Sunday, February 19, 2006

Deconstructing McRib

With McDonald's announcement of McRib's "Farewell Tour" I got the idea that I should do a little McRib research before it disappears forever.

I've since concluded that McRib isn't going anywhere and that the announcement is just a marketing ploy, but I've undertaken my 'experiment' nonetheless.



I've posted the (scary?) photos of my McRib Deconstruction, along with some historical and nutritional information here.

Enjoy!

91 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't care what it looks like. It a good sandwich...

Anonymous said...

NASTY!!

BTW Lindsey, you are cute. Call me.

Anonymous said...

Was it 1981 OR 1982...you state both; one in the text and another date in the 'facts block'

Anonymous said...

I think its good to.
Can't get enough of it.

doodlebird said...

it kinda turns my stomach, and it kinda makes me want one.
i do love me some mcrib-lets.

Rob Alan said...

Absolutely the worst fast food ever!

Retire the McRib

Anonymous said...

Eh, it's not so bad [McRib Patty: Boneless pork (Pork, water, salt, dextrose, citric acid, BHA, TBHQ)]. I make boneless pork roasts all the time at home. At least it doesn't say pork by-product.

Anonymous said...

That is disgusting. Here is a perfect homemade substitute. Get a nice thick(1.5") pork steak. Grill it gently until done. Remove from heat. Slice the pork steak diagonally the thinnest you can(get a sharp knife!). When you have your pile of thinly sliced pork steak, put into a small pot with about a third of a bottle of Bullseye original sauce and a shot of hot water(to thin out the bbq sauce slightly). Simmer covered on low heat for an hour. On to the assembly.Take a hoagy bun,slightly toasted, place on the bottom half a good handfull of thinly sliced white onions, and 5 or 6 pickle slices. Heap the meat on top. Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Don't eat these things, McDonalds have specific rules for how long food can sit around and for the McRib they are ignored to a dangerous degree.

They soak for hours and hours in the filty, filthy sauce.

Anonymous said...

Best burger at MC Donalds... thanks to Ronald "God" McDonald it's a regular burger here in Germany

Anonymous said...

I am a Vegetarian so it doesnt affect me. But STUFF what it tastes like. Isnt your life more importand than a burger?!? You could get food poisioning from that thing!! (The cows life is more important than people's who are oblivious to the health risks and how creul it is to eat meat anyway) but I think Maccas should be sued for that.

Anonymous said...

Stuff it veggie head, no cows are harmed in the production of a PORK sandwich!

Hoodlum said...

Yes, but is it McRibbed for her pleasure?

Anonymous said...

Love the McRib! Have you seen www.mcrib.com? It looks like the site is changing. Wonder what's going on?

Anonymous said...

I was very excited to hear it is coming back, hopefully in my area too this time! Not just in the lower income inner cities...

But let me say something, get those images off your site, if I look at the last 3 images any longer, I won't be able to eat it when it gets here, and I love the McRib!!!

Enjoy it if you find it!

Anonymous said...

I used to work at the plant that produced the patties. We dreaded McRib time, it was a logistical nightmare. But they taste so, so good. All it consists of is coarse ground lean pork trimmings (i.e. no specific cut) and a little salt with dextrose and preservatives(less than 1% of the last two).
These things are easily screwed up at the store level, but usually they are ordered so much that they aren't held very long.

Anonymous said...

PLEASE don't ever take Mc Rib off the McDonald's menu!!!!!! MAKE IT STAYS PERMANENT ON THE MENU!!!!

Anonymous said...

Its almost as good as Crack... I'm starting to get addicted to the Mcrib.

Anonymous said...

I prefer it over all fast food !!!

Anonymous said...

random thought: If this sandwich stays on the menu and everyone orders it would people start to die?! I mean marketing has something to do with it, and i'm conserned about the shelf life issue. McDonalds makes people fat.. we all know this... but if this stays will that become worse? i think someone needs to do a study on this. and i for one don't volunteer.

Anonymous said...

I purchased a McRib on 11/15/06...the bread was molded after I had eaten half I seen the mold...I became sick and was diagnosed with food poisioning..I contact the corp office...nothing has been done and the mgr still has not called me. I was ill for three days and have a medical bill!!! B. White Dallas,Tx 972-222-6119

Anonymous said...

After all the hype I just had to try this sandwich. I'm not a usual fast food eater but do like it on occasion. I have to say, it is overrated and I felt ill for hours after I ate it. The good news is I am cured of McDonalds.

Anonymous said...

You are what you eat.....So EAT up!

Anonymous said...

Doesn't that look just delicious?!?? :P


Just kidding, though in truth it doesn't really look all that
different than a well done pork chop except that it was squished into
its form. Very much like chicken nuggets (they're not like chicken
strips, they're all sqished and pressed into their shape too).

