mayonnaise, relish and yellow mustard, a little white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder and paprikaOr you could use Thousand Island dressing, long-speculated as essentially the same thing. McDonald's chef shows how to make Big Mac's 'secret sauce' By Robert Channick Tribune staff reporter 9:00 a.m. CDT, August 11, 2012 The summer of 2012 will be remembered for many things including a drought, Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas and perhaps, secret sauce. After 45 years as a closely-guarded fast food secret, McDonald's has declassified the Big Mac's special sauce. A YouTube video posted this summer by McDonald's Canada features Dan Coudreaut, the Oak Brook-based restaurant chain's executive chef, deconstructing the double-decker sandwich in a step-by-step cooking demonstration. Stripping off his chef's jacket in a made-for-TV kitchen, Coudreaut prepares a do-it-yourself Big Mac for viewers in answer to an inquiry about what is in the special sauce. "We're going to make a version of the Big Mac with ingredients that are similar that you could buy at your local grocery store," says Coudreaut, lifting the buns for a peek inside the chain's iconic burger, which debuted in 1967. The basic recipe for the Big Mac is, of course, seared in the minds of anyone old enough to remember the 1974 advertising campaign: two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. Though watching Coudreaut chop onions and slice the center bun is no doubt interesting, the big question among Big Mac fans has been the composition of the special sauce. The answer comes just 36 seconds into the 2-1/2 minute video. The chef pulls out a mixing bowl with mayonnaise, relish and yellow mustard. To it he adds a little white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika "to enhance the color." A little whisking and voila -- special sauce. The video doesn't give exact amounts, but eyeballing should get most at-home chefs pretty close. Or you could use Thousand Island dressing, long-speculated as essentially the same thing. Or you could drive through McDonald's and plunk down $4.33, the current national average for the real thing, according to the Economist's latest Big Mac index. The video has been viewed nearly 2 million times since it went on YouTube June 23. It is part of a digital campaign launched this summer by McDonald's Canada, where customers can ask questions about the menu through Twitter and Facebook. To date, more than 5,000 have been received and a select few answered through videos on the McDonald's Canada YouTube Channel. Among the topics tackled are: Do Egg McMuffins use real eggs (yes) and what part of the chicken do McNuggets come from (breast meat). "This is taking transparency and openness to a new place," said Louis Payette, a spokesman for McDonald's Canada. "We've got some really engaged customers that have valid questions about ingredients and the way we produce our food." McDonald's patrons in the U.S. may have other burning questions, but they will likely fall on deaf ears. The digital campaign will only accept questions from Canadians, according to Payette. "It's really to answer Canadians' food questions about our menu, so we wouldn't be able to speak to menu items from outside our borders," Payette said. rchannick@tribune.com | Twitter @RobertChannick |