The McRib is back!!! So what’s the big fuss?
I’m so excited! The sandwich of my dreams — that fickle, now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t McRib is back in area McDonald’s restaurants.
Must hurry! Quick, quick, quick. Have been deprived of the McRib for a full year. Who knows how long it will last this time. Must run to Mickey D’s and get my bag of Mcribbed goodness. I open the bag and here is what I find inside.
It is just how I remember it from last year — an oblong box through which peeks a sausage patty cleverly formed to resemble an actual rib. I open the box and this is what I find inside.
Yum. Who can resist this delicious looking sandwich?
Okay, kidding. This is what I actually found inside.
Could some nice person please explain the cult of the McRib to me?
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91 comments Add your comment
bonbon
November 15th, 2010
7:34 am
I don’t really think its the meat at all that makes it tasty, if they just put a bunch of the sauce on the rolls and tossed in the pickels and onions, you wouldn’t tell the difference, though i absolutely love the McRib!
Truthpaste
November 15th, 2010
7:46 am
It’s like the episode of South Park, when Cartman bought an amusement park and wouldn’t let anyone in. People want more what they can’t have. I don’t eat pork, but always have been fascinated by the marketing draw of that weird looking sandwich.
RockyJoe
November 15th, 2010
7:51 am
The McRib terrifies me, and I will tell you why. It is the cause of an horrendous mallady I have always called “The McRib Disease.” The very first time they came out, I was interested and bought one. It tasted, well, OK. But then I was afflicted with one of the most serious cases of food poisoning I have experienced in my half-century of life. I won’t go until the details — but I wasn’t myself for nearly a week. So I will NEVER, EVER eat a McRib again. Friendly advise: If you want to avoid “McRib Disease,” avoid McRib.
Baltisral
November 15th, 2010
7:51 am
John, I recognize that cut of meat that McDonalds uses. The Zulu’s of So. Africa called it the slumgullian cut. Very popular with the native Boar’s of the region. They say it was the cause of the Boar Wars. The first butchers union uprising on record.
tom
November 15th, 2010
7:51 am
I was a Manager for 3yr at McDonald’s. I don’t have an answer or a clue why people love this fake rib sandwich.
RK
November 15th, 2010
7:52 am
McHorse? That would be popular in Japan.
McRib. Chomp.
GKim
November 15th, 2010
8:17 am
I just turned 50 and am glad to report that I have never been closer than 5 feet to a McRib. My father tried on early on and deemed it “McTerrible.” He and I also have a theory about the McRib that dates back to the 80’s…They were produced in such massive quantities in the 1980’s that they are kept frozen somewhere in the Nevada desert. Although they have no expiration date, they are rotated out of stock about once or twice a year just to satisfy the curious and to perform routine maintenance of the refrigeration system. It has been determined that at the current rate of stock rotation, the supply of frozen McRib “slabs” will not be diminished until the year 2112.
DD
November 15th, 2010
8:34 am
I was given a sample in Mc D’s when it was introduced after a taste I told them if they wanted to sell any dodn’t let people try it first!
Mc Horse in Japan is a great Idea.
Crystal
November 15th, 2010
8:52 am
I used to love the McRib. It tasted wonderful! But I’ve tried it twice this year and was sadly disappointed. The first tasted like bad meat and the second was a mess, like the staff didn’t care. Didn’t taste good, either. They’ve changed something and have made it unpleasant. Back to Swanson’s pork bbq dinner for me!
Who Cares?
November 15th, 2010
8:52 am
What? McDonalds is still in business? As crappy as everything is and has been for decades on their menu, why should you even care? If you eat any of that garbage,you’re rewarding failure. I mean, come on!
Dood
November 15th, 2010
8:55 am
HA! That was hilarious! And God only knows what the allure is for that NASTY sandwich. That last picture really just sums up Mickey D’s.
Smoke Monster
November 15th, 2010
9:11 am
This is same masty messy pork sandwich i used to get @ my hich school cafeteria back in 1987.
Gary
November 15th, 2010
9:14 am
There is only one explanation for the popularity of the McRib. The recipe was develped by the famous Zinc Saucier Bender, who makes it with his special ingrediant, “essence of flavor”
Nikki Shirah
November 15th, 2010
9:21 am
Oh Lord, thank you so much for not allowing MickeyD’s to carry the Mcrib all the time. I would weigh 400 pounds if they did! Seriously, I think they do that because they know we would get use to it if they had it all the time and would sales would go down. Its all marketing, and darn good too!
