The McRib is McBack
It’s back. The iconic spare-rib shaped sandwich from McDonald’s. I was but a twinkle in my father’s eye the first time the McRib surfaced, so I never got around to eating one, and I’ve never been so inclined as to cross state lines just to find it.
It’s been almost four years since my last McDonald’s fine, two years since I got drunk and ate McDonald’s. I’m not sure why McD’s became the victim of my boycott, but I have always thought of it as the epitome of fast food. For some reason I feel less guilty when eating Burger King or a late night slice of pizza.
But for the purposes of research alone, I broke my “fast food” boycott and took a bite into the elusive McRib, which McD’s has brought back by popular demand for a special six-week, nation-wide run, now through December 5. Continue reading to see what I have to say.
The excitement of the McRib was but a fleeting moment. Upon opening the box I could smell the McDonald’s aroma, that lingering BBQ smell, which I can’t get rid of from my fingers and can still smell as I type. The sandwich is neatly assembled, as expected from McD’s — bun, meat, sauce, onions, pickles and more bun.
I can taste the allure of the McRib. The sauce alone should be packaged and sold as a stand-alone product, but it is the only thing that holds this food item together. It’s a tangy, sweet and flavorful mess that consumes all the other ingredients, which is not a bad thing as the pork itself is just a tired and, I assume, tasteless slab of meat. I should have perhaps given it a test bite sans-sauce, but that just sounded so unappetizing.
I’m not quite sure why the onions are even present, because you can’t taste them. The bread was soft, the patty was soft…basically, next time I order a McRib, I’ll ask them to hold everything but the sauce.
Disagree? Feed us back in the comments.
I want to get the mcrib with bacon!
@Mr. Baconpants – do they do that? (they should)
McD’s serve the ‘Angus Bacon & Cheese’ so I’m sure you could ask for it, that may have just changed my whole opinion!
I think that referring to the pork as a “slab” of meat might be giving it too much credit, maybe. But yes, the sauce is the only redeeming quality. The McRib is like the PBR of fast food sandwiches. Lots of nostalgia, seems hip, but taste like crap. Having said that, I kinda want one now.
They can do anything that you want them to! The chances are that it will taste even worse than it already does imho.
ryan
Guess I’m in the minority – I actually like the damn thing. It’s my guilty pleasure that I can only indulge in every 10-15 years or so, depending on when they decide to roll it out in my area or nationally. As noted by others, the sauce is very good – IMO, reminiscent of Bullseye and Kraft’s Thick ‘n Spicy with Brown Sugar (my two favorite store brands – they taste very similar).
This looks disgusting and nothing like the tasty bit in the picture. I was tempted to try it but after reading your post I’m certain I would rather spend those calories on a tub of hot wings and an good beer.
I live in the UK (grew up in Ireland); they had these available once during my childhood, and I got one in Germany 4 or 5 years ago, where I think it’s a permenant feature of the menu.
I’d have to agree with Brittania, my memories of it are ‘THIS is what all the fuss was about?’. The Germans don’t put pickles in it either, at least they didn’t that day in Frankfurt airport.