As far as the person who says they leave them sitting in the bbq sauce for hours, from my experience that isn't the case - they usually slather them up in it when you order. I know this because I usually order them without the pickles and onions (ie a plain mcrib, but with the sauce), and once got it just plain (no pickles, no onions, and alas, no sauce), which wouldn't be feasibly doable if they were sitting in a big jug of sauce from the get go.

And RE the 'go make your own sliced pork bbq sandhich' comment, lots of us don't have time to spend over an hour making a sandwich (your recipe called for roasting in a pan for an hour!). I myself love cooking, and very often am cooking my own food, making new recipes, trying out other recipes, etc., but sometimes I don't have the time or inclination to do that. Hence fast food (which really isn't all that horrible if you're only eating it on occasion).

Anyways, one or two each time they do one of their mcrib tours won't kill me! :D And.... come on. They taste SO DAMNED GOOD!

Anonymous said...

I think looking at these pictures, it kinda turns me off a burger I have and probably never will eat. I live in Australia, and we get the WORST McDonalds menu. Although we've got the McOz. And I'm just here to say, you wanna sign a petition? GIVE AUSTRALIA A BETTER MACCAS MENU!!! We're sick of a maximum 6 - 8 selections at one time!!!

Dick Ruthless said...

to the people that said they got old or spoiled McRibs:
It all depends what McDonalds you go to. Generally McDonalds' in busy city areas, in malls, transport stations, near highway offramps, rest stops, etc will be poor quality on average. A McDonalds in a quieter residential area, university cafeteria, and the like will usually be a little better, though can still be bad. I have no idea what McDonald's is like in other countries besides the States, but I imagine that they are generally only found in the bigger cities, and not in the residential city areas, suburbs, small towns, etc. So you can only get "busy-city McDonalds", the worst, most half-assed McDonalds of them all. Makes it even worse, of course, but to be honest, Mickey D's isn't all that great at it's best. I doubt that many people would actually RATHER eat a Big Mac instead of a nice homemade burger, but who has the time to cook? "Convienience over quality" should be the national motto of the various post-industrial nations.

Anyway, I kinda like the chicken nuggets...

Anonymous said...

There is a healthier compromise (still yummy and yet easy to heat and eat) --
I have always suspected there is more soy in fast food burgers than actual meat (cheap filler). Why not go all the way and try these? Gardernburger Riblets taste like McDonald's riblets, IMO, and don't contribute to the "Supersize Me" syndrome!

http://www.vegfamily.com/product-reviews/garden-burger-meatless-riblets.htm

(No, I don't work for Gardenburger. =p )

Anonymous said...

I remember when that came out; I was in high school and there was a McDonalds across the street. I tool one bite and threw it in the garbage... then went to the counter and bought a Big Mac. That was the most disgusting thing that I have ever eaten. Now, I haven't eaten at McDonalds in about 10 years... I made sure that when I bought my house it had a kitchen in it; and I eat only real food and not processed garbage.

Anonymous said...

Don't eat the Mcrib! I was up all night with vomiting and diarrhea after eating that sandwich. That thing is seriously unnatural?

Anonymous said...

!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow. I have been confused by the McRib my whole life. I never understood how ribs could be in a sandwich, and if there are no bones in it, why does it look like there are bones in it? Thank you for deconstructing the McRib and proving what I suspected all along: the McRib is gross, LOL! Seriously, it's basically Spam, except instead of pressed into the shape of a tin can, it's pressed into the shape of baby back ribs. I know this sandwich is popular with a lot of people, just as a lot of people really ENJOY salty processed preserved pig parts known as Spam. But I don't want to eat anything that has to have its shape hidden in a meat mold and drenched in a sauce to disguise its true appearance.

Anonymous said...

I have eaten one ever and that was way back before they discontinued them. I decided then that I never needed to eat one of those disgusting things again. When they came back I wondered why, considering how gross they were to begin with.

Anonymous said...

I work at McDonald's. I was getting tired of eating their usual food, then the McRib began. I don't know why, but I eat them sometimes when I have my breaks. I know they aren't "real" ribs, but I like the taste. Personally, I can't wait till they are gone because I eat them too much. They are addicting to me. I usually don't eat such fatty food, but these are my weakness and I don't know why. I don't get sick when I eat them, but I have to drink coke with it so I can burp lmao Jeez ...

Anonymous said...

I had one today and the "rib" tastes like a butterflied hotdog weiner and the bbq sauce tastes like ketchup. f***ing disgusting. Worse than a hotdog...

Anonymous said...

Hey this sandwich isint all bad, it does contain aver half of ure total required protein intake!

Anonymous said...

thank you for posting these pictures. All this hype over the McRib almost had me ignoring my conscience and buy this fatty, calorie-packed burger. But after seeing these pictures, I've been set straight.

