The Steak McDonald's Uses For Its Breakfast Sandwiches

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We're told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While there's no science to prove this, logic does tell us that a nutritious meal at the beginning of the day gives our bodies a solid kickstart of energy and nutrients to fuel us. But time is always stretched, and sometimes the easiest (and quickest) thing to do is a pop-in at the McDonald's round the corner for a filling meal. You want to order something with a balance of nutritional ingredients that can keep you sustained until lunchtime (or at least until that mid-morning caffeine break), and a meal that contains protein-rich meat is a really good way to go. So, it's Mickey D's steak bagel sandwiches for the win. It turns out that the steak the chain uses here is actually the cut with the highest protein: sirloin.

That's right, the steak that McDonald's uses for its Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel sandwiches isn't a hodgepodge of processed animal leftovers and chemicals. Rather, it's tenderized sirloin steak that is pre-made by food service brand Steak-EZE. It's kind of like a patty made from sirloin meat that is compressed and then "breaks apart" when cooked. Being pre-made, it's also lightly marinated and seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning — so it's ready to rock 'n roll. This little secret was shared by a former McDonald's corporate chef, Mike Haracz, on his TikTok. After spilling the beans, he also gave viewers inspiration for making their own steak sandwich at home — particularly the Steak, Egg & Cheese bagel. So, let's have at it.

As it turns out, the Steak-EZE BreakAway Sirloin Beef Steak (the one your Mickey D's sandwiches are made from) isn't all that easy to get hold of. It's available in service packs (that the franchises buy) at just over $100 per pack, so really not all that practical for the home chef. But we've got your back with an alternative that, dare we say, could be even better.

You will need to get your stash of nicely marbled sirloin steak, because the fat is where it's at in terms of flavor. If you can't get the pre-tenderized version, chuck your steak in a sealable plastic bag and use a meat mallet to flatten it and break down those fibrous tissues for a juicy and tender piece of meat. To fill your gorgeous steak and egg bagel, caramelize your onions before frying the steak until done to taste. Next, cook your eggs omelet-style with melted cheese on top.

The magic, though, is in the sauce, which is affectionately called McDonald's breakfast sauce. It includes mustard, mayo, dill, lemon juice, steak sauce, and some sort of all-purpose or steak seasoning. Lather the sauce on both halves of your bagel, then layer your onions, sirloin, and egg-cheese mixture between your bagel halves. Gently press to marry everything together, then tuck in.