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* One [[urban legend]] claims that the sandwich is made out of [[kangaroo]] meat.<ref>{{cite web|title=From the Green Room: The Return of the McRib|url=http://www.imus.com/rob-bartlett/2010/10/18/from-the-green-room-the-return-of-the-mcrib.html|accessdate=24 October 2011}}</ref><ref>http://www.fromaway.com/observations/mcdonalds-mcrib-sandwich {{Verify credibility|date=March 2012}}</ref>
* One [[urban legend]] claims that the sandwich is made out of [[kangaroo]] meat.<ref>{{cite web|title=From the Green Room: The Return of the McRib|url=http://www.imus.com/rob-bartlett/2010/10/18/from-the-green-room-the-return-of-the-mcrib.html|accessdate=24 October 2011}}</ref><ref>http://www.fromaway.com/observations/mcdonalds-mcrib-sandwich {{Verify credibility|date=March 2012}}</ref>
* The "Ribwich", a McRib parody, is a limited-time menu item sold at [[Krusty Burger]] in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can]]".<ref name=maxim/>
* The "Ribwich", a McRib parody, is a limited-time menu item sold at [[Krusty Burger]] in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can]]".<ref name=maxim/>
* On ''[[Chappelle's Show]]'' during the "WacArnold's" sketch, Calvin (played by [[Dave Chappelle]]) announces that the Rib Sandwich is "coming back on Tuesday, and guess who's not getting one?!" It is a direct reference to the McRib.
* On ''[[Chappelle's Show]]'' during the "WacArnold's" sketch, Calvin (played by [[Dave Chappelle]]) announces that the Rib Sandwich is "coming back on Tuesday, and guess who's not getting one?!" It is a direct reference to the McRib.<ref>http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ebdb15aaf1/chappelle-show-wacarnolds</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 03:44, 18 August 2012

McDonald's McRib
The McRib
Nutritional value per 1 sandwich, 7.4 ounces (210 grams)
Energy500 kcal (2,100 kJ)
44 g (15%)
Sugars11 g
Dietary fiber3 g (10%)
26 g (40%)
Saturated10 g (48%)
Trans0†
22 g
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin A equiv.
2%
20 μg
Vitamin C
1%
1 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
12%
150 mg
Iron
14%
2.5 mg
Sodium
43%
980 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Energy from fat240 kcal (1,000 kJ)
Cholesterol70 mg (23%)
IngredientsPork patty, bun, sauce, pickle slices, slivered onions
May vary outside U.S. market.
^† No significant measurable trace.
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[2]
Source: mcdonalds.com

The McRib is a barbecue pork sandwich periodically sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was first introduced to the McDonald's menu in 1981.

After poor sales it was removed from the menu in 1985. It was reintroduced in 1989, staying on the menu until 2005. From 2006 onward, it was made available for a short time each year.

Product description

McRib consists of a pork patty, barbecue sauce, onions, and pickles served on a 5+1⁄2 inches (14 cm) roll. Despite its name, it is primarily composed of pork shoulder meat, according to McDonalds.[3] According to Chicago magazine, the patty is also composed of restructured meat products such as tripe, heart, and stomach and blended with salt and water to extract salt-soluble proteins, which act as a "glue" that helps bind the reshaped meat together.[4] The McRib has 70 ingredients. Thirty-four of those ingredients are contained in the bun, including azodicarbonamide—a flour bleaching agent.[5][6]

The McRib Jr. was available briefly in 2000. This version replaced the roll with a standard hamburger bun, and was served with two pickles and a smaller pork patty.

Origin

The McRib made its debut in the US in 1981 as a limited-time item; then, as now, it returns to the menu for promotional periods. It was developed by McDonald's first Executive Chef Rene Arend, who had fathered Chicken McNuggets in 1979.[3]

"The McNuggets were so well received that every franchise wanted them," said Arend in a 2009 interview. "There wasn’t a system to supply enough chicken. We had to come up with something to give the other franchises as a new product. So the McRib came about because of the shortage of chickens." It was his inspiration to shape the McRib patty "like a slab of ribs," despite the fact that a round patty would have been cheaper to manufacture and serve on standard hamburger buns.[3]

Despite the McRib's notoriety in modern fast food culture, it was not immediately successful. It test-marketed very well in the Midwest, and was added to the restaurant's permanent menu for the United States in 1981. Sales were mediocre,[citation needed] however, and it was removed in 1985 as McDonald's executives determined that pork is not eaten frequently enough in the U.S. to stay on the menu. After several years, it returned for a promotion. It is more popular in Germany, where it remains a permanent item.[7][8] The McRib was also brought back occasionally in 1989, 1990 (together with the "BBQ in a Bag" promotion), 1991, 1992 (with the Western Omelette McMuffin as part of a Western promotion), and 1993.[citation needed]

In summer 1994, McDonald's brought back the McRib nationally, as a tie-in with the theatrical release of The Flintstones, comparing the appearance of it with the rack of ribs that topples the Flintmobile in both the animated and live action productions. McDonald's (which was featured in the film as "RocDonald's") supported the return with McRib packaging featuring the Flintstones characters and a television commercial featuring Rosie O'Donnell in her role as Betty Rubble.

