Snack Review: New! Wheat Thins Smoky BBQ

Posted September 19th, 2011 | 1:31pm by Adam

Ever so often in my career as a food blogger, I’m allowed the chance at validation as a taster and general connoisseur of all things edible through contact with certain companies. Recently, Wheat Thins contacted me about trying out their new Smoky BBQ flavor, and being a lover of all things ‘Q and crackers, I agreed to give it the old college try.

If you’re thinking anything along the lines of “I totally :heart: barbecue and I’m mad about crackers, but both together?” then I can sympathize. I mean, I am the guy who meticulously prepares crackers and cheese arrangements for my office snack breaks in addition to ripping well established BBQ joints, but even I wasn’t sold on sticking the flavor of a 12-hour smoked pig into an enriched flour and soybean oil product. That – coupled with the last several duds I tried out from Wheat Thins – and I almost declined the offer to get an advance tasting of the product. But who am I kidding. With the exception of olives, there’s literally nothing I positively dislike, so these crackers couldn’t be that bad, could they?

Well, I’m pleased to say they’re not only not bad, they’re freaking great. And, through what could only be some miracle of modern food technology or pact with the devil, Wheat Thins has managed to stick the flavor of a hickory-smoked pork butt into a cracker.

At first I was skeptical. Aside from looking and smelling like overgrown Cheese-Its, the crackers suffered from the bag-half-empty syndrome which always makes it look like you’re getting more than you actually are. Undeterred, I sampled the first cracker slowly, getting an initial taste of garlicy-sweet tomato and paprika flavor that you’d expect a BBQ-flavored product to have. What impressed me though was the smoke flavor. Notice how I didn’t say taste. What’s the difference? The difference is that there is an integration of smell and taste in the flavor component of the smoke, and a lingering meatiness which you sense on the upper part of your mouth while allowing the cracker to remain perched on your tongue. It’s as if I shut off my taste buds but could still sense the smoke flavor, and, dare I say, the unmistakable aroma and flavor of pulled pork.

It’s a great sensation, and one which yields to the unmistakable crunch and malty sweetness of the cracker when you decide to move on to putting the chompers down. The salt level is right where it needs to be, bringing out the flavors of the BBQ flavor without destroying your senses in cheap sodium filler. Snackability is high, and while it’s tempting to just plow through the entire box, you’ll find yourself getting the most out of the entire spectrum of flavor by taking a one-at-a-time approach. Now, all I gotta do it gets some baked beans and slaw, and I’ve recreated a pulled pork sandwich without actually having to break out the smoker. Nice.