KFC BBQ Boss Meal Review

I have to admit I was a bit trepidatious about today's expeditition to try the latest Time Limited Offer (TLO), the BBQ Bacon Boss Box Meal to give it its official title.

The reason for my sense of foreboding? I had opted to try what one commenter has called 'Worst KFC in the UK' accompanied by a slew of similar comments around 3 years ago. However a later comment posted a year ago paints the place in a better light, but it was time for KFB to check it out.

Why had I chosen this particular branch? Knowing that this TLO contains bacon, I knew a couple of my more regular haunts are halal branches which don't sell the bacon. I presumed, correctly as it turned out, that a small market town in the middle of a national park would not have the ethnic diversity to warrant a halal conversion.

After a number of fairly innovative recent TLO's the product design teams seem to be taking a break and have thrown together this burger from existing ingredients pretty quickly before adding an alliterative moniker to capture the attention:

When ordering I stuck with the Original Recipe (OR) fillet so I could enjoy this burger as Colonel intended. I opted for a side of gravy too and was delighted when the branch supervisor agreed to substitute my piece of chicken on the bone for a mini fillet ( although she said she wasn't supposed to, when I whipped out my Colonels Club card with it's swollen points total, I think she knew she was rewarding a real fan).

Following the comments I wasn't expecting much but was presented with a well constructed burger, just a couple of minor gripes, the hash brown was a little too brown and the bun had hardly seen the toaster, so was rather cool. The fries too looked a little overcooked but in fact were very nice and the gravy was an incredible three step that passed the standing chip test:

The Burger itself was exactly what you'd expect although I have to say it was well balanced with each of the key ancilliary ingredients (Cheese / Bacon / BBQ) coming through nicely. I just had one bite where the the BBQ was a little overpowering. The OR, so often overlooked by KFB in favour of Zinger was also very tasty although given I was tucking into this at about 13:20 not as fresh as it could have been.

The Buxton branch I have to say exceeded my expectations, It was clean with good service and helpful friendly staff.

Although there's a lack of innovation here, this is a solid contender hot on the heels of some good TLO's therefore earns itself a solid 6.5 out of ten.

KFB interviews a former KFC employee

A few weeks ago while indulging in post-work beers near KFB headquarters it came to light that one of our drinking accomplices had previously worked at none other than KFC. Naturally we had to pick the brains of this young man to learn more. We've protected the ex-employee's face in the only way we know how: with chicken.

Hello! Thanks so much for sharing your tales direct from the Colonel's kitchen. 

How long did you work for KFC? Which city were you based in? What was your highest position?

I worked at a relatively central and busy KFC location in Perth, Western Australia. I was trained as a kitchen hand originally, but I learned front counter and burger prep as well. I worked there for about a year and a half. For a while they were trying to entice me to become a manager but that process was taking too long so I left for greener pastures.


Sounds like a foolish decision to us! OK, what’s your favourite menu item and why? 

I really enjoy any menu item that isn’t frozen chicken. Even though popcorn chicken is delicious, nothing beats the OG chicken pieces- Hot n Spicy or Original Recipe.


I really don’t like eating the potato from KFC because that stuff is instant potato, which has a rubbish mouth feel.

The mashed potato has divided us here at KFB too. Is there anything you can tell us about KFC that most of our readers won’t know?

The gravy is made, in part, with a by-product of the Original Recipe frying process. I forget what in-house term for the ‘stock’ is, but it comes from the bottom of the frier (crackling - Ed). Most people are terrified at the prospect of eating old bits of fried breading that have been sitting at the bottom of the high pressure fryers, but it’s no different from eating traditional stock.


Also, KFC in Australia have a kind of audit/olympics yearly event where store staff compete with other store staff to get standardised food orders out of the door in a certain time and at a certain quality.


Did you ever ‘Frankenstein’ together different ingredients to make bespoke products? If so, what was your favourite creation?

Menu hacks are non cannon and no true fast food fan pays them any mind.


A respectable point of view though not one we totally abide by ourselves. Do you have any funny stories about your time working in restaurants or particularly weird customer incidents?

Not really. I worked at a pretty busy store, so you got all kinds- from smelly homeless guys, to traveling americans who got pissed off that we didn’t carry 'biscuits'. I remember when I applied that I said I enjoyed cooking because I thought it would get me over the line (I was fresh out of high school so the only thing I knew how to cook was cheese on toast). As it turns out, the fast food industry is pretty regimented in practice, so cooking was definitely not a skill I needed for this position.


