The McRib sandwich is returning — and you can now buy McRib sauce, too
McRib fans, your wait is nearly over. The McRib sandwich returns to McDonald's menu nationwide for a limited time, starting Dec. 3.
The sandwich's imminent return was expected as McDonald’s USA president Joe Erlinger told the "Today" show back in June the McRib would be coming back sometime in 2024. "It will be back," he said.
Last month, some local McDonald's restaurants in the Topeka, Kansas, Springfield, Illinois, and Springfield, Missouri areas told several USA Today Network news outlets the sandwich was expected to return the week of Nov. 25 and be on the menu into January 2025.
McRib sauce. Yes, you read that right.
But there is a surprise along with the McRib's return. McDonald's is also debuting a McRib sauce, too. A Whole Lotta McRib Sauce will be available in limited-edition half-gallon jugs for $19.99. The sauce will be available Nov. 25 (starting at 10 a.m. ET.), online at www.wholelottamcribsauce.com and could serve as a holiday gift for the McRib maven on your list.
“The McRib is more than a sandwich – it’s a part of culture, it’s a legend, it’s an event,” said Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald’s, in a press release. “McRib SZN is a holiday unto itself, so we wanted to embrace that spirit and give fans an even bigger way to celebrate this year with A Whole Lotta McRib Sauce.”
What is the McRib?
Made from pork, water, salt, dextrose and – have your taste buds identified this ingredient? – rosemary extract, the McRib is a pork patty, shaped to resemble a rack of ribs. It's served on a bun with barbecue sauce, pickles and onions.
The sandwich first became available nationwide in 1982 after it made its debut in Kansas City, Kansas in 1981. Credited with its invention: McDonald’s executive chef Rene Arend, who also created Chicken McNuggets in 1979, thanks to developments in restructured meat for the military made by University of Nebraska professor Roger Mandigo.
Over the years, the McRib has made many limited-time appearances on the menu since its removal as a permanent item in 2005 including time on the menu nationwide in 2020 and, despite a "farewell tour" in 2022, the McRib made an appearance in some U.S. locations last fall.
Last month, the McRib hit restaurants in the U.K. for a limited time — its first appearance there since 2016.
McDonald's has even created a holiday song, “It Could Only Mean One Thing (McRib is Here),” that will soon be ubiquitous on social media.
McRib calories, nutrition information
Here are nutrition details on McDonald's McRib, according to the restaurant chain (percentage of daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet).
- Calories: 520 (26% of daily value)
- Total fat: 28 g (35%)
- Total carbohydrates: 46 g (17%)
- Protein: 24 g (48%)