Thus far in its life, the McRib has had a solitary existence, with nary another rib-shaped piece of meat out there to keep it company. So rejoice, McDonald’s! Your boneless hunk of rib-ish meat will have  new friend soon, when Burger King unveils its summer 2013 menu, including its limited-time BK Rib Sandwich.

The sandwich is set to debut on Thursday, reports USA Today, and will be accompanied by other summer offerings like the returning Memphis Pulled Pork sandwiches, a line of Carolina BBQ sandwiches and sweet potato fries. Other new items include a BBQ Chicken Salad and line of Oreo-infused desserts.

But just like the elusive McRib, which only appears fleetingly once a year, all of those items will only be around through the summer. So the McRib and the BK Rib Sandwich will never have to go head-to-head, at least not yet.

And besides, this young upstart is nothing to worry about, says McDonald’s.

“We know our customers love McRib and we won’t disappoint them,” says a spokeswoman. “It will be returning.” (Cue anguished screams of “But WHEN?!?!?”)

So why the rib sandwich? Simply because there are other things to eat out there besides beef, silly.

“Our guests have grown to look for a variety of options,” says Eric Hirschhorn, vice president of global innovation. “It’s not just about beef anymore, but other proteins like chicken and turkey and pork.”

McRib loyalists, what say you?

Burger King rolls out McRib-buster [USA Today]

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