McDonald’s promised to bring back the McRib on November 2nd, and, sure enough, the “legendary” pork sandwich has returned (for just six weeks), along with a new marketing campaign and contest built around the “mysterious” origins of the meal. Legendary? We always assumed it was cooked up in some test kitchen in the early 80s, after the Boneless Pig Farmers of America lobbied McD to pick up their product.
According to McDonald’s, the McRib’s “origins are unknown.”
Some say it’s been here all along, existing among us, hiding in plain sight, just waiting for the exact moment to make itself known to the world. Others believe it was discovered and released by powerful sources that held its deliciousness captive, away from its adoring public. But whether you believe it’s the object of an international conspiracy to rule the world, or the ancient result of fire stolen from the Greek gods on high by one pork-lovin’ titan, it’s certain its saucy, tangy goodness can instill such a desire to have one, that people will risk, maybe not life and limb, but a barbecue-stained shirt to have one.
To enter the contest, you have to make your own McRib fan video about the origin of the sandwich. We can only assume that the best ones will never appear on the McDonald’s site, but will circulate forever on the internets. The winner of the McRib contest gets $10,000 and a trip to Germany, where the McRib is a staple in the chain’s lineup.
McRib [McDonalds.com]
BPFAA [Official Site]
PREVIOUSLY: McRib Sandwich Returning From McExile On Nov. 2
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I saw the commercials for it last night, I think, and then today say the banners at a McDonalds saying it was only there until the end of the month. Happy days are here again, I sure do love me some processed pork swimming in BBQ. I have tried the frozen McRib type sandwiches and nothing compares to the original. My wife is on her way out of town on business today, so I know what the cats and I are having for dinner.
Funny you should mention eating these when your wife goes out of town. When my wife goes out of town, I usually go to a real rib joint for my Friday night beef rib bachelor meal. We seem to be thinking along similar lines, but I think I win this round.
you may win it over the McRib, but I make my own ribs at home. In fact I got an email from Harris Teeter this morning saying “We’ve looked through the weekly specials in this week’s flyer and have identified the top sale items THAT YOU NORMALLY BUY! We hope this service helps you take advantage of the great savings available at Harris Teeter this week.” and what was one of those weekly specials, Smithfield Pork Baby Back Ribs for 2.99 a pound, a savings of over 3.00 per pound.
You can guaran-dang-tee I am picking up a couple of racks on my home one night this week and making them for football Sunday afternoon. And I just so happen to have gone to see a buddy of mine last weekend who is a manager for Famous Daves and he took my by the restaurant and gave me a nice box of 4 bottles of sauce and a container of Steak and Rib rub.
Famous Dave’s sauce, is, well, awesomesauce, but Urban BBQ wins because of their chili-dusted tortilla chips and redneck fondue (chili and queso).
I like me some ribs, but my “no wife” meal place of choice is Buffalo Wild Wings. YUM
Like unwanted relatives, it always seems to come back.
I usually crave, then eat one a year and that’s it. I apparently won’t get one this year, because my stomach has decided it wants to eat itself. I can’t put anything delicious in there without risking hours of stabbing, burning, gunshot-woundish pain. I’m waiting for a referral to a gastroenterologist, which the doctor’s office thinks I can actually WAIT for (NOT!) and in the meantime I’m going to miss the damn McRib!
McRib video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdnr1rKjmUo
The modern McRib was developed in a laboratory at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Scientists were working towards creating a stronger caulking compound when a careless lab technician spilled some of his McNugget BBQ sauce onto the drying compound. The slotted shape of the sandwich was originally due to planks of wood laid across the compound to see how well it would bond to the wood. Soy paste and a small percentage of sawdust from the wood were added to give the sandwich/caulk a more palatable mouthfeel.
You win the internets.
I would hope you would enter that story into their contest, even though I don’t think you have a snowball’s chance of winning it.
Dumb. Haters gonna hate…
LOL! Oh man that’s great!
What do you care? You could leave it out and let the cats eat yours.
I’d like to see the real origin of a McRib, but I was more interested than grossed out by the mechanically separated chicken videos. I assume it would be similar.
YUM, like McRib.
The Ribwich was an item on the menu at the Springfield fast food chain Krusty Burger.
The Origins:
The Ribwich consisted of only the meat, the bun, and barbecue sauce. It was specifically not marketed as being nutritious or healthy. In the TV commerical for the Ribwich, the voice-over said, “We start with authentic, letter-graded meat, and process the hell out of it.” The box the Ribwich was served in advertised it as “Now without lettuce!” Homer tried a Ribwich and quickly developed a voracious appetite for them, eating so many that he became delirous and slobbered all over the place. Homer joined up with a large throng of “Ribheads” who were following the Ribwich from place to place as it was released.
