Give Your Texas Roadhouse Cactus Blossom A Hearty Upgrade With One Savory Addition

Texas Roadhouse has heaps of scrumptious dishes from the sirloin beef tips to the crunchy fried chicken. However, there's one menu item that hasn't been tickling our fancy as of late; the Cactus Blossom. Topping the list of our worst Texas Roadhouse fare, we found it to be poorly seasoned and a little greasy. Luckily, there's an easy way to give it a hearty upgrade by smothering it in one savory ingredient: pulled pork.

A classic on the Roadhouse menu, the Cactus Blossom is essentially a large onion that's cut into segments (to make it to look like a blooming flower), that's battered and fried until golden brown. Served with a Cajun-style sauce, diners can pull off the "petals" of the onion and dunk each crunchy piece into the spicy dip. Perfect as a shared appetizer due to its hefty size, it can easily be transformed into a filling main with the addition of pulled pork. All you need to do is ask your server to smother your crispy onion in pulled pork and BBQ sauce to create a smoky dish that's crunchy on the bottom and smothered with tender protein on the top. The tanginess of the zesty sauce cuts through the heaviness of the fried onion, thereby balancing its rich flavor. 

Don't feel limited to topping your Cactus Blossom with pulled pork — you can also order it adorned with a heavy scattering of sauteed mushrooms, onions, and Jack cheese (that normally tops the smothered chicken under the chicken specialties section of the menu). That way you'll get extra protein from the pork and fiber from the veggies. As always, check with your server whether you're free to customize your Cactus Blossom before confirming your order as each restaurant has its own rules. While it's true than many eateries are happy to accommodate kind requests from diners, just be sure to ask if you'll be charged extra to avoid any confusion.

If you want to recreate a blooming onion at home, begin by selecting the right variety first. A sweet onion, such as a Vidalia, is ideal because its mild flavor pairs well with the fried taste of the crispy batter. They also come in medium, jumbo, and colossal sizes, so you can choose a small one to make an individual starter or a huge one for sharing. Remove the core of your peeled onion and slice off the top and bottom so it's steady on your chopping board. Then make a series of cuts around the circumference that only go three quarters of the way down. Finally, open out the "petals," dip the whole thing in milk and seasoned flour before deep frying.