I've never tried one, but now I'm going to. Seriously, the thought of Americans flocking to Germany in order to get, of all things delicious or at least edible, a mc rib leaves me speechless....
And I love how the comments make me smile. Thanks, everyone!
i love pizza
2
Ate one years ago it was terrible the worst sandwich I’ve ever tasted never again
I just saw the sign yesterday...MCRIB IS BACK!
My 14 year old asked “what’s a McRib?” I said ‘Well, it’s like a preformed chunk of pressed together meat and they actually try and form little rib bones that stick out.... it’s so good!’
He looked at me like I was crazy and reminded me I promised to watch The Gamechangers movie with him that evening.
2
My gosh, the author has visited "the wilds of Upstate New York, near Utica"! How adventurous!
I'm from Syracuse, and I visited NYC once. Honestly, I wasn't very impressed. You guys obviously need to get out more.
6
I love the McRib and only allow myself one when it makes it's annual visit. Two weeks ago the coupon mailer in my mail box had a 2-4-1 coupon for the McRib! and then I realized there were 3 coupons stuck together. I felt like I had struck GOLD. Yep, I'm good till next time they roll around. Don't forget to ask for many extra napkins.
5
I personally have fought the love for food. I am a christian and know what the bible says on gluttony and how it is a sin. My body is God's temple therefore i should keep myself in the best shape i can. My love for food isn't greater than him therefore i fight these urges for my favorite food
Back in the 80s I had a summer job at a McDonald's, must've been just after the McRib came out. One of my tasks was to stand in the lobby with a trayful of McRibs cut in quarters, offering them to the incoming burger-seekers, and ask "would you like to try a McRib sandwich?"
It took just one of those sampling sessions to teach me that only about half the tray should have McRib pieces placed on it. The other half was reserved for a plentiful supply of napkins. That greasy, sugary sauce splattered and dripped and was impossible to lick off your fingers.
And yes, even then, people either loved them or hated them.
4
McRib=fat, sugar and salt, the worst of fast food in one place.
And then they serve it with pickles to make you feel like it might have some redeeming quality.
Ate it once, probably never again.
3
Man, that's a good sandwich. Every year or so when it comes back to my area, I eat about two a week till it goes away again.
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We are the same age! I too loved the McRib thanks to my dad, who always insisted on getting it because it was the more "manly" McDonald's item to get during its one year of existence (1985). I do remember eating it again around 1994 and unfortunately had a few too many McBones in my machine-formed patty. And also the McBun was pretty, um, not organic and not the fluffy bun of my childhood. Still love the idea of it though. Thanks for the article (and illustrations)!
1
Come and visit Germany. It is a staple menu item there just like Big Mac and Cheeseburger.
9
This made me smile. In my area, “McRib is back” for several weeks in late fall / early winter. This last time, I had just 1, as I had to also work in the Thanksgiving-dinner-in-a-sandwich that is Arby’s “The Gobbler.” Unfortunately, this left no time (or waistline) for another seasonal favorite—the Starbucks turkey and stuffing panini.
3
It’s McDonald’s once a decade for me but last year got off late arriving plane starving in Pittsburgh and, eureka, McDs still open, got delicious fresh cooked burger&fries. The wine bar at the airport is a different matter, the airport now has a few wine bars but the one near McDonald’s has been there, it had this cute guy JT who had a personality, love the Pittsburgh airport! I knew JT couldn’t last, too out there, and he is not there anymore but if you ask the folks in the wine bar, they remember the legend of JT!
4
WHAT ABOUT MCPIZZA? NO LOVE?
4
This made me smile. I, too, loved McRibs as a kid. There was something about the chewy "meat" (was it?), combined with the sour pickles, the crispy onions and the tangy barbecue sauce that was simply mouthwatering. My kid palate was electrified. And then, they were gone. When I went to Germany to visit family in the late 80's, though, I was surprised and thrilled when my cousin Heiko told me excitedly that he wanted to take me to McDonald's for a McRib! I stopped looking for them Stateside long ago, but oh, did I love me a McRib...
9
McRibs are occasionally served in the Pittsburgh area. I can take them or leave them but my wife likes them and she lets me have a bite while I am munching on my Big Mac.
1
Do they serve them with fries on top ala Primanti Bros?
1
It's vegetarian and not the same, but the texture and the sauce are eerily close to McRib. You should try it.
https://www.kelloggsfamilyrewards.com/en_US/products/morningstar-farms-hickory-bbq-riblets-product.html
7
Riblets are fantastic, ain’t no lie.
2
I have never eaten one of these abominations. I remember seeing TV ads for them. It was the deeply thick dark brown sauce that was poured over it that made me feel ill. I was pregnant at the time.
McRib is available here for a limited time before Christmas each year and I think they do a brisk business. Messiest sandwich ever.
4
I grew up eating John's Pork Chop Sandwich, which is the real deal, only obtainable in Butte, Montana. Anything else is a sad substitute.
