We tried and ranked every Chili’s burger from worst to best, and the winner was the most unusual

The ranch dressing worked well with the other ingredients in the burger and added a creamy, tangy flavor that offset the savoriness of the two burger patties and bacon.

However, we thought this burger bordered on too much meat. We couldn’t clearly taste the bacon over the juicy, meaty flavor of the patties, and the moisture from the two burgers affected the texture of the bun, which struggled to hold its shape.

We also missed some of the fresher ingredients, like lettuce or tomato, that we enjoyed in the other burgers we tried.

Overall, this burger just wasn’t to our personal taste.

The burgers were stacked neatly on top of one another, with the toppings under the beef. We thought this was interesting — we usually place burger toppings on top of the patties to prevent the bottom bun from getting soggy.

The Oldtimer cost $13.29, excluding tax, at our local Chili’s in Glendale, New York.

Unlike with the double, we could distinctly taste all the ingredients since there was no second patty to overpower the flavor of the toppings. We also surprisingly didn’t miss the cheese — the burger was so juicy and moist, it didn’t need it.

However, the mustard was still a little strong. One of us thought the addition of ketchup would have balanced out the burger more, but another reporter thought it was fine without it.

This burger was stacked high, with mushrooms falling out of the bun. One of our reporters, in particular, is a big fan of mushrooms, and these ones looked perfectly cooked and came in a hearty serving. We were excited to try it.

The BBQ Brisket Burger cost $17.59, excluding tax.

The combination of the soft and moist pulled brisket and the crispy yet juicy patty worked well for this burger, especially when combined with the barbecue sauce that we caught a noticeable whiff of even before tucking in to eat.

The sweetness of the sauce also provided a solid balance to the tartness of the pickles.

One of our reporters, who usually reaches for ketchup when eating burgers, noticed she didn’t feel the need with this burger.

Since we were splitting the burger, we didn’t feel it was overwhelmingly meaty. However, as much as we enjoyed our smaller portions, we could imagine eating a whole burger by ourselves could result in meat overload.

Despite its size and plentiful ingredients, this burger looked to be holding up decently within its bun. We were curious to see if that would be the case after we portioned it out. After cutting it into four pieces, each section did hold up.

The Big Smasher Burger cost $14.39, excluding tax.

The Big Smasher Burger wasn’t the easiest to handle, as it left our hands slick with sauce, but it made up for the mess with flavor.

The Thousand Island dressing was creamy and thick, yet refreshing and tangy, helped by an assortment of red onions and pickles. It completely coated the juicy patty. Despite the heavy amount of dressing and juices, the bun remained intact, unlike some other burgers on the menu.

It had a tasty zing that we felt made it an ideal burger to eat in the summer.

It came with one beef patty, avocado, pepper jack cheese, red onion, jalapeños, tomato, pickles, cilantro, and the chain’s spicy Santa Fe sauce.

We reached a quick consensus that Alex’s Sante Fe Burger was our favorite burger as it was by far the most creative and authentic.

Created by Chili’s sous chef Alex Gomez in 2018, the burger is jam-packed with as many flavors as it has colorful ingredients.

The jalapeños and slightly smoky Sante Fe sauce gave each bite a kick, but the slices of avocado and tomato, the juicy patty, and the cheese balanced it out. As one reporter noted, it’s spicy but not to the level that has you immediately reaching for a glass of water.

The burger’s brightness and freshness helped it live up to its Southwestern-inspired name and made it our top choice on the menu.

This definitely wasn’t your average chain-restaurant burger — and it cemented Chili’s as the casual-dining chain to watch, in our humble opinions.