McRib season is back in McDonald’s restaurants for a short period of time. Today I plan to review this sandwich, but before I do, in order for you, the reader, to understand this delicacy, I thought a brief history lesson might be in order. 

The story of the McRib begins in the late 1960s in a military research center according to Thrillist.com. A group of scientists teamed up to create restructured meat. Restructured meat was a way to use all parts of the animal while reducing the overall cost of meat for the consumer. This type of meat is very convenient for the military because it would come in packets and be ready to eat. Contrary to the panic caused by “pink slime” in 2012, restructured meat is completely edible and safe to eat, which is why it was later used in chicken nuggets. 

During the groovy 70s, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor named Roger Mandigo was using the meat technology from the military. Professor Mandigo used this to create a pork chop-style patty made from restructured pork products. Soon after, McDonald’s CEO Ray Kroc met with Luxembourgian Chef René Arend. Kroc asked Arend to create a new menu item for his fast-food franchise. From this first attempt came the still-popular Chicken McNuggets. 

Though McNuggets weren't available nationwide until 1983, their popularity across those franchises that could serve the item caused a chicken shortage. In 1981 Arend was focusing on pulled pork sandwiches. Using Professor Mandigo’s idea for his style of a patty, Chef Arend worked hard to pull off a BBQ-styled pork sandwich to take some of the pressure off the beleaguered chicken industry. Thus, the McRib was born.

After a year of working on getting the patty right, the McRib was released to the public in 1982. To this day, the McRib consists of a restructured pork patty shaped like a rack of ribs covered in barbeque sauce, onions and pickles on a French roll. Even though the McRib is a loved menu item today, back when it first came to the scene, it didn’t get positive feedback from customers. It went to being called the McFlop, and, by 1983, the McRib was slowly disappearing from stores all over the nation. 

There is no confirmed reason as to why the McRib would appear and disappear during this time, but what is without a doubt is that the mysterious disappearance upset some people. During the 90s, McDonald’s collaborated with the “Flintstones” movie to help promote the sandwich to the masses. McDonald used the McRib due to its rib shape bearing a striking similarity to the very rack of ribs that tips over Fred Flintstone’s vehicle in the series’ theme song. Thanks to the popularity of the promotion, the McRib stayed on the in-store menus for the rest of the 90s.

The McRib would stay on the menu until 2005 when McDonald’s announced a “farewell tour” for the popular sandwich. The McRib would be gone more than once during this period; the sandwich got four farewell tours by 2008. The McRib would actually become more popular as an annual item in the menus, driving customers to restaurants in droves for a fun, yearly tradition that many Americans are enjoying as we speak.

Knowing the long voyage of the sandwich to this point, on November 8th, 2021, I, Aimar S. Acuna devoured the McRib for the first time. My first bite of this elusive sandwich surprised me. It tasted pretty good! However, I am not a fan of onions and pickles so, as it appears on the menu, the McRib, from me, gets a score of 6.4/10. Though the sandwich did not meet my life-changing expectations, the story itself contributed greatly to its experience. Tasting a McRib is certainly something everyone should do at least once in their life, but I do understand those people that simply prefer other McDonald’s menu items. 

And so it was; this was the history of the mighty McRib. Make sure to follow Anchor News on Instagram and Fufsoo to see more articles like this.

Header Photo Courtesy of CNN

Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of MassLive.com