Anonymous said...

I'd still eat it.

Anonymous said...

The McRib has always been one of my favourite sandwiches ever--I don't think it looks bad at all--just like minced meat and whatever else. Sometimes real meat looks a lot worse close up! I am hungry looking at it. Of course, only eat it on some rare occasions for health preservation! but love it when you do...

Kathleen said...

Really interesting. It is an alarming sight up close. Who knows what's in that minced pork?

Thanks for the interesting site. I've added you to my blogroll.

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm.... even the closeup photos are making me drool. I can't wait until November when the McRib comes back again.

Unknown said...

My friend and I think that is like soooo gross.... jeez guyz veggie heads have their rights... but you do too.

Anonymous said...

Guys, im doin a skul debate and i need sum Cons of under 18's getting tattooz, plz- or even just why tattooz r gus PLLLZ!!

Anonymous said...

eww thats so gross!!! how could anyone eat that???

Unknown said...

By looking at the insides of this sandwich honestly I wouldn't bother to stop and try it for nothing in the world look at it it's looks disgusting, I'll just rather stick to a better looking sandwich like a Whopper or a Bacon doble with cheese please! won't you agree with me?

Smallfriechef. said...

Gotta Love The McRib!
I have eaten ribs prepared every style known to mankind and then some. That sandwich rates! When they came out with that sandwich, they opened my wallet and gave me another place to dive into my favorite food. Besides I wasn't one of those kids back in school that got sick when they showed close ups of common items under high magnification. I think it reminds me of the cheese the moon is made of, and that's yummy also. Visit http://Astronautslandonthecheeseball.yum
Smallfriechef.

Anonymous said...

dude, i always remember this sanwhich being amazing but then when im eating it im like wait wahhhhhhhatttttt the heck am i DOING!!! HA HA HA oh wel i love it and like mcdonalds once said BA DA BA DA BA im loving it!

EAT IT!

Unknown said...

Ahhh god that's making me hungry... Man, I gotta get me one soon.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with the person who said it tastes like a hot dog. A hot dog with barbecue sauce. Not gross, but not something I crave.

Christopher Carey said...

Gee, what a shock!
So Mcdonalds is making disgusting, highly-processed foods to feed to their fat, disgusting customers???
What else is new?

Anonymous said...

Please bring the McRib back even if it is just a yearly thing in February or pick a month. It would be something to look forward once a year for a week or so or the whole month.

Please, Please, Please.

A McRib Lover and I know I am not alone.

Anonymous said...

Ok cool I like the sandwich to but should I? Is it an unhealty high fatty content? What is the fsat content? Somebody tell me before I OD on this thing.

Andre said...

That has more fat than meat, which makes sense since pork fat is a byproduct of pork processing which makes the sandwiches cheap to make. I'll be sticking to real ribs myself, I like my meat to have protein too lol.

Tommy Russ said...

Check out The Condiment Bible for an easy, homemade McRib recipe:

http://www.condimentbible.com/2010/09/recipe-how-to-make-homemade-mcribs.html

Anonymous said...

GOOD!!
What about the Chedder Melt (I believe that was the name.) But was only around briefly ! It also was a step just like McRib!

Severian said...

Fast food restaurants keep outdoing themselves with disgusting versions of cheaply-processed flesh, and McRib is almost at the top.

Anonymous said...

I tried to access the bonelesspigs.com. The webpage has expired. Too bad! It looked like it was going to be funny. FYI - the McRib is my favorite sandwich at Mickey D'. I love it when it comes back around.

Anonymous said...

LOVE THEM!!! Dunk your fries in the BBQ sauce and add and extra mile to your run. Life is good!!

Anonymous said...

god you ignorant people. Why do you blame Mcdonalds for making people fat, when you all know it's the person who chooses to eat there all the time. You can still eat at Mcdonalds and still be healthly; it all comes down to choices. Everyone has the power to burn off what they ate.

Anonymous said...

I had one last night. I will now never have one again. Thank you for curing me of my gnarly addiction. Thank you!

Chris Robison said...

McRib is back!

Anonymous said...

This is the most sickning thing to look at, I cant even think about putting that sandwich in my mouth. How can they be allowed to sell this crap to the public and say it is healthy.and for Anonymous did you look at the photo's below you must be Ill for that not to make you not eat it.
Terrimarie

Anonymous said...

gossed out i wanted to try it out.but now that ive seen the pictures it grosses me out i wil one day try it when i have eatin all my veggie serving and just have a bite of that mcrib just to see wat the fusss is about this mcrib

Aduv said...

Thanks for the pictures, I was considering eating one.... not anymore. I have to say it looks tasty, but when you fillet it.. GROSS! Glad I'll steer clear and not ingest that garbage...

