For 2020, McDonald's announced that the McRib would be made available nationwide in the United States for the first time since 2012, beginning on December 2. It was dubbed as "the most important sandwich of the year." It also returned for a limited run, along with the "El Maco Burger", in Australia.

The McRib starts with seasoned boneless pork dipped in a tangy BBQ sauce, topped with slivered onions and dill pickles, all served on a toasted homestyle bun. When everything combines you have BBQ pork sandwich perfection. But its availability is limited - we'll make sure to let you know when the McRib is back.

According to McDonald's itself, the McRib is a sandwich built around a reconstructed pork patty. It's not an actual piece of pork, it's pork meat that is ground up and artificially reformed into a sandwich-size piece of artificial meat.

Essentially, if McDonald's made the McRib a regular item, it would drive up the price of pork in the US. To much demand, not enough supply.

The rectangular sausage patty used in the sandwich tasted really similar to the one McDonald's uses in its breakfast sandwiches. It was well-seasoned and really juicy. There was a slightly more lunchtime flavor to it from the toppings and the barbecue sauce, but it did remind me of the breakfast item.

Since McDonald's first offered the McRib on its menus in 1981, the sandwich has grown into a cult favorite. Every time it reappears, fans post their love of the barbecue sauce-covered sandwich on social media.

Last year, the sandwich appeared on the menu for a limited-time basis. It's a permanent menu item at McDonald's restaurants in Germany and Luxembourg. Mike Bullington, the senior archives manager for McDonald's, said in a news release last year that the McRib was designed to be "enjoyed during the colder seasons."

This sandwich is a roller coaster. If you want to hop on for the ride of overbearing flavor that is the sauce, you might like it. Once that gets under control, there's a solid-tasting pork patty in there with a couple of nice toppings and a bun.

It almost like eating a split hot dog on sandwich bread. Even so, the sauce is better than most fast-food barbecue dips, and it complements the minor amount of porkiness in the patty. The McRib is still good for a sandwich of the boxed meat variety.

1981 The McDonald's McRib has garnered a near cult following since its introduction in 1981. The sandwich comprises boneless barbecue pork ribs topped with onions and pickles. The McRib is known in part for its elusivity: it has left the menu and been reintroduced multiple times throughout its history.

McRib first appeared in McDonald's restaurants near Kansas City, famous for its barbecue, in 1981. It disappeared from the menu four years later, but as a limited-time menu item, McRib became a favorite that McRib lovers would eagerly await. Fans of the sandwich are devoted. Some have penned odes to the McRib.

According to McDonald's, McRibs are primarily made of ground boneless pork shoulder emulsified with water, spices, dextrose sugar, and preservatives to refine its flavor and texture.