Given that I'd gone my entire life without ever eating a McRib, I decided that now was the time to give it a try. If McDonald's was telling the truth, this might be my last opportunity.
McDonald's said it's retiring the McRib sandwich on November 20. I tried it and wasn't impressed.
Tiffany Langston
The McRib was born in 1980 and debuted at McDonald's in 1981, but sales were lukewarm, so the company pulled it from the menu in 1985.
Over the next several years, the McRib resurfaced for special promotions culminating with a big push for "The Flintstones" movie in 1994.
Rick Moranis and John Goodman riding together in a scene from the film "The Flintstones" in 1994.
After the "Flintstones" campaign, the McRib cult following grew, and every year or two, McDonald's would bring it back for a limited time. Diehard fans took that opportunity to stock up and get their fill because they never knew when it would return.
A McRib sign is seen at a McDonald's restaurant on November 3, 2010 in San Francisco, California.
David Paul Morris/Getty Images)
This isn't the first time that McDonald's has made the claim that McRibs were going for good: The first three farewell tours occurred in 2005, 2006, and 2007.
Now, I love McDonald's, though my favorite order is typically a No. 2 combo: two cheeseburgers with extra pickles.
Two McDonald's cheeseburgers with an order of large fries.
Tiffany Langston
I'll admit that the McRib never appealed to me. I grew up in South Carolina and spent eight years in Memphis, so I know what good barbecue tastes like — and the McRib didn't seem like it would qualify.
A plate of Southern barbecue ribs.
Tiffany Langston
But if this is truly the end of this era, I didn’t want to miss out. So, on a rainy afternoon, I dipped into my neighborhood McDonald’s to finally see what the fuss was all about.
Tiffany Langston
The line was long, so I decided to be efficient and place my order at the kiosk. The price varies depending on your location, but in my neighborhood of Astoria, Queens, it set me back $4.99.
I think every sandwich on earth benefits from extra pickles, but I didn't customize this time. I wanted to taste the McRib in its standard form.
Tiffany Langston
I snagged a table to wait for my order, which I thought was going to be brought to me (as per the instructions listed on the kiosk).
My table marker. I chose table 110.
Tiffany Langston
But they just called my number for me to pick up my food from the counter. No worries: I'm willing to put in the work.
Tiffany Langston
I grabbed two sandwiches: one to eat and one to pull apart and dissect. I was excited to dig in and see what the fuss was all about.
Tiffany Langston
The McRib I got was a substantial sandwich. If you were to eat the entire thing, it would definitely be filling and satisfying.
Tiffany Langston
It was super messy and packaged without much care. All of the onions and pickles were in the center, so I had to spread them all back out again.
Tiffany Langston
The meat felt spongy. It was more like a chicken nugget than any barbecue that I'd ever tasted.
Tiffany Langston
And there was so much barbecue sauce.
Tiffany Langston
Honestly, the sauce was actually really good — tangy with a little bit of a peppery kick.
Tiffany Langston
It was also perfect for dipping fries into.
Tiffany Langston
The bun was buttery and nicely toasted.
Tiffany Langston
It was a sloppy one, but I managed to get my first full bite of McRib, including a little bit of the onion and pickle.
Tiffany Langston
The flavor was actually pretty good. The freshness of the pickle and onion really complimented the richness of the barbecue sauce.
Tiffany Langston
On the other hand, the meat had no discernable texture whatsoever — it could have been any meat or meat substitute.
Tiffany Langston
"McPorkPatty" would be a more accurate name for this sandwich. It had none of the juiciness or fattiness that I would expect from good barbecue — especially ribs.
Tiffany Langston
Sorry to everyone who loves this sandwich, including my dad, but this just ain't it.
Tiffany Langston
If you've never had a McRib, you have until November 20 to grab it during the fourth (and final?) farewell tour. For me, the next time I'm in a McDonald's, I'm ordering a cheeseburger.
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