How Hoosiers Can Make a Better Homemade Version of the McRib

McDonald's McRib season only comes around once a year, but it seems to be getting more and more disappointing. Here's how you can make an even tastier version of the pork sandwich anytime with fresh ingredients.

I previously reported that Indiana's favorite item off the McDonald's menu is the McRib, which is only around for a month or two once a year. As a kid, I really enjoyed these little barbecue sandwiches, and I'll still snag at least one a year as an adult. All that said, the last time I had one, it was incredibly disappointing. Therefore, I’ve set out to make my own version of the sandwich, and I think it’s something you’ll really enjoy if you’re willing to put in a little work.

The History of McDonald's McRib

There is still quite a bit of debate over who is really responsible for the creation of the McRib. According to Chowhound, René Arend brought the McRib to fruition in 1981. It was first tested in Kansas City, Kansas, for a year before it was released nationally in 1982. However, some believe the idea for the McRib was actually taken from military MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat), when the Army paid a number of meat-packing companies to conduct trial runs of different meat-scrap shapes.

Disturbing Facts About McDonald's McRib

Believe it or not, the McRib, despite its name, doesn’t actually contain any rib meat. According to Taste of Cooking, it’s made from boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt). The meat is run through a grinder and pressed into patties that look like a little slab of ribs. Liquid smoke is added to these boneless pork patties, which are then frozen and sent to restaurants for final cooking. The McRib patty is served on a toasted submarine-style bun, with barbecue sauce, white onions and pickles. It’s simple, but it has the potential to be so much better.

Jake Foster's Homemade McRib Recipe

To make the McRib at home, you'll first need some pork. If you like, you can buy regular ground pork from the store, but I wanted to go a little more authentic and true to the name. I smoke a lot of ribs throughout the year and tend to trim my racks of spare ribs before smoking them low and slow. That leaves me with a lot of trimmings, which I usually freeze and later grind for sausage. However, this time, I decided to use this ground meat for an actual rib sandwich.

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The Secret to a Good Rib Sandwich

After grinding all of my spare rib trimmings, I seasoned the mixture with a combination of Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub and Weber KC BBQ Rub. I then formed the seasoned meat into perfect 1/4-pound patties using a basic patty press. While you can buy a McRib-style mold online, my Joie Burger Press from Walmart was much more affordable and worked just fine. The patties just didn’t have that ultra-fake slab-of-ribs look.

Once the patties were formed, I vacuum-sealed them and stored them in the freezer for later use. I hadn’t grilled any until recently, but boy, was I happy with the results. I grilled a few patties over Cowboy Brand Lump Charcoal, which added an amazing smoke flavor, much better than the liquid variety. Once they were nearly done cooking, I brushed them with a light layer of Rib Rack Southern Bourbon BBQ Sauce before taking them inside to assemble the final product.

A Look at My Fake McDonald's McRib

My fake McRib patties were placed on regular sandwich buns and topped with chopped red onion and three dill pickle chips. I decided to serve them with a cold glass of Coke and a fresh batch of French fries straight from the fryer. The smoky flavor of the pork really stood out, but I believe the overall result could have been improved with a higher-quality bun. That was really the only complaint my family and I had, but fortunately, I've got more in the freezer to experiment with.