Saver said...

Ok, so the McRib is back. I have NEVER eaten one, so I'm going on a search today.

Anonymous said...

Ground pork is nasty in general. It's all grayish and filled with bits of lard. Blech!

Anonymous said...

I just had the McRib sandwich and it doesn't taste as good as it did other years. The only thing I could taste was the pickle and onion. What did they do different this year?

Anonymous said...

How ironic... that people will eat the McRib and then bitch about the costs of health care... DUH!!! Talk about causing heart disease, obesity and diabetes... my God... 25 grams of FAT... and an unbelievable 75 mgs. of CHOLESTEROL.... let's not forget the SALT overload... there's some very STUPID consumers out there.

Anonymous said...

This sandwich is delicious~! to bad they cant sell just the patty i dont like bread and 1 patty isnt enough and if you actually stop to look at any food you eat its gross! but who cares ight as long you ain eating up some dog thats fine with me!!! MCRIB HATERS!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I thought this felt familiar! The McRib was around in 05-06. It seems like the same restaurant that had it back when I saw the sign. It was like deja vu! I still won't eat the damn thing. You feel this sense of wanting to buy it since you feel so crappy during other parts of the day and want food to make you feel better. But this is horrible. Anytime I eat at McDonald's I get sick. The grease or the unhealthy "contents" of animal parts in their "hamburger meat". Its disgusting. Okay now "like" this comment on Facebook so I can have fake feeling good about myself.

Unknown said...

this totally RULEZ! i love the glistening fillets. beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Enjoy the Mc-Ass cancer mindless drones. TBHQ is known to cause cancer.

Anonymous said...

buy a fresh pork chop from the butcher, go home and cook it, slice it horizontally and take a look. bottom line: it's meat, shut up.

Anonymous said...

well actually if you know what uncooked sweet italian sausage looks like, its similar......

Anonymous said...

Yeahhh thanks for that. I knew I should stay away from that poison. Subway for me tonight!!! Never had the mcrib and I don't plan on eating one.

Anonymous said...

That absolutely is the most disgusting thing I have seen in a long time.. Just goes to show that you never know exactly what you are getting when you eat out.. I know I am going to think twice about it. Looks like maggots at first...What does their hamburgers look like then before they are frozen and shipped?

Mz Trish said...

OMG...that was a crazy good scare!

Anonymous said...

MCRIB = TRASH!

Unknown said...

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE MCRIB DIDNT ACTUALLY HAVE MEAT I EAT VEGETARIAN "PORK RIBS" THAT TASTE EXACTLY LIKE THE MCRIBS AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER

Anonymous said...

Wow typical lazy people convinced fast food is good, think about how the supply and demand is met for fast food then answer the question if it's gross or not, the meat is called scrap parts that are tossed out by butchers and then grounded and passed through ammonia gas to kill the e-coli just to make it safe to eat, ever wonder why you get that crunch bit in a meat patty from a fast food joint? Its call hooves and other bone matter=scraps, come one people cook your own damn food, it's no wonder every one is obese.

Anonymous said...

McRib? The last two photos clearly indicate the addition of rice pudding and week old Horchata.
Here's to your health!

Anonymous said...

this is soooo disgusting.. i'm really going to throw up on these pictures. and all the ingredients are really poison to your body. everyone wake up!!! stay away from all fast foods if you want to live longer.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so very much!!!! I was considering trying the Mcrib for lunch but after seeing the photos I was fully revolted! Sadly the nutritional facts sealed the deal! Thanks for making it easier to stick to my diet! ;)

Anonymous said...

I love the McRib!

Anonymous said...

You should research what kind of meat McDonalds buys at auction. They buy the chickens and cows that are sick and won't sell. I will not buy in their restaurants.

Anonymous said...

The McRib is made on a Formax F-26 forming machine, the same machine used to make the 1/4 lb. and regular hamburger patties for McDonalds. The machine has the ability to form ground meat into a variety of shapes and sizes even 3 dimensional shapes. I know because I used to do field service on these machines at Lopez Foods in Oklahoma City and they make McRibs, breakfast sausage, burgers and Canadian bacon all for McDonalds

jai said...

Eww I got excited when i saw it the other day! Now I am not so sure Ill eat one ever again!

Anonymous said...

Love the McRib...

Anonymous said...

i dont eat em any more. they give me the shits. still a good eat, tho.

zot said...

Got the biggest calves on a man! McRib be Good!

Anonymous said...

Hi i work at McDonald's and I'm cooking most of the time, would you like me to try and get you a photo of the McRib in it's raw uncooked state?

Ron Graves said...

The McRib bun apparently contains "mono- and diglycerides" - what of?

Is that an error or does it really not say what they are mono- and diglycerides of? Because they have to be of something, otherwise it's meaningless.