McDonald's Makes First Change to Big Mac Recipe in 50 Years

For 50 years the recipe for McDonald's iconic Big Mac hamburger has been a constant, but now the Golden Arches is mixing it up for a limited time with a new ingredient: bacon.

That's right, bacon is joining the signature recipe of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun this week. The Big Mac Bacon Burger is set to debut at McDonald's locations across the United States and in the U.K. on Wednesday, January 30th.

The change is part of the fast food chain's promotion of its "Classics" menu, giving three of McDonald's most beloved selections -- the Big Mac, the Quarter Pounder, and French Fries -- a bacon twist. According to McDonald's Manager of Culinary Innovation Chef Michael Haracz, the inspiration for this new twist on well, the classics, is pretty straightforward: everyone loves bacon.

"People love bacon, and they love our iconic Big Mac, fresh beef Quarter Pounder burgers and World Famous Fries, so we had to see what would happen if we combined all that tastiness," Haracz said in a statement. "As a bacon enthusiast myself, I'm proud to say that we've done right by bacon fans and I can't wait for our customers to try these Classics with delicious, thick cut Applewood smoked bacon for themselves."

First introduced to the McDonald's menu in 1968, the Big Mac has become one of the most popular fast food offerings in the world, selling more than 550 million each year. During its 50-year history, though, the burger's ingredients have remained largely unchanged. The sudden introduction of bacon, then, has gotten quite a response on social media, ranging from excitement to annoyance, with some Big Mac fans pointing out that the idea of a Bacon Big Mac isn't exactly new. As Twitter user noted, customers have been able to add bacon to any sandwich for a long time.

To celebrate the new bacon-enhanced "Classics", McDonalds is running a special Bacon Hour on Tuesday, January 29 (that's today!) between 4 and 5 p.m. local time. During that special hour time frame, customers will be served a side order of thick cut, Applewood smoked bacon with any order -- giving them the chance to create their own bacon-enhanced meal or simply allowing them to enjoy the bacon by itself.

What do you think about the addition to bacon on the Big Mac? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Bacon Big Mac will make its debut at McDonalds Wednesday, January 30th.