Food - Drink
How To Fill That McRib Void While You Wait For Its Return
By KALEA MARTIN
Since 1981, the McRib has been appearing and disappearing from the McDonald’s menu. The company has always kept the McRib as a seasonal offering, and giving it a permanent spot on the menu is not as cost-effective, since more hype leads to more profit; for fans who want this sandwich year-round, there are other options.
Arby's Rib Sandwich
Arby’s debuted its Real Country Style Rib Sandwich in 2021, and it consists of smoked rib meat, natural cheddar cheese, crispy onions, and barbecue sauce in a toasted bun. Similarly to the McRib, the sandwich is a limited-time offering, but is more reliable, since it always returns exactly a year after its first appearance.
Troy's Rib Sandwich
Unlike the McRib, which is just a rib-shaped pork patty, the Florida-based Troy’s Barbecue uses real rib meat in their sandwich. Skipping the toppings entirely, the sandwich consists of two bone-in ribs between slices of white bread, perfect for those who like real rib meat more than the cheaper McDonald’s approach.
Pitmasters Mac Rib
Based in Washington D.C., Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ sells a rib sandwich called a Mac Rib, an homage to the McRib with nearly identical ingredients. It features a potato bun filled out with dill pickles, white onions, barbecue sauce and — unlike the ground pork in a McRib — boneless pork ribs that are smoked for 6 hours.
Smoke & Fire Mac Rib
California restaurant Smoke & Fire Social Eatery boasts their own Mac Rib sandwich, which consists of short rib, two smash burger patties, barbecue brisket, American cheese, grilled onions, Texas toast, and a signature sauce. This monstrous sandwich has enough flavor to satisfy any McRib craving.
Homemade McRib
If you’re looking for the rib sandwich that most closely resembles the McRib, consider making it yourself using a ground and formed pork shoulder patty, homestyle bun, pickles, onions, and barbecue sauce. McDonald’s nutrition facts reveal that the pork is mixed with water, salt, dextrose, rosemary extract, and preservatives.
How To Do It
Mashed’s copycat McRib recipe leaves out the preservatives and substitutes the dextrose with sugar. For more McRib-like results, throw the patties in the freezer so they keep their shape before sautéing them over high heat, then dunk them in barbecue sauce, throw them on a bun, and enjoy your homemade McRib.