Testing Ground: McRib
Nov. 12—I remember when I tried my first McRib.
It was 1994 and the sandwich was being rolled out as a promotion for "The Flintstones Movie" with John Goodman and Rick Moranis.
It was super messy. I got BBQ sauce all over my Cleveland Cavaliers shirt right as I was about to meet one of the team's players, Larry Nance. With all that said, I thought it was awesome.
Decades later, after numerous re-releases, including a "Simpsons" parody where Homer and a group of hippies follow it like it was The Grateful Dead, the McRib is getting put to rest (at least according to McDonald's. They pulled the same stunt several times).
Dubbed "The Farewell Tour," the McRib is allegedly going away forever. If you're presented the chance to try it one last time — especially if you have a decent memory of this incredibly weird concoction — do yourself a favor and don't order it.
On paper, the McRib is a weird combination of a rib rack-shaped boneless pork patty that's smothered in a sweet BBQ sauce and topped with onions and pickles. A fun added fact that a Vice article notes: "Meat restructuring was developed by the U.S. Army to deliver low-cost meat to troops in the field."
In execution, the McRib is something that made sense in the '90s, when fast-food chains rolled out several crazy sandwich and burger ideas. Now, it doesn't add up. The rib patty is all texture and no flavor. The lack of taste is supposed to be made up by a sugary-sweet BBQ sauce that overpowers the onions and pickles.
As the "McRib Farewell Tour" makes its final round, let's do ourselves and society a favor by saying goodbye by not buying another one. No encore needed.
Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrew.gaug@newspressnow.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @NPNOWGaug
