See Why The McDonald’s McRib Isn’t Real Food

A revealing video posted to Twitter showed how the extremely popular McDonald's McRib is crafted beginning with a frozen block placed on a griddle and ending with that same block being slathered in BBQ sauce.

By Jennifer Hollohan | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Every year, customers nationwide await news that the McRib will be making a triumphant return. This year, McDonald’s finally brought the adored sandwich back…for a farewell tour. And to send it off in style, one employee wanted the world to see just how the McRib is made.

Mike Sington is a former Senior Executive at NBC Universal. In Sington’s Twitter profile, he describes himself as an “Entertainment, Pop Culture, and Lifestyle Expert.” And yesterday, he posted a video on Twitter that gave a behind the scene look at the McRib sandwich.

An unnamed worker at an undisclosed location shot the video. It showed a rather unappetizing glimpse at the construction of the beloved sandwich. Sington was less than impressed.

He tweeted, “Can this even be considered food? A McDonald’s worker decides to reveal how a McRib is made.” However, many of the comments showed that consumers did not mind at all. 

One user said, “Be for real and tell me how so you think the fast good was made? Everything is premade and frozen… Do you actually believe they were making fresh ribs?” Many echoed this sentiment and questioned whether he or other critics had ever worked in a fast-food restaurant. 

Still, others agreed with Sington and expressed their disdain. One follower declared, “Wow I don’t eat pork but wow that’s NASTY.” But how did one video spark such divisive debate?

The video shows frozen rectangles of pork substance placed onto a grill top. The worker presses the patties into the distinctive “rib” shape before moving them to another grill to cook. Once done, a worker removes them.

He then transfers them to a stack of warmers and places them into a tray filled with BBQ sauce. The video continues, showing the construction of a McRib sandwich. It also clearly highlights the standardized process Mcdonald’s uses, which is why your sandwich looks (mostly) the same every time you order one.

This video is not news for anyone who has worked in a fast food or restaurant setting. While there are notable exceptions, much of the food service world utilizes some form of pre-prepared products. And that fact is what one Twitter user brought up.

He said, “Not saying these are fine dining or anything, but… that’s just what frozen ground meat looks like. Yeah, it’s shaped and molded to resemble(ish) pork ribs, but I’m unmoved by this. McRibs taste pretty good for what they are.” And countless others agree with him.

mcdonald's mcrib

McDonald’s McRib is extremely popular among its restaurant goers. So, it is sad news that the sandwich will only be available for a little while longer. If the video did not turn you off, you can snag your own McRib until November 20.

But if you cannot make it over to a McDonald’s before the Farewell Tour ends, don’t despair. The chain has had three previous farewell tours in the last 17 years. That means there is a strong chance that the McRib will make another comeback in the future.