Inside Secrets
November 15th, 2010
9:27 am
I worked for McDonalds back in the 80’s when the McRib first came on the scene. Here are some truths about the sandwich.
First, the meat takes a long time to cook so the first batch of patties is prepared during the breakfast shift. They are placed into the barbecue sauce and sit there until consumed. The sauce is kept very warm to prevent bacterial growth and all, but you can see how one of these can sit around for a long time before consumption (hours). As the numbers in the holding pan decrease, additional are cooked. Frankly I don’t know if they now have a better way to tell which ones are the oldest in the pan but I could only tell if I had done the cooking of the successive batches.
Personally here is how I used to like the McRib prepared. Since I worked the grill, I could do it any way I wanted.
First, cook a fresh patty. Second, get a couple of the butter patties from breakfast and put them on the roll that the McRib comes on. Then grill the roll on the grill until it is toasted. Then put a couple of slices of cheese on the patty, put on the roll and enjoy. None of that horrible sauce, onions, or pickles. I also knew some who enjoyed grilling up the onions in the butter before putting them on the patty.
Either way, McDonalds will only let you get it THEIR way and we all know what that tastes like.
Now I am a vegetarian and thoroughly enjoy the healthier choice I have made. I guess working for McDonalds had one positive outcome.
glenn
November 15th, 2010
9:29 am
Yeah I used to love the McRib as a kid . Had one a couple of years back & found it rather nasty . Grew up in kind of a rural area in middle GA . I actually lived by a McD’s that had a banana milkshake on the menu . That was great .
United States Surgeon General
November 15th, 2010
9:46 am
The McRib does to your arteries and intestines what the current Commander-in-Thief is doing to our economy.
It would be best for your health that you elect the option to NOT for another round with either.
Krystal Meyer
November 15th, 2010
10:00 am
I had 3 yesterday, got to get em while there here! Sometimes I get some extra and put them in the freezer so I have them year round.
For those of y’all who think the sauce is too sweet, I add mayo on one side, layered thick and then carefully arrange a neat row of fries. Delish!
TLT
November 15th, 2010
10:03 am
The reason the McRib only comes out every so often is due to the price of pork. When pork prices are low, McDonald’s buys it until the pork price gets too high. They buy so much pork they actually drive the price up. If you like pork, better get it now or you might have to pay more for it later.
gagirl
November 15th, 2010
10:06 am
I think all the McRib lovers should go to the link posted by Lisa and then explain it to the rest of us. That is utterly disgusting! And we wonder why Americans are fatter than anyone else. I wouldn’t even admit that I ate that mess. There isn’t enough BBQ sauce in the world…
peachie
November 15th, 2010
10:09 am
Ti I Love NY:
We’re glad you don’t live here anymore too!
McPuke
November 15th, 2010
10:11 am
Hey Lisa!! OMG! thanks for sharing…I will NEVER put that next to my mouth…UGH!!
And Hey micky d! I miss that mcblt as well…hot stays hot…cold stays cold until ya’ put ‘em together…Yum!!
Lt Col Razorback
November 15th, 2010
10:22 am
If anyone ever buys a McDonald’s, or any other brand, of sandwich that looks like the ones shown in promotions (poster, signs, TV ads, etc.) for that sandwich, I wanna see it.! The promotions show only the “picture perfect” versions that a photography crew of at least 12 people has used every trick known to man to make the sandwich look “perfect.” No soggy buns – no wilted lettuce – no limp pickles – – only a perfect looking construct that is probably made with card board, modeling clay, and plastic! Yum Yum.:-( There’s a sucker born every minute and at least half of them eat this junk loosely called food.)
c-bear
November 15th, 2010
10:23 am
It’s easy to explain. They need to fill a gap in their revenue stream so they temporarily offer this on their menu because they know people will stop in and get one or two. In order to justify eating a few without so much selfish guilt, you have to bring the family too. Now you have not only dad indulging in the McRib, the other family members get to indulge in their own favorites from the menu. Bingo…. you leave McD’s with $35 of your hard-earned money to feed your family of 4 when otherwise you may have only spent $15 on the value menu! The other end of the scenario, you get people coming out of the woodwork to sneak a few McRibs a couple times a week (until you are ribbed out) which also helps managers boost their revs and the restaurants can meet or beat their expectations before year end. I’m sure a nice bonus is in store for the bean counters at the expense of low end employees getting overworked and reestaurants having to deal with the headache of working the temporary item into their normal day to day routines. Who pays in the end?
