I compared the same breakfast from Cracker Barrel and IHOP, and the winner had standout meat but mediocre pancakes

The Grandma's Sampler from Cracker Barrel came with typical breakfast fixings — eggs of any style, two pancakes, a bacon strip, and a sausage patty. I also got two specialty Cracker Barrel sides — hash-brown casserole and country ham.

The meal cost me $19 before tax and tip.

My food came out quickly and as described. I was given a plate covered with a hunk of ham the size of my hand, a giant bacon strip, a solid platter of scrambled eggs, and a sausage patty. On my second plate, I also received two golden pancakes.

The coffee, which cost $3, seemed a bit watery. But that could've been because I visited at midday and the most recent batch was running low.

The short stack was thin but packed with a great buttermilk flavor, and the texture was super fluffy, like a piece of angel-food cake.

Cracker Barrel serves its pancakes with individually portioned bottles of syrup. This sounds like a letdown if you prefer to douse your hotcakes, but if you don't like using the same syrup bottle as other customers, it's a plus.

The syrup was plenty sweet with a bold maple flavor.

I was given a huge portion of scrambled eggs, so I definitely feel like I got my money's worth.

The eggs were fluffy and tasted as if they'd been made with milk to retain moisture. My only qualm is they were a bit under-salted, but I didn't mind because everything else on the plate was extremely salty.

The portions of Cracker Barrel's meat seemed off — there was a giant piece of ham, one large piece of bacon, and a tiny sausage patty.

The small sausage patty looked pretty sad on such a large plate. It was also dry and lacked a smoky flavor. The bacon was thicker than the strips I've had from other restaurants, but more chewy than crispy.

Per Cracker Barrel's website, the chain ages its ham with a "special curing mixture" before smoking it with real hickory.

Maybe I'm just not used to country-style ham, but this tasted too salty to me, and I thought the texture was tough and chewy. I felt guilty for not liking the chain's signature side, but I couldn't get past two bites.

Rather than run-of-the-mill shredded potatoes, Cracker Barrel's hash-brown casserole is the default side. You actually have to pay extra if you want plain hash browns, but I can't see anyone wanting to do that after trying these.

Made using a combo of shredded potatoes, colby-jack cheese, onions, and lots of seasoning, this was the clear standout on my plate from the chain.

The pancakes, eggs, and elevated hash browns were worth ordering again, but I wouldn't come back for the ham and sausage.

These mixed feelings make me less inclined to try the larger breakfast platters available at Cracker Barrel.

IHOP's breakfast menu currently offers over six different combos featuring various signature items. The $20 Breakfast Sampler was made up of nearly identical items to what I ordered at Cracker Barrel.

The meal came with the chain's signature pancakes, two strips of hickory-smoked bacon, two sausage links, shredded hash browns, and eggs cooked to your preference. You can also upgrade your sides with options like turkey bacon and a fruit cup.

Additionally, the plain drip coffee cost $4, which I thought was a bit pricey. It came with a full tray of creamers and had a nice, roasted flavor.

My order came with two beautifully browned strips of bacon that weren't drowning in grease. The meat had crispy edges, wasn't overly fatty, and had a good balance of sweet and salty flavors.

I found IHOP's ham more appealing than Cracker Barrel's, but it kind of tasted like lunch meat to me.

I'm glad the portion I received was small compared to the other meats.

IHOP's sausage had a satisfying, sweet bite that paired well with the pancakes.

It was better than Cracker Barrel's, but it tasted like something I could probably make at home. Not exactly mind-blowing, but worthwhile if you want a decent breakfast sausage.

Although the eggs were OK, the texture was a little dry. I found myself dousing them in hot sauce and ketchup for flavor.

Cracker Barrel definitely won in this department.

IHOP's shredded hash browns may not be as unique as Cracker Barrel's hash-brown casserole, but they always hit the spot.

They were crispy and seasoned with just enough salt. I added a few shakes of hot sauce for an extra kick, but otherwise, they were perfect as is. The simplicity of the dish made them pair nicely with the meats and pancakes.

My short stack came with two huge pancakes covered with a nice dollop of salted butter.

I don't like that IHOP serves its pancakes on such a small plate with no room for syrup. But the chain at least lets you keep the syrup bottle at your table so you can pour as much as you want throughout your meal.

To my surprise, the pancakes were one of the sampler's weakest elements.

The last time I reviewed the chain's pancakes, I found them to be unusually soft but quite tasty. This time around, my pancakes were much thicker and fluffier, but a little bland. The pancakes also seemed slightly overdone based on their darker color, so perhaps that was why the flavor was off.

I found myself pouring syrup on every bite to give them flavor. The syrup wasn't bad, but it lacked that yummy, maple flavor that Cracker Barrel's offered.

Overall IHOP's portions were comparable to Cracker Barrel's, but the pieces of meat were smaller. The meal did come with more sausage though, and I was pleased.

Although IHOP's Breakfast Sampler could use some improvements, I found it far more enjoyable than the one I had at Cracker Barrel. What sealed the deal was the overall consistency of IHOP's food.

IHOP's meat and sides may not be as unique as Cracker Barrel's, but they were well-prepared and tasty enough to satisfy me. I was let down by the chain's pancakes, but the rest of the meal hit the right notes for a classic American breakfast.

I would gladly order Cracker Barrel's pancakes and hash-brown casserole again, but the lack of any memorable meats made its signature breakfast platter miss the mark.