I tried the biggest burgers at 5 fast-food chains and my favorite tasted fresh off the grill

It cost me $9.49, not including tax. I was able to customize my toppings, but I went with pickles, onions, and Shack sauce.

The pickles also looked large and homemade. It was even heavy to pick up. The toppings were generous and the chain's signature sauce added a ton of flavor. The cheese was also thick and perfectly melted.

The burger was huge, which was both an asset and a hindrance. I struggled to get through more than a few bites.

Despite the higher-than-average price, I definitely thought it was worth it. The burger patties were much thicker than quite a few of the other burgers I tried, and the toppings definitely took it over the edge in terms of flavor.

Overall, I was impressed ... but stuffed.

I was conflicted over whether the biggest burger at McDonald's was the Big Mac — which is physically the largest thanks to the extra bun — or the Double Quarter-Pounder, which is the burger with the most meat. I decided to try both to avoid any discrepancies among McDonald's fans who will argue about which one is bigger.

A Big Mac cost me $6.49 at my local McDonald's, excluding tax.

The burger patties weren't overwhelming, nor was the sandwich as a whole. I also liked the tangy, creamy Big Mac sauce. However, I thought the added bun made the sandwich taste too much like bread and the other flavors were slightly lost, in my opinion.

I simply wanted more flavor happening. Between the extra bun and the generous serving of Big Mac sauce, that was all I could taste. Tomato, cheese, or simply other condiments might have taken the sandwich to the next level.

Also called the "Quad Quad," the mammoth burger comes with four beef patties, four cheese slices, lettuce, tomato, spread, and the option to add onions. It cost $7.20 at the In-N-Out location I visited, making it the second-cheapest burger I tried.

Looking at it, it was just so much meat. You would have to have a really big appetite to get through the entire thing, I would imagine.

However, I found that the extra patties hindered my eating experience, rather than adding to it.

It was over-the-top filling, and the vegetables did little to balance out how much meat and cheese were in the burger. The buns also began to fall apart while I was eating. If I'm being honest with myself, I would personally never order this again. While delicious, it was simply too much meat for my liking.

Looking at the burger in the box, I immediately noticed that it had more meat than the Big Mac. The meat was clearly the star of the show, with the other toppings barely visible underneath the patties and bun.

The burger cost me $9.69, excluding tax.

I found this burger to be pretty flavorful, especially thanks to the condiments and large slices of crunchy pickles. However, I wasn't crazy about the bun — while I normally love a sesame seed bun, I found this one to be pretty bland, airy, and artificial-tasting.

Despite having a ton of meat, the burger didn't feel too overwhelming to eat. I thought it was a realistic sandwich, especially compared to the gigantic burgers from Shake Shack and In-N-Out.

When I arrived at my local Wendy's drive-thru, this extra-large burger wasn't even on the menu. However, thanks to my online research, I decided to order it anyway. I did wonder how popular this sandwich was, and if many people opt for the triple-patty burger.

The Dave's Triple burger cost $7.69, excluding tax.

The sandwich was difficult to pick up, but all of the ingredients appeared to be well-balanced. There was a large serving of tomatoes, pickles, and cheese, so it didn't look like the beef patties would be overpowered.

While I personally couldn't finish the entire thing, I definitely thought the flavors were there and it was a good value for the price.

If I were to change one thing, it would be the addition of the mayonnaise. It ended up mixing with the juice from the tomatoes in an unappetizing way, creating a tomato-mayo sauce that brought the other flavors down.

Similar to the Dave's Triple, the Triple Whopper also comes with three quarter-pound beef patties, although the ones at Burger King are flame-grilled. The burger cost me $11.28, excluding tax, making it the most expensive burger I tried.

However, I felt that this allowed the other flavors of the burger to really come through, and it led to a less-gut-filling, more appetizing eating experience.

The lettuce, tomatoes, and onions all tasted very fresh, and added a delicious crunch to the burger that I found was missing in some of the others.

The burger patties had a ton of smokey, savory flavor that made the sandwich taste as if it was fresh off the grill. I also thought the shape of the patties, which were larger in circumference but flatter than some of the other burgers, made the sandwich easier to eat.

Overall, I really enjoyed this burger and would definitely order it again — granted I have the appetite. While I'm not sure it's worth more than $10, it was a very generous serving and the most flavorful out of the bunch, without being overwhelmingly huge.