SUBWAY BEST BUY
November 15th, 2010
10:32 am
Even My Grandchildren are Smarter than That!! They know as I that SUBWAY has the very best food and Values Too! Also like “Chick fil-lay” Besides the Mc-Rib is overpriced for what you get!!
McRib Idiots
November 15th, 2010
10:38 am
McDonalds’ food scientists could make poo taste like anything they wanted – and people would still eat it.
Why would anyone eat mechanically separated meat? Remember the pink goo chicken nuggets are made from? http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/10/chicken-nuggets-made-from-pink-goo/
The McRib is the piggy version. Just check out the two photos of the grayish meat inside the “rib patty” snapped by the team at foodfacts.info. The texture looks like something that’s been chewed up and spit out.
You’d do better nutritionally to dumpster dive for 500 calories.
Disgusting.
RK
November 15th, 2010
10:44 am
Razorback, often companies will use plastic fake food for photos…
Sunshine
November 15th, 2010
10:52 am
It is delicious, my daughter and I get so excited when they come out. I don’t even like McDonald’s except for the iced tea. It is just something besides a hamburger or a boring chicken sandwich. Like they say……don’t be a hater.
Ray B
November 15th, 2010
10:58 am
Like any good southerner, I love my BBQ….the McRib does not apply. Although I have no aversion to fast food, the McRib has to be the nastiest sandwhich I have ever tased….not even sure what it is made of. In short…..GROSS!!
JP
November 15th, 2010
11:17 am
The “NEW” McRib SUCKS!!! Now grant it back in the day it was da bomb, but now, its tasteless soy meat w/ red sauce, I was gravely dissapointed..
keeno
November 15th, 2010
11:30 am
I had gone 45 yrs before trying one of these things…..almost threw up soon thereafter…*barf!
Eddie Riff
November 15th, 2010
11:46 am
My boyfriend (reformed meat eater) swears that the Gardenburger Riblet tastes just like the McRib. Try it for yourself and report back.
J. Redd
November 15th, 2010
11:57 am
What? No McDonalds in New York??? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Adam's McRib
November 15th, 2010
2:42 pm
Hey Sunshine, Glad to see there’s at least one other non-hater here!
Inside Secrets
November 15th, 2010
3:41 pm
Gardenburger Riblet is far better than the McRib although the attempt is similar. Personally I like taking the Gardenburger product, scraping off most of their sauce and cooking it with my own. Never going to be like ribs, but then no poor innocent pig has to die for them either.
Peebo Trysome
November 15th, 2010
4:41 pm
I Love NY rocks! Cool out haters he is for real
yuzeyurbrain
November 17th, 2010
12:19 pm
It depends on your expectations and comparisons. I compare it to their burgers and conclude that it is a much better sandwich choice. It has more meat, a better tasting sauce, can be handled reasonably well on a bun, a reasonable price and is therefore a much better alternative to their tasteless burgers.
max
November 17th, 2010
2:27 pm
@rc35: you wrong. Best fries from the big three, in order: McD’s, Wendy’s, BK. BK is probably the worst fry available for consumption today. Arby’s and Checkers are better, but different, than all cept McDs….which I think used to be cooked with human baby fat. Wendy’s is hit or miss. Mostly miss cos if they’re not crispy, then they suck. I say bring on the skin!
oh yeah: mcrib is crap pressed ham in disguise. it’s that slurry stuff you saw on the news. plus it’s a rare item. slurry+rare=cult
Gary
November 18th, 2010
9:21 am
I had a McRib four days ago. I’m still trying to get the awful taste out of my mouth. Imagine a meatloaf TV dinner with mystery sauce and raw onions piled on top of a bun in a sloppy box and you get an idea of what this dastardly creation looks and tastes like. No more “rib” sandwiches from McD’s. There should be a law against selling garbage to the public.
DJLake
November 18th, 2010
4:21 pm
I’ve already had 8 or 9 over the last few weeks – before they are gone again, for who knows how long… I assume they wont be too good frozen, eh?
John Kessler
November 22nd, 2010
9:51 am
Sean M – Ha. Sorry, been away and just seeing your comment now. Indeed that was me. Thanks for the tip on Heirloom!