Any schoolchild can tell you that a Big Mac is two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun. But only a McDonald's Executive Chef could tell you what was in their special sauce. Until now.

Sure, there have been approximations all around the Internet. Worthy ones, too. People who tested and tested and tested formula after formula and came close-- tantalizingly close, too-- but never quite got it right.

Today, McDonald's Executive Chef Dan Coudreaut breaks the silence and reveals, once and for all, the secret behind what makes the McDonald's Big Mac so gosh darn special.

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This may be one of those cases where not knowing is better than knowing. There's nothing in what was offered up today that makes you say, "Gosh, that's fascinating!" In fact, so many Internet cooks were unbelievably close to getting it right.

"With food it's either contrasting flavors like sweet and sour," Coudreaut elaborated, "or it's contrasting flavors like tomato and basil." While a fresh piece of basil would be welcome on a McDonald's menu item (dollar menu caprese, anyone?), we see what he means.

Take a look at this balancing act:

Special sauce = store bought mayo + sweet pickle relish + classic yellow mustard + white wine vinegar + garlic powder + onion powder + paprika.

That's a mighty strong backbone. More advantageous to the home cook than having the McDonald's secret recipe is where you can build off of it. What have we done so far?

Added a chipotle pepper in adobo seasoning and served it up with pork belly in a bun. Delicious.