The McDonald’s McRib has been perhaps the biggest tease of the last century, coming on and off the menu every few years since its release in the 1980s. It keeps customers on their toes, but also leaves them wondering how to fill that McRib void while they wait for its return. If you’ve ever bitten into the sauce-drenched pork sandwich, you’ll know that they’re served as a distinct rack-shaped patty, even though the meat within isn’t made from actual ribs. So, how does McDonald’s recreate that bone-studded look?
The McRib patty is formed with a special meat press similar to a hamburger press that molds the ground meat into the iconic rib shape. McRibs are indeed made from pork, but not pork ribs — more like a combination of pork trimmings and pork shoulder (which is arguably the absolute best cut of meat for pulled pork). Grinding the pork with other products, such as the water and salt that go into McRib patties, causes the proteins to stick together easily and hold the classic rib shape until it hits your stomach. So, no, the McRib won’t have actual rib bones, even though the shape may be deceiving.
The McRib became one of McDonald’s most sought-after items
The McRib hit McDonald’s menus in 1981, the invention of former McDonald’s executive chef René Arend, who is also credited with inventing McNuggets. There are rumors that the patty was created with the more undesirable (but edible) parts of a pig — such as the tripe, heart, and stomach — but in the last decade or so, McDonald’s put that rumor to rest by inviting a former star from “MythBusters” to tour a processing facility. The findings? No pork hearts, no pork stomachs, no pork bones or gristle, either — just ground pork shoulder. Despite its current popularity, the McRib was initially a failure.
It was pulled from menus just four years after releasing due to low sales, although it returned in 1994 and remained permanent on the McDonald’s menu until it was pulled again in 2008. Created as a solution to chicken shortages that resulted from the popularity of McNuggets, as the demand for McRibs increased, so did the price of pork shoulder and trimmings. To combat rising costs and keep customers coming back for more, McDonald’s periodically entertains short releases of the beloved McRib. The most recent stint was in December 2024, when the iconic pork sandwich returned alongside a never-before-seen offer bottling the tangy McRib Sauce. Turns out, the real secret isn’t in the patty shape, it’s in the overwhelming demand from customers.
