8 Buc-Ee's Sandwiches, Ranked Worst To Best

For those who haven't been to a Buc-ee's, it's difficult to describe just how significant this gas-station chain is. It's a cultural phenomenon for Texans, where the chain began, and it has since expanded into 14 different states with 58 locations. Visiting Buc-ee's has become a rite of passage for anyone living in the South. In one massive, Walmart-sized warehouse, you can find decorations for your home, clothes, grilling gear, pet supplies, a roving beaver mascot to take pics with the kids, and food — so much food.

You'll find snacks, jerky, fresh-cut fruit, an entire counter dedicated to fudge, burritos, and more. You are not going hungry at Buc-ee's. But by far one of the most attractive food options at Buc-ee's is the hot sandwiches. The kitchen is shaped like a circle, and workers inside cut brisket and barbecued meats fresh, slather them with sauce, wrap them in foil, and place them in a hot hold for your grab-and-go convenience. It has the speed and efficiency of a fast-food restaurant, with the quality of good Texas barbecue.

On my latest visit to Buc-ee's, rather than choosing just one sandwich, I opted to try them all. Including options from both the hot hold and the cold case, I was determined to find the best-tasting sandwich the chain has to offer. How the meat was cooked, how fresh the ingredients were, and how the sauce tasted were my bottom line. With flavor in mind, let the ranking begin.

We start off with the last-place sandwich: the Cuban. I will say, there was a lot to love about this sandwich. It had the perfect amount of ham, the pulled pork was incredibly smoky, and the Swiss cheese was nicely melted. It had the potential to be a perfect Cuban sandwich, but made one disastrous mistake.

That mistake goes by the name of dill aioli. What would possess the creator of this sandwich to change the foundation of the Cuban in such a subtle yet drastic way is beyond me. Cubans should have mustard and pickles, but mayo is not one of the widely accepted ingredients for this sandwich — let alone a mayo that is mixed with chopped dill and pickle relish to form something adjacent to tartar sauce, which is spread generously over the sandwich's bottom bun. It is both irremovable and unignorably overpowering. 

This sandwich was so close to being great, but I was distracted by the flavor of the dill aioli in each bite. If Buc-ee's were to remove this ingredient, I would certainly come back for more, but until then, this is not a sandwich I'll be buying again.

If you were to point at a lineup of hot sandwiches and ask me to take a guess as to which one I thought would be the worst, I would definitely say the fried chicken. Of all the meats you want to smother in sauce, sandwich between buns, wrap in foil, and let sit, fried chicken is just not the one.

The sandwich was simple: a chicken breast (which was perfectly proportional to the size of the bun) was dabbed with a small amount of creamy sauce and placed in the bun. Pickles were available at a condiment counter nearby. That was it.

The crust on the chicken was quite thick and not super flavorful. The interior of the chicken was chewy, but the outside retained some crispiness. The sauce had a tamarind-like tartness and a bit of a kick. It was delicious, but there wasn't enough of it to compensate for the lack of seasoning in the chicken breading. Of course, this was a bit of a Catch-22. If Buc-ee's put more sauce on the chicken, the crust would be too soggy. All things considered, I'd say the Buc-ee's Fried Chicken Sandwich was better than I expected it to be in terms of the crust, but it wasn't nearly as good as the many other saucy, well-seasoned sandwich options I tried.

The Chopping Block roast beef sandwich can be found in the refrigerated section along with other deli items like pickles, fresh-cut fruit, and cheese. You might prefer this cold sandwich as opposed to hot options on warm days, but I found that, while of good quality, it didn't quite stack up to the other sandwiches.

The sandwich consisted of cold slices of roast beef (which was cooked more medium-well than medium-rare), several slices of Swiss cheese, and a mayo- and sour cream-based sauce that had just a hint of horseradish and purple onion. The sauce was pleasant, and overall, the sandwich wasn't bad. It was more well-executed than the lower-ranked sandwiches, and it did feel a bit lighter than the hot options. But it just wasn't great, either. Nothing stood out about it, and there wasn't an exceptional sauce or juicy flavor. It was just an average, cold-cut roast beef sandwich, like you could find in the delis of many grocery stores or gas stations. On to more interesting items.

The Italian Hoagie ranks slightly above the roast beef sandwich. In terms of cold sandwiches, it was definitely a step up, as it had way more flavor and even fresher ingredients.

The hoagie had all the fixings you'd expect of an Italian sub: pepperoni, salami, ham, fresh tomato and lettuce, provolone, and even some sweet red peppers and slices of purple onion on the bottom bun. The pepperoni really put the pep in this sandwich (forgive me) and brought all the heat and zing that the roast beef failed to offer. The combination of meats was delicious and in excellent proportions, and the veggies were crisp and fresh.

