The McRib promises so much, but underwhelms in virtually every single component. The massive marketing campaign that captures the attention every time it is released, is a complete mismatch to the real thing. Still, not even influencers can put a hole in the franchise, they will continue to sell, and continue to deliver on poor products.
The Good
- The bun - Bread at least somehow memorable
- The gherkins - McDonalds saviour in most stacks
The Bad
- Everything else
The McRib has an element of nostalgia for me. I remember as a kid having a birthday party in Hammersmith McDonalds and being allowed to eat two! However, the lack of presence of the McRib in recent years adds to the desire for one. On October 16th, 2024, it was again released into the UK market with a massive marketing campaign. The images of the stack looked somewhat reminiscent of what I remembered. To my surprise, I managed to get my hands on one regardless of the ‘It may be hard to find’ campaign by McDonalds.
The McRib Bun: 18/20
As a child, I remember the bun being one of the best components of this burger/sandwich. Knowing what we know what we know now about McDonalds stands to reason. I can only imagine the influencers queuing up to comment on the amount of sugar and preservatives in the bread. Although probably correct and valuable, this woke generation has no idea the joy McDonald’s gave children in my time!
The bun was similar to what I remember. It had the lovely hearty Italian Subway’like crust on the outside. It felt quite light and fluffy, especially compared to most of the denser buns they use at the franchise. I can’t say it was as good as I remember; things rarely are so 30 years later and mentally built up as a fable. But it was a very good bun. The flavour certainly had a sweetness unlikely to come from anything but artificial sugars. Who cares? What tastes good tastes good.
The Toppings: 6/10
Quantifying the scoring for a couple of pickles and onions is difficult. They were good in terms of lodging for points in the toppings department. They were subpar in terms of actually being toppings you would associate with such an elusive and exclusive Mcdonald’s stack. The pickles tasted as they should from the franchise. Well pickled, with a lovely and familiar flavour profile. The onions were, in fact, sporadic and weak. Perhaps they would have been more noticeable if they had had more punch. Or were the onions drowned out by the acidity of the BBQ sauce? There are many theories, but they are null and void either way.
The McRib BBQ Sauce Condiment: 3/10
This is one of the most dire attempts at BBQ sauce I have tried in a while. In my opinion, McDonald’s BBQ sauce is one of the best sauces to grab with fries. Even knowing it is bathed in sugar doesn’t bother me! I did expect McDonald’s to have done something pretty special with the McRib sauce. It has not!
There is a smokey undertone, which is not mirrored in the usual BBQ sauce. It could be argued that there is more authenticity in the McRib sauce than usual. But, the level of acidity is beyond my ability to consume. My eyes winced at the first bite of the stack, making me question my decision to order this in the first place. Fortunately, as Mcdonald’s always tends to do: The burger looked nothing like the marketing images. So, there was a distinct mismatch between the amount of sauce on mine and the pictures. And thank goodness, because I would have had to give it a miss.
The Pork Patty: A horrific 4/10
Ironically, during these past five years, I have had conversations with someone much more intelligent than myself. Not only intelligent but knowledgeable about the most random things, one of which is the infamous McRib from McDonald’s. He had told me some years back that the McRib was only released when the price of pork dropped on international stocks. My foray into stocks goes as far as Eddie Murphy’s Trading Places movie. If you know, then you know. If you don’t, search it up; it’s an absolute classic.
Pork belly stocks aside, I have to admit that I have been excited about grabbing this burger for weeks. And, to be honest, I was nothing short of mortified when I bit into it. Removing the sauce, the pickles, and the onions from the equation and just focusing on the pork is a sad place. I expected a texture at least comparable to actual meat. Instead, I found an undercooked slush mixture that had a taste reminiscent of pork. It was horrible. I managed to have two bites of the meat to bring this review to you. My McRib dreams are over!
I wish I had read this before; I probably would have missed it.
The Taste: 5/20
Only saved, to some extent, by the pickles and the bread, the McRib goes down as one of the worst-tasting burgers at Mcdonald’s. I do not know what I remembered as a kid sitting in Hammersmith on my birthday, but it is certainly not this. The taste is as confusing as the texture is poor. All in all, I have to admit that I am horrified that something like this is allowed to be out for consumption in today’s market. Minced meat, which is essentially what this is, should have some texture comparable to meat. The overall taste represents a stack thrown together with little focus on the consumer.
Our Verdict: 36/100
The ten-year wait to get my hands on a McRib was underwhelming, to say the least. I did have a sneaky feeling it would be that way, so my insurance policy was to grab a double cheeseburger on the side! Thank god I did because otherwise, I would have been standing back at the counter like a weirdo some minutes after receiving my order. There is nothing else to say other than that if you were considering ordering a McRib, you should raincheck it. Compared with an actual pork stack like one from Poor Boys, it is night and day. I am not sure that anything could restore my faith in enduring this stack again, for love nor money.