Recent history

On November 1, 2005, McDonald's issued a press release: the McRib would be permanently removed from the menu following a "McRib Farewell Tour". McRib.com, a website registered to McDonald's, featured a petition to "Save the McRib", which was facetiously sponsored by the "Boneless Pig Farmers Association of America".[9] On October 16, 2006, the "McRib Farewell Tour II" site appeared, confirming the first campaign to be a marketing ploy in the spirit of successive "farewell tours" launched by aging rock music stars.[citation needed]

The McRib reappeared in the U.S. in October 2007, beginning a third "farewell tour".[10] McDonald's sold 30 million made with over 7 million pounds of pork in 2007.[3] Its fourth reintroduction was in late October 2008, across the U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan, with a promotional website featuring music sponsored by a "McRib DJ Plowman" in tribute to its creator.[11] Additional limited-time regional offerings, in various regions of the U.S. as well as in Canada, were made throughout 2008 and 2009.[12][13][14]

On November 2, 2010, McDonald's began six weeks of nationwide McRib availability at the Legends of the McRib event in New York City, honoring three superfans: Joey Erwin, aka Mr. McRib; Alan Klein, founder of the McRib Locator website; and Adam Winer.[15] The promotion ended December 5, 2010.[16] McDonalds credited it with boosting their November 2010 sales by 4.8%.[17] It was the first national offering of the McRib since 1994.[18]

The McRib was offered in Canada from June 21 to August 1, 2011.[16] On October 24, 2011, McDonald's once again made the McRib available for three weeks in a promotion ending November 14.[19]

In celebration of the London Olympics 2012, McDonald's Australia and New Zealand reintroduced the McRib as the Atlanta Pork McRib. The McRib was one of six limited edition McDonald's items named after previous host cities. It was released on Wednesday 23 May and ran until June 5. Sales of the McRib in New Zealand exceeded expectations, exhausting supplies within days of the release of the burger with restaurants running out of their allocations of stock.[20]

Limited availability

Aside from weak sales, other theories for the limited availability of the McRib include the higher prices and unreliable supply of pork, the limited-time allure making it a better loss leader for McDonald's, and the scarcity adding to the hype of the sandwich.[21] An informal 2011 study into the "Existence of the McRib" draws a correlation between the price of pork and the timing of McDonalds offering the sandwich, as all five of the US McRib offerings beteween 2005 and 2011 have occurred during low points in the price for pork.[22]

Controversy

In November 2011, the Humane Society of the United States filed a complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission against the producer of McRib meat, Smithfield Foods, alleging cruel and unusual treatment of the animals used in the McRib patty production.[23] The complaint cites the use of gestation crates and poor and unsanitary living conditions, as well as a lack of proper animal welfare.

See also

References

  1. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  2. ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  3. ^ a b c d e "The Cult of the McRib". MAXIM. 3 February 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 'The pork meat is chopped up, then seasoned, then formed into that shape that looks like a rib back. Then we flash-freeze it. The whole process from fresh pork to frozen McRib takes about 45 minutes.'--Rob Cannell, director of McDonald's U.S. supply chain {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Moser, Whet (October 25, 2011). "The Invention of the McRib and Why It Disappears from McDonald's". Chicago (magazine).
  5. ^ Melnick, Meredith (October 27, 2011). "Why Lovin' the McRib Isn't Heart Smart". TIME. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011.
  6. ^ Hsu, Tiffany (November 4, 2011). "McRib pork provider Smithfield accused of abusing pigs". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011.
  7. ^ Feder, Barnaby J. (December 9, 1992). "A McDonald's Burger of the Garden Variety". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011.
  8. ^ "McRib product information at mcdonalds.de". Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  9. ^ "Boneless Pig Farmers Association of America". Archived from the original on 2005-12-31. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2005-12-30 suggested (help)
  10. ^ Justin Fox (2007-10-25). "The McRib is back Review". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  11. ^ "McRib Tribute Site". Retrieved 24 October 2011.[dead link]
  12. ^ "McRib is coming back!". Los Angeles Burger Blog. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  13. ^ Chris Selley (2008-04-09). "Unravelling the mystery of the McRib". Maclean's. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
  14. ^ "Twitter.com". 2010-10-11. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  15. ^ "Legends of McRib Launch Event - NYC, November 2, 2010". Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  16. ^ a b "The Return of the McRib". The Wall Street Journal. 2010-11-06.
  17. ^ "McRib boosts McDonald's November sales". Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  18. ^ Cato, Jason (November 4, 2010). "McRib rollout finds fast foodies feverish for the flavor". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  19. ^ Rexrode, Christina (24 October 2011). "The McRib makes a McComeback". USA Today, Associated Press. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  20. ^ http://www.burgerbusiness.com/?p=10581
  21. ^ "The McRib's suspiciously 'limited' availability: 4 theories". The Week. November 11, 2011. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011.
  22. ^ http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/11/explaining-existence-mcrib [full citation needed]
  23. ^ Satran, Joe (2011-11-04). "McRib Lawsuit Pits Humane Society Against Smithfield Farms, McDonald's Over Animal Welfare". The Huffington Post.
  24. ^ "From the Green Room: The Return of the McRib". Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  25. ^ http://www.fromaway.com/observations/mcdonalds-mcrib-sandwich [unreliable source?]
  26. ^ http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ebdb15aaf1/chappelle-show-wacarnolds
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