This is a great sandwich to grab if you need something that feels more refreshing than heavy barbecue. There are at least a few vegetables to make you feel like you're having something healthy, and the quantity of meat is still substantial enough to fill you up. While I enjoyed it, it did feel like a sandwich I could find in many different places. It was in Buc-ee's hot hold that I found the sandwiches that really blew me away. 

From here on out, the competition is stiff. All of these top-ranked sandwiches were of spectacular quality, and I wouldn't be hesitant about grabbing any of them again depending on what I'm craving. But the ranking must be completed, and unfortunately it was the Carolina Pulled Pork that was next in line.

The pulled pork on this sandwich was chunky, tender, and flavorful. The sauce, which was applied generously on both sides of the bun, was referred to as a tangy mustard sauce, but it was really quite sweet (in the best way). This is confirmed by the apple juice concentrate, molasses, and corn syrup on the ingredient list. While mustard is delicious, I find that pulled pork benefits greatly from a bit of sugar in the sauce, and this one was sweet, smoky, tart, and complex.

Those are the traits that brought the Carolina pulled pork sandwich to fourth place, but it was a bit too simple to climb any higher. There were a few other sandwiches that really took the cake in terms of great barbecue flavor.

Turkey is not usually my go-to order at a barbecue restaurant, nor is a turkey sandwich on my list of all-time favorites. But Buc-ee's really blew me away with its BBQ Turkey Sandwich.

First of all, the portion of thick-sliced turkey was generous, and the build of the sandwich was clever. The slices were stacked on a bias, so it was easier to bite through than if they had been piled into a tall mound. The barbecued turkey was incredibly tender and very peppery, as if the meat was injected with a marinade that included fresh-cracked peppercorns. I found this to be particularly delicious, as it gave every bite of the sandwich a burst of floral, peppery flavor. The barbecue sauce was also generously applied. It had a bit of tomato zing, a hint of sugar, and a nice smoky quality.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by the BBQ Turkey Sandwich. I didn't expect to like it so much, yet it proved to have more flavor than any of the sandwiches previously listed. There were a few more that just really knocked it out of the park.

Buc-ee's is well known for its brisket, which you can buy by the pound at the meat counter or in a sandwich, sliced, chopped, XXL, or in the Big Buckin' Brisket Sandwich. This time around, I opted for the sliced version.

It was a pretty simple sandwich, but in my opinion, that's how brisket should be. The flavor and craftsmanship of the meat should be the star of the show, with just a bit of barbecue sauce to round things out. And that is exactly what this sandwich was: a bun, a few slices of deliciously smoky, beefy brisket, and a dab of barbecue sauce. It was simple, elegant, and perfect. My only regret is that I didn't order the XXL or Big Buckin' Brisket Sandwich instead, which would have given me a greater meat-to-bun ratio.

Ranking this sandwich second does feel like a shame. Buc-ee's fresh beef brisket is easily its most beloved food item, and I am a huge fan of it. But there was one sandwich that I simply devoured, where every bite was more delicious than the last. It may not be brisket, but it earned its first-place title.

From the moment I peeled off the checkered wrapper and licked a bit of sauce off my finger, I was hooked. Buc-ee's Club Melt was incredibly good. The build of flavor started at the bottom bun, which was layered with a tart, marinara-like spread. This was followed by slices of deli-style ham and turkey, strips of bacon, gooey cheddar cheese, and finally, the winning sauce. It's tangy, spicy, and creamy, like an elevated Thousand Island dressing. The whole sandwich was smothered in it, yet somehow Buc-ee's managed to keep it from getting soggy. It had just the right level of spice, with just enough to flavor the meat and bread. Every ingredient was in perfect harmony. Dare I say, it's one of the best club melts I've ever had — and from a gas station, no less.

But this gas station, as we all know, is not the average gas station. Even the lowest-ranked of these sandwiches was still better than the microwaved versions I've often consumed while filling the tank at other gas stations. The Club Melt exceeded all my expectations and, largely because of the sauce, was my favorite of them all.

I tried all of the hot sandwich options at the Buc-ee's I visited, along with a few of the best-looking cold ones. I tasted them all soon after purchasing them.

My primary criterion for ranking these sandwiches was how they tasted overall. How the meat was cooked, the freshness of the ingredients, the balance of flavors, and how well they held up outside of hot or cold storage were also considered. These sandwiches all cost around the same amount, so price was not a consideration.