Give Burger King's Whopper A Bold BBQ Taste With These 3 Toppings

At Burger King, it's really customization that reigns supreme. The chain's "Have It Your Way" slogan says it all, and this commitment to customization is especially evident in its signature Whopper. There are so many ways to get the absolute best BK Whopper, and getting creative with sauces and toppings is crucial to making your burger your own. If you're craving something sweet and smoky, it only takes a few simple swaps and additions to give this sandwich a bold barbecue flavor.

The basic Whopper comes with tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and onions. To make it a barbecue burger, start by removing the ketchup and mayonnaise. Add barbecue sauce for a little tang and more depth of flavor. Keep — or even double up on — the pickles and onions. Pickles are a traditional garnish on pulled pork sandwiches, adding a vinegary zing and some crunch, and they do the same here alongside the beef patty and sweet sauce. Onions add a sharp bite and more texture, keeping this burger from getting boring. Whether you keep the lettuce and tomatoes is up to you, but they aren't necessary.

Don't forget to order your Whopper "hot off the broiler" — an option in the Burger King app, as well as one you can request at the counter or drive-thru window. This means your patty will be fresh and hot and will have a more pronounced grilled flavor, which pairs perfectly with the barbecue vibe you're creating.

Barbecue sauce isn't the only customization option that will make your Whopper taste like it came straight from a barbecue pit. For a flavorful barbecue cheeseburger, start your order with the Texas Whopper, which includes American cheese, bacon, and jalapeños and has mustard instead of ketchup. If you're a fan of Carolina Gold barbecue sauce, keep the mustard, and swap the mayonnaise for barbecue sauce to create a sweet and tangy topping. Bacon and American cheese both add some fat to the party, so the sharpness of the mustard, plus the heat from the jalapeños, will help keep all the flavors balanced.

Want more texture? Ditch the sliced white onions, and add crispy onion rings instead, à la Burger King's Rodeo Cheeseburger. Just like some of the best barbecue cheeseburgers at other chains, the onion rings add crunch and jammy sweetness to the meal.

Clearly, Burger King offers plenty of toppings that can help you hit your preferred flavor combination in a single bite, depending on what you're in the mood for. Barbecue sauce is sweet, bacon is salty, pickles are sour, jalapeños are spicy (and slightly bitter!), and the patties themselves are full of umami. Feel free to mix and match to create a surprisingly complex — and super satisfying — burger that's entirely your own. Best of all, you don't even have to get out of your car to do it.