the price, but the fact is that this is a perfectly competent, if basic, barbeque brisket sandwich that does exactly what it says on the tin. It has brisket, it has sauce (that, weirdly, you apply yourself), and it’s a quarter pound of meat. If that sounds good to you, then this sandwich will probably pull you in regardless. But with that said, it doesn’t exactly make me sing its praises, either.

The first issue I have with the sandwich is its size. A quarter pound sounds great, nice and hefty, especially if you’re used to a Quarter Pounder or the like in burger form. I found, though, that Arby's sandwich was rather small, almost paltry. I don’t know how Arby’s runs its kitchen, and it’s entirely possible that the person that made the sandwich didn’t put nearly enough meat on, although that would imply they don’t have a scale they put the shaved meat into for measuring. Instead, my guess (and I have to go off this since it’s what I served) is that when it comes to brisket, four ounces just isn’t very much meat and it leads to a small sandwich.

On its own I wouldn’t mind a smaller eatable. I’d get this sandwich alongside a slider or two and that would be a fun little meal. The price of the sandwich, though, is clearly designed for a larger meal option. I paid twelve-plus for my meal, which was just the sandwich (which, on its own, is more than eight bucks), potato cakes (which I really like), and a medium soda. For comparison, the Beef and Cheddar sandwich, which is substantially bigger than this brisket offering, is less than six bucks and actually fills me up. Yes, there’s a premium for the nicer meat, but you’d think the sandwich size would still be substantial. This was less of a meal and more of a snack.

The Quarter Pound Brisket is clearly priced at the same level as the Smokehouse Brisket, and sandwich that comes with the meat, barbeque sauce (already applied), crispy, fried onions, and a slice of cheese, and yet that sandwich is a few cents cheaper despite coming with arguably more ingredients. The Quarter Pound Brisket just has the meat, the sauce packet, and some pickles. It feels like less for more. Way less in some cases. All of this is to say that Arby’s really needs to consider the price on the sandwich because it’s kind of ridiculous.

So the size is too small (or the price is too high, if you like) but how does it eat? Well, it’s fine. It’s a perfectly serviceable brisket sandwich. The meat was flavorful enough and the pickles added some crunch, if not much extra flavor. I wouldn’t call it bland, per se, but if you compare it to a brisket sandwich you could get from the likes of Famous Dave’s or Sugarfire Smokehouse (who we reviewed when they had a location open in Indianapolis), it hardly compares. Out of curiosity, I looked up Famous Dave’s Texas Beef Brisket Sandwich (and sorry to keep harping on price) and it was $8.99, with fries, for a bigger, more substantial, and arguably more flavorful sandwich. If I had to choose between these two, I would go Famous Dave’s over Arby’s, and just do carryout from the better place. Heck, if I didn’t get a drink I’d save money in the long run.

Now, sure, not every place has a good barbeque restaurant in town. Where I’m living lacks any good options (with the only true barbeque place closing over a year ago, sadly) so with limited options Arby’s sandwich is the best I can do, which makes it being fine just… fine, I guess. If I’m craving barbeque this is an okay option, it just irks me that I get so little for so much, especially when it isn’t really that impressive. The brisket is fine, yes, but it could be more flavorful. More pepper, more seasoning, more smoke. It needs something. And it would be better if it didn’t just have pickles on it. Maybe some crispy onions, or a slice of cheese, or…

Oh, I just reinvented their Smokehouse Brisket sandwich. Well, clearly that’s the superior option and the only reason I can think that they have this other version is because they have a collab with Cedrick and Anthony. Which, hey, if that draws butts in and gets people to buy the food, I can’t blame them. I just wish this brisket had more going on with it. I suppose if I liked pork that would have been the better option, but I’m not going to be the only person that avoids that sandwich because it’s pork. The brisket is their option for people that don’t like pork and it’s just not that great.

Perhaps a pulled chicken next time, Arby’s. I do love pulled chicken and then I would have been happy to try this sandwich. Plus, while Arby’s has plenty of fried chicken, I don’t think they’re ever offered pulled chicken before. That would have been a tasty and interesting experience. Seriously, Arby’s, next time just give us some chicken and they your two offerings wouldn’t overlap with stuff already on the menu, and they’d feel more unified in their experience.

Regardless, this sandwich isn’t bad but because they already have brisket on the menu it feels like a real miss. I want to like it, and I do think the two sauces are tasty enough – the sweet is more powerful while the spicy, while certainly having a kick, isn’t as flavor forward – but that’s not enough on its own to make the sandwich a must buy. If you want a barbeque brisket sandwich, and you don’t have a good joint around, go to Arby’s… and get their other brisket sandwich, not this one.