The McRib Is Returning to McDonald’s for ‘Farewell Tour'

A farewell tour is bittersweet. While it’s the signifier of a long and successful career, it’s also what is supposed to be a final goodbye to an icon we hold dear. Serena Williams, Elton John and more all have gone on farewell tours (or are still going on them) recently and another iconic great is now set to join them in the annals of history — but this time, it’s a sandwich.

Before the year is up, customers around the Hamburglar-sphere will say goodbye to the fabled, the notorious and the illustrious McRib, according to McDonald’s. Customers will have less than a month before the McRib Farewell Tour, as the chain is calling it, comes to a close.

The 520 calorie sandwich, replete with seasoned boneless pork dipped in Tangy BBQ Sauce and topped with chopped onions and pickles is famous for being a favorite limited-time treat for the fast-food giant, even as detractors call the sandwich names or debate what the patty actually is made of.

(According to sources, by the way, it’s made out of “restructured boneless pork patty," which is a stomach-turning way of saying ground pork molded into its distinctive rib-but-not shape.)

“Get one while you can because this is the McRib Farewell Tour,” reads the McDonald’s website, sounding very official with its capitalization choices. “Enjoy our famous pork sandwich as if it’s your last!”

The chain also said that while the joyful gelatinous saucy sensation itself will be available beginning Oct. 31 in the McDonald’s app, for delivery or for pick-up in-store, the sandwich is saying “goodbye” on Nov. 20. This means if you were hoping for a McRib-flavored Thanksgiving this year, you’re going to have to buy in bulk in advance and buy a freezer bag or 20.

This isn’t the first time the McRib has been back, of course — in fact, it’s returned in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 before its fabled final run this year. However, in the past, McDonald’s never said it would be the very last time the porky dish would be available like it is now.

Response on social media to the news that the McRib is kicking the bucket, so to speak, has been characteristically comedic, with some comparing this farewell tour to others like Elton John, Kiss and Cher — all who said it would be the last time you could enjoy what they had to give, but then changed their minds at one point or another.

“If you believe this ‘Farewell Tour’ is actually the end of McRib, I have a Mexican Pizza and a Wingstop Chicken Sandwich and Brooklyn Bridge to sell you,” tweeted Bill Oakley, showrunner of "The Simpsons."

“The dance of mcrib being a permanent fixture on the menu is the ultimate will they or won’t they in the world of food,” proclaimed another Twitter user.

Still, some folks — like singer Michelle Williams — just wanted to know when the McRib was coming back in the first place so they could get themselves a taste.

“When does the McRib come back? Asking for a friend!” she tweeted.

"IT’S MCRIB SEASON AND NO ONE TOLD ME?!" said another person on Twitter. "You are all fired. All of you."

Still, if Williams or any other fans of the McRib don’t get a chance to grab a sammy for themselves, TODAY’s own Al Roker wrote a copycat McRib recipe they could make at home that looks just as — if not even more — delicious. That, or you can book a flight to Germany, where the McRib is apparently available to purchase year-round.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com