Morningstar Farms produces a vegetarian "rib" which is very similar.
3
When the McRib was absent, I would sometimes find, in the Frozen section of most Markets, a large family size tin of about eight or ten pork patties that were produced by On-Cor.
Same shape patties, with the same grill marks (or whip marks :D) as the venerable McRib.
Heat 'em up, place a pattie on a Portuguese Roll, with some onion chunks and Dill slices, spoon on some of the sauce; and you're in business!
The roll I think adds to the flavor, and sure helps to prevent leakage on your lap; though, not always. :D
Now that I think of it; McDonald's might have had a deal with On-Cor, to limit their roll-out of McRibs. Perhaps a conspiracy-theorist on You-Tube could illuminate that. (joke)
4
As an artist and a McRib fan, this article finds double-favor with me! Thank you Tony and Sir Gryphon, and hopefully your last McRib will not be your LAST.
2
Tony, I can tell from your graphic article that you are a good person with a good heart. But I'm sorry, McRibs are disgusting. I live in Georgia now, where great ribs can be found, but I grew up in New York and ate my first -- and only -- McRib there and I knew it was not real food even though I was then uneducated about great ribs.
5
I eat NOTHING at or from McDonald’s but the divine McRib! Don’t tell my rabbi. Considering moving to Germany or Luxembourg.
14
Still dreaming of the 1970's Steak Sandwich. That was a winner. Astounded it never survived. Almost nobody I talk to has any recollection of its existence.
5
Maybe the steak sandwich came to you in dream?
2
I’ve never eaten them. Can’t imagine I’d like them. But what a fun read in our troubled times.
5
Back in the 80s, I was a computer programmer at McD's corporate office, where the Coke was free and the nearest restaurant was an elevator ride away on the 1st floor. Anyone seen a Chedder Melt lately? 1/3rd lb. of FRESH meat on a rye bun, smothered in melted cheddar. How did that not catch on? (I write this as I recover from a procedure to have a stent inserted in my 95%-blocked artery. Guess I should thank McD's for cutting me off when they did.)
25
The Morningstar Farms frozen "riblets" taste very similar to the McRib.
1
Saveur magazine published a recipe a few years ago for a home version of a McRib. Sure, it uses pork belly instead of pork parts, but it is darn close, and you get to choose the quality of ingredients you use. Here’s a link https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Make-Your-Own-McRib-Bigger-Better-and-Always-Available
12
And I thought it was only me.
5
Best thing I've read here in awhile. Illustration is great as well. Thanks.
5
This article reminds me of my spouse's quest for a true McDonald's apple pie. The original deep-fried mouth scorching delicacy whose crispy crust shatters. Not available in the United States due to mouth burning lawsuits but still available abroad. His own personal Hajj.
16
@Exile In Yes I had one in the UK, then tried to find it when I got back and I couldn’t :(.
2
I enjoy the contrasts - crunchy onions versus tart pickles and a sauce that wouldn’t seriously call a barbecue sauce but it’s a bit tangy. The chew of the “meat” is just right and the buns have a bit of corn meal sprinkled on them. I indulge whenever I see them offered. But I don’t tell my husband!!!
7
As for me, I miss their pizza.
1
I, too, love the McRib...first tried in 1981 at the McDonalds on West 4th and 6th Avenue (still there?).
Fortunately, it makes an occasional appearance out here in LA...often 2 for $5.00...which is probably less in actual dollars than it was in 1981!
12
As the saying goes, "De gustibus non disputandem est". There are people who eat worms and insects, no one is perfect ...
9
@Tuvw Xyz Insects are a great source of protein, there isn't inherently anything "wrong" with eating them as you are implying.
7
@ mbl14 NJ
I shall gladly concede that you may be biochemically correct. But the idea itself makes my stomach turn over.
2
May everyone's significant other be as patient and understanding as your's.
5
I love this and applaud your devotion, sir. I'm in a similar boat living in the tri-state area. I followed the McRib locator for months and found the nearest location was State College, PA. #SAD I too am envious of the year round availability in certain parts of Europe. The closest approximation I can find to fill the McRib sized hole in my heart is sold at Dollar Tree stores. The Fast Bites BBQ Rib Sandwich. Sorry imitation, but it'll do until I can get my hands on the real thing.
3
@Mike
The "real thing"? Is the irony intentional?
3
Every year during its limited release, I check the map and the nearest location offering the McRib is always 3 hours away. Every year, I seriously consider the trip, but my wife thinks I'm crazy.
2
You should go! It’s an adventure.
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@Richard Brown
Your wife is correct.
2
What a guilty pleasure the McRib Sandwich was- thanks for a great reminder!
7
Writing from a city where pork steaks are held in high esteem,your story on the McRib hit home...what a wonderfully perfect sandwich with its nostalgic undertones to gen exers and it’s scarcity only adding to its allure...well done
3