The last stop of the Ribwich’s tour was in San Francisco, where Krusty the Clown appeared in person and announced that the Ribwich would not be made anymore, as the unnamed animal whose meat was used for the burger had become extinct.
“The pig? The cow?”
“No, think smaller. Think more legs!”
Also, what happens in your body when you eat a Ribwich.
They should hand out free condoms. ‘McRibbed for your pleasure’.
+1
But is it available in Canada too????
Of course not.
But- affordable healthcare is..
The McDonalds on Broadway between Waverly and Washington Places in NYC has been selling the McRib for at least two and a half weeks now. I got my first one two weekends ago. Not sure about other NYC locations. Because I am German I have been looking forward to it, of course.
“Think smaller…and more legs.”
Excellent.
I’m guessing that hidden camera industrial footage of how re-claimed pork bits are processed into McRibs wouldn’t have much of a chance of winning?
I am trying one this week, I’ve decided. I have to see what all the fuss is about.
I hope it’s as good as their succulent hamburgers and delicious Filet-O-Fish!
The McRib came from the same place all the other seasonal food came from. When McDonald’s was taken over by Ray Kroc, he wanted to put something on the menu that Catholics could eat on Fridays and invented the horrible concoction called the Kahona burger, which substituted the burger patty with a thick slice of pineapple. Quickly realizing he sucked at creativity, he put it in the hands of the franchise owners, one of whom came up with the fish sandwich. It was such a hit, he allowed franchise owners to submit ideas and started offering them up once a year. The lobster roll, mcrib, big and tasty, Shamrock shake, etc were the popular ones. Just going out on a limb here, but I imagine the McRib originated in Texas or some other Southern state. No I do not, nor have I ever worked at McDonald’s, but we studied their business model in college. The end.
But Samuel L Jackson loved his Big Kahuna Burger!
That advertising copy reads a little bit like if it was a Team Fortress 2 Blog post.
I wonder if even Saxton Hale could survive eating a McRib.
Saxton Hale can survive anything, including class-action lawsuits from hippie protesters.
But god am I glad I don’t work at McDonald’s right now. The smell of McRibsauce, day-in, day-out, 5 days a week makes a man nauseous. The things cook for 5 minutes on the clamshell, and then stew for about an hour in a tray full of the sauce until someone either purchases it, or we throw them out to make a new batch.
Blech.
“The Boneless Pig Farmers of America”
Where do I sign up?
Are the pigs boneless, or the pig farmers?
From and made of Parts Unknown.
You know, mysterious origin isn’t really a selling point for food with me. Although at least this conclusively rules out pig as the source of the “ribs”
Yes, parts “unknown”:
McRib Pork Patty:
Pork, water, salt, dextrose, BHA and BHT and propyl gallate and citric acid (preservatives).
Shouldn’t that be “legendary ‘pork’ sandwich”?
That’s what I thought as well. Mmmmm…mechanically separated pork product pressed into rib-shape form. No thanks.
McRib, I should NOT have read this while eating lunch!
Oh, well, not as bad as their burgers as long as it doesn’t sit under the light for too long.
Just had one of these for lunch today!
Mmm…McRibs… Already had one this week and will probably drive out to have one for dinner tonight.
Husband and I got a couple of those yesterday. We both have diarrhea today.
Funny you should say that. McRib also gives me McArriha.
I wonder if a video showing a closed bathroom door with squirting, farting and groaning sounds would make it to the video finals?
Channeling Debbie Downer…
I don’t get this marketing. If the McRibb is so popular why isn’t it a standard item on their menu all the time? Is it that Mickey D’s doesn’t like to make money?
I’m going to guess it has to do with the numbers. Ribs aint cheap, compared to ground beef and chicken. Maybe rib meat is more expensive than they can afford to sell at their price point all the time, so they wait until they can buy up a huge lot of ribs for processing, then freeze and sell till they are out.
Just guessing.
I am surprised that nobody mentioned “The Simpsons” and their parody of the McRib. Homer had quite an experience when he got his boneless pork rib sandwich fix from the local Krusty Burger!
Please refer to posts #8 and #12.
All we know is, it comes from the Stig.
They’re farming those too, y’know.
Intrepid Reporter Stumbles Upon ‘Stig Farm’
People don’t complain about how sausage is made. A McRib is just pressed into the shape of a riblet instead of being squeezed into a casing.
They’re farming those too, y’know.
Intrepid Reporter Stumbles Upon ‘Stig Farm’
They are selling a second McRib sandwich for $1 if you buy the meal.