Hold the roast beast, McDonald’s is serving up The Grinch Meal

At some point over the past few years, the Dr. Seuss estate seemingly opened the floodgates when it came to expanding its Grinchian empire.

The grumbly green guy went from being in a few books and the classic animated Christmas special (where he was voiced by Boris Karloff) to a live-action film in 2000 (where he was played by Jim Carrey) before exploding into a full-length animated film (where he was now voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), countless Christmas snacks and candy offerings with the Grinch’s face on them ... and even a Walmart commercial starring Walton Goggins as the Grinch. (Shudders at that one.)

The Grinch based on the 1966 animated special is thankfully the Grinch who has joined forces with McDonald’s to bring the world The Grinch Meal. (I’m sorry, Walton Goggins, I love you in Justified, but the way your natural hair blends with the Grinch’s green fur in those Walmart commercials ... shudders again.)

Let’s go to McDonald’s’ Seussian way of announcing The Grinch Meal ...

The Grinch is taking over with a plan so keen;
McDonald’s USA will serve the most mischievous fries you’ve ever seen.
Dill Pickle McShaker Fries arrive with tangy zest;
Order The Grinch Meal Dec. 2 — put your taste buds to the test.

The Grinch Meal is the latest installment in McDonald’s line of “let’s not call them Happy Meals since they’re targeted at adults” promotions, following in the footsteps of The McDonaldland Meal and A Minecraft Movie Meal. The highlight of The Grinch Meal absolutely has to be the Dill Pickle McShaker Fries, featuring “Grinch Salt.” There are also four different sock designs that you can get with this meal.

Did The Grinch Meal cause my stomach to grow three sizes?

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What it costs

The Grinch Big Mac Meal was $12.49 at my McDonald’s while The Grinch 10 pc. Chicken McNuggets Meal was $12.19. I also had the option to buy a standalone serving of The Grinch McShaker Fries for $4.19.

My thoughts

McShaker Fries are both a throwback to a previous era of McDonald’s and a window into what the chain serves up at some of its restaurants outside of America. For The Grinch Meal, these McShaker Fries are created thanks to a packet of Grinch Salt.

Inside the packet is a powdery mixture that packs a wallop of the promised dill pickle smell. You have no idea how careful I was opening and photographing my packet of Grinch Salt.

The back of the bag of McShaker Fries offers four simple steps on how to turn a regular order of McDonald’s fries into the Grinch’s Dill Pickle McShaker Fries. (The inclusion of “roll” as one of the steps was honestly welcomed.) I carefully held both the top and bottom of the bag to avoid any unwanted spontaneous combustion as I shook up my fries ...

And there they were! Dill Pickle McShaker Fries, courtesy of the Grinch.

Based on how strong the Grinch Salt was in terms of aroma, I expected the Dill Pickle McShaker Fries to really drive home that specific flavor, but the end result was a bit muted. They were still a tasty twist on fast-food fries that many of us have been eating since childhood.

My Grinch Meal came with the blue socks featuring the Grinch, Cindy Lou Who and Max.

Oh, and the 10-piece McNuggets were just your classic McNuggets. I was hoping for some fun branding on the box like we saw with the McDonaldland Meal earlier this year, but no such luck.

Snack score

🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)

I really love that McDonald’s brought back McShaker Fries for The Grinch Meal. I’m never going to turn down the restaurant’s iconic fries, but it’s a welcome addition to have the ability to add a flavor to them. Bringing McShaker Fries back to their menu is as simple as stocking seasoning packets.

Maybe we’ll get another installment in this McDonald’s/Dr. Seuss partnership when Bill Hader’s The Cat in the Hat hits theaters next November.

The Grinch Meal was provided to Snackology for this independent review.