Wendy's Introduces the Most Bacon-y Sandwich Ever

In the US, dreaming up bacon-infused burgers and other bizarre recipes is practically a national pastime. But it would appear that our American appetites aren’t the only reason pork belly prices are sky-high these days. Whether the product of one upmanship or the desire to stake its claim as an international bacon destination, Wendy’s New Zealand is putting the country on the map with the launch of what it’s already dubbed “the most bacony burger ever.”

Built from the template of the chain’s popular “Baconator,” the Ultimator is baconalia carried to its logical conclusion. In addition to the obvious inclusion of bacon, the burger also features baconnaise and a bacon jam for the ultimate in fatty pork flavoring.

Each of these elements comes courtesy of local New Zealand suppliers. And with bacon fever spreading among the Kiwis, local pork product purveyors were more than happy to get on board. MIke Jeffries, director of Big Smoke BBQ describes the opportunity to add his bacon jam to the Ultimator as “a career highlight for me… we’ve had to try and up production to prepare for this, but it’s definitely a game changer.”

This isn’t the first time the locals have put their own spin on the tried-and-true baconator. "We've taken the Baconator and tried to branch out every year,” said Wendy’s New Zealand CEO Danielle Lendich at a promotional launch event . While their past attempts like the “Spicenator” garnered attention, there’s no denying the Ultimator is an attempt to take things to the next level. “We have a couple of tons of sauces in anticipation of the high demand we[‘ll] see.”

As of now, the burger will retail for a limited time (though Wendy’s admits this could be extended due to popular demand) and retails for $12.90 (~$9.46 US). There are no plan to import the Ultimator to American Wendy’s locations yet, but you can bet that someone, somewhere is already dreaming up a way to top New Zealand’s latest creation.