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 made its debut in 1981, but was pulled from the menu four years later due to poor sales. It made another run from 1989 through 2005. Since then, it has been a seasonal item, and the scarcity has made it a legend among fast-food fanatics.

According to Wales Online, The McRib was last available on UK menus in 2015 when it launched as a limited edition item for just five weeks after a 12-year hiatus.

The McDonald's McRib's last seasonal appearance in 2022 was said to be its last. McDonald's marketed last fall's release as its “farewell tour,” encouraging customers to get it before it was gone forever.

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.

"There's a whole food science behind it. It's cheaper, faster products," she said. But sometimes "how does it taste?" is all consumers really want to know. Even so, Vanderwall said the McRib ingredient list "reminds me of a chemistry lab."

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.

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.

McRib Pork Patty Ingredients: Pork, Water, Salt, Dextrose, Rosemary Extract.

This move is in line with the company's scarcity marketing strategy for the McRib, which is designed to create consumer urgency. The McRib's unpredictable availability has been likened by McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski to the retirement uncertainties of sports legends like Michael Jordan and Tom Brady.

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.

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.