You wouldn’t believe the demand for stolen Original Recipe spices.


Actually I think we would! Did you enjoy your time working for the Colonel and do you still eat his chicken?

I had a great time and I definitely still eat the chicken.


That's what we like to hear. And finally, how often do you still wear your KFC caps and t-shirts?

It’s impossible to get the smell of chicken and flour out of a uniform, so they went straight in the bin. Sorry.

The smell of chicken sounds amazing, the smell of flour...not so much. Thank you for your time and we hope that you one day find your way back into the Colonel's warm embrace / kitchen.

No worries. 

KFC World Tour, Part 1: Intro and Slovakia

It's true that 2010 was a quiet year for the KFB team. Looking at the stats, we posted a meager 17 times in 2010 compared with a mighty 84 posts in 2009. "What's up with that?" I hear you ask, "Have you guys just given up on chicken, given up on life??". Well the answer, clearly, is no. Chicken IS our life, and to give up on chicken would be to give up on...LIVING. The reason for our lull in activity is that we were planning something big, something that would bring KFC from the four corners of the world straight to our loyal readers. This, my friends, was the KFC World Tour.

After months of intricate planning including detailed analysis of locations, restaurants and menus, the route was set and every last penny was saved and deposited into an offshore bank account, which was ultimately used to purchase one Round The World ticket - and I was the lucky blogger who would be sent out in search of the answers to so many questions. What is KFC like on the other side of the world? Does the secret recipe taste the same? What innovations are being made that we could learn from in the UK? ...and is UK KFC the best in the world?? It was time to answer these questions, so on August 24th 2010, I set off.

First stop would be in Europe, but where? Here at KFB we have already explored what's on offer in our neighbouring countries; previous field reports from Germany and France are still available for your perusal. So it was time to go further afield, into the beating heart of Central Europe and pay Slovakia a visit - and more precisely, the capital city of Bratislava.

On arrival at the city's most central branch, I was immediately struck by the buzz and hustle bustle of people around the entrance and seating areas. It was lunchtime, and as far as I could see KFC in Bratislava is a popular destination for hungry Slavs.



The branch was small but with a pleasant outdoor seating area, and brisk but cheery counter service. After studying the Slovakian menu for a while, it was clear that the long-standing classics were present; namely the Fillet Burger, Tower Burger, Twister, Buckets, Strips etc., but in addition to this there were some local delicacies, including the "Longer Menu" (essentially a smaller Fillet Burger in a torpedo roll), the "Fuller" bowl and a Tiramisu dessert.



I opted for the Fuller as it looked very interesting: a bowl of mashed potato, chopped Crispy Strips, sweetcorn and covered in the Colonel's finest gravy and melted mozzarella cheese, all topped with a sprinkling of herbs. Sounded delicious...and it was!



The chicken and mashed potato was a well loved combo, delightfully complemented by the gravy which was rich and creamy. The addition of sweetcorn added texture, a sweet flavour and a healthy element to the meal. The choice of an Italian melted cheese for the topping was a surprise and a rarity to see at KFC, but one that was pulled off without question of a doubt and made me wonder why other Italian and more exotic cheeses aren't used more often in the standard menu. All in all, the Fuller was a great, light meal, full of flavour and reasonably priced. My advice: Introduce this to the UK, also throw it in a box meal with a Mini Fillet burger and fries alongside and you've got a strong seller (I imagine it would make a great hang over cure too).

I left Slovakia in high spirits and with high hopes. If every KFC across the world could serve up something as innovative and delicious as what I had sampled in Bratislava, then I would be in for quite an eye opening experience. Of course, further testing would be required...next stop, Austria!

Gravy, A Special Investigation. Part 2 of 2

"With me, gravy is a mighty important thing."- Col. Harland Sanders

Just how good did the colonel think his gravy was? Well, he once told prospective franchisee & personal friend Pete Harman owner of the world first KFC franchise this about his gravy:

" This gravy's so good you can throw the chicken away and eat the gravy."

With KFC, when the gravy is good, it's very very good so why is it sometimes not as the Colonel prescribed? Part two will shed some light on the difference between the types of gravy and wonder whether gravy has been a victim of it's own success.

What you are looking at above is the finest example of KFC gravy ever witnessed by man or beast.

In fact the branch that was responsible for producing these particular tubs (Stafford Greyfriars) has sadly been closed.

Great gravy can be readily identified by its rich dark colour and flecks of pepper populating its surface. It should have a smooth texture and should not be able to be described as gloopy. It should be served steaming hot and like Original Recipe (OR) itself should include the three distinct notes, pepper, savoury and dairy and can be tasted much like a fine wine would be but without spitting.


What you are looking at above is a pot of brown.

The product of an object lesson in how not to produce gravy. Gravy like this can be described as gelatinous gloop displaying none of the fine subtle traits of the gravy above.

So, why the difference? every other fine KFC product is replicated perfectly from store to store. Gravy is the only product where (no pun intended) pot luck enters the equation and really can make or break your meal depending which type of gravy you recieve.

What you are looking at is a 'Winston CollectraMatic' one of, if not the most vital pieces of equipment in branch. This machine is responsible for filtering the fryer oil and retrieving all of those concentrated morsels of flavour, this is the machine that allows your chef to add secret recipe to your gravy. From here I'll let staff testimony tell this epic story. . . . .

"I'm a KFC worker in England. Just a quick lesson as to how the gravy is made. . . . . . Firstly there are two types, 1-step or 3-step gravy. The 1-step is a basic mix of powder and water. The 3-step is made up of powder, water and 'crackle' (filtered flour from the main fryer.) The mixture is whisked and cooked in a microwave. Once thickened up it's filtered through a very fine sieve and poured out into tubs."

and another testimonial

"I currently have a job at KFC and I can for sure tell you that it is made from the crackling, and it's made with other fresh ingredients, it's just like homemade, it's better than some powdered stuff like some people are claiming we use. It's real good stuff"

Praise indeed. So, if three step is so much better then why do we have to suffer the ignominy of one step. During a recent visit to HQ I took this question right to the top and Chief Exec Martin Shuker empathised

"You're pushing at an open door"

he said

"It's something i'd like to see in all brances all the time."

The simple and sad fact is this, there isn't enough crackling to go around and it is for this reason that no one branch will serve 3 step gravy 100% of the time. So much gravy is sold that branches run out of the crackling that gives it its delicious flavour. So lets enjoy the three step nectar when it presents itself to us and and lets hope that those boffins in the test kitchen can ameliorate the one step.

Gravy, A Special Investigation. Part 1 of 2

Bank Hey KFC in Blackpool is one of the country's most highly decorated branches replete with plaques, excellence awards and something I've seen nowhere else, the Colonel statuette awarded presumably for some outstanding achievement, possibly the gravy. For it was here one stormy Wednesday night the 10th of December 2003 that I was introduced to KFC gravy. Needless to say. . . . I haven't looked back.

Gravy for me has become an integral part of every meal for dipping chips in, pouring greedily over my burger and even slurping it down straight from the tub. Here in the UK we are very lucky to get a pot of pure unadulterated gravy, for there are countries the world over that are denied this simple human pleasure.

In countries such as the USA, Australia & Spain the only way to get gravy is as part of a side order of mashed potato and gravy with the mashed potato being by far and away the lions share of the dish.

Canada has its own regional twist, Poutine. This French Canadian dish is one of the simpler pleasures in life, French fries topped with cheese all smothered in delicious KFC gravy. Notice the Quebec brand PFK (Poulet Frit Kentucky) which was adopted in the 70s with much packaging Canada wide being dual language.

Worse than this some middle eastern nations are denied gravy in any way shape or form.

The Colonel was very particular about the standard of the gravy sold in his restaurants and even found himself in a war of words in 1971 shortly after he had sold the chain for $2m. Heublein inc. the then parent company had their gravy described by Sanders as 'Sludge' with a 'Wallpaper taste'.

Today, things are different and KFC gravy attracts much admiration with one Facebook discussion topic asking respondents:

"Which is best, KFC gravy or sex with a loved one?".

Discussion is lively, one comment likens chips dipped in KFC gravy to Mannah from Heaven. There are any number of forums trying to recreate KFC gravy but little discussion about the huge variation in quality seen in UK KFC's gravy.

For too long this taboo has stood unchallenged, nobody is willing to talk about the bad gravy. In part two there will be a full and frank discussion and dissection of gravy types , a photojournalistic investigation featuring staff, fan and head office comment and even some sage words from beyond the grave. . . . The Colonel himself, the ultimate arbitrator of good taste will have his say!