Brief History of McDonalds
Before we get into the McRib recipe, I’d love to share some fun information about one of the icons in the fast food world; known for their consistency of food (but not the ice cream machines 😂).
McDonald’s is one of the biggest and most well-known fast food chains in the world. It started in 1940 when two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald, opened a restaurant in San Bernardino, California. They invented a new way to run restaurants by making food fast, which they called the “Speedee Service System.” This idea was so successful that it changed how restaurants work around the world today.
In 1955, a man named Ray Kroc joined the company. He saw a lot of potential in the McDonald brothers’ idea and helped to turn it into a huge franchise. Today, there are over 38,000 McDonald’s restaurants in more than 100 countries thanks to Ray.
The Introduction of the McRib Sandwich
The McRib was first introduced by McDonalds in 1981. It’s a sandwich that features a pork patty shaped like a rack of ribs, but what made it so unique was that it doesn’t actually have any bones. The sandwich comes and goes, sometimes annually but most recently there was a 10 year gap! Instead of holding your breath every year to get this hearty bbq stroke of genius, we’re giving you the recipe to easily make your own.
The McRib Recipe
The key to a successful McRib recipe is in the preparation of the pork. Grabbing some quality pork and building the pork patty will allow you to freeze the pork patties and meal plan with ‘the other white meat’ to make these sandwiches all year. Aside from a McRib sandwich the McRib Recipe gives you a great set of boneless baby back ribs for a great dinner meal. (I’ve got the Chili’s Baby Back Rib jingle in my head as I write this).
McDonalds McRib Sandwich Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor Needed to grind pork chops into ground pork
- 1 Freezer To freeze pork patties until solid
- 1 Grill or Cast Iron Skillet For cooking the pork patties
- 1 Saucepan To prepare the homemade BBQ sauce
Ingredients
- 0.75 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon chili powder
- 0.25 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 pound boneless pork chops
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 units 6-inch hoagie rolls
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 8 slices pickles
- 0.5 cup sliced white onion
Instructions
Preparation
- Start by gathering all your ingredients. For the pork patty, you'll need boneless pork chops which you'll cut into 1-inch cubes before grinding. You'll also require water, white sugar, and kosher salt to mix with the pork. For the barbecue sauce, assemble ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, chili powder, and ground coriander.0.75 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons molasses, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin, 0.5 teaspoon chili powder, 0.25 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 pound boneless pork chops
- Next, prepare the hoagie rolls, pickles, and white onion. Butter the inside of the rolls and set them aside. Thinly slice the pickles and onions for topping the sandwich later.4 units 6-inch hoagie rolls, 8 slices pickles, 0.5 cup sliced white onion, 4 tablespoons butter
- Using a food processor, grind the pork cubes with water, white sugar, and kosher salt until smooth, resembling ground pork consistency.1 tablespoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3 tablespoons water
- Divide the ground pork into four equal portions. On a parchment-lined tray, shape each portion into rectangles approximating the size of your hoagie rolls, then imprint lines to mimic rib shapes. Cover with another parchment paper and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.
Cooking / Creating
- Once your patties are frozen, prepare your homemade barbecue sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer to combine flavors, about 15 minutes. Allow it to cool and then transfer it to a large bowl.
- Heat up a grill or cast-iron skillet. Cook the frozen pork patties for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are browned and cooked through. Remove patties from the grill and let them cool for a few minutes.
- While the patties are cooling, toast the buttered hoagie rolls on the grill until golden brown.
- Using tongs, dip each pork patty into the barbecue sauce, ensuring both sides get a nice coating.
Serving / Presentation
- Place each saucy pork patty on the bottom half of the toasted hoagie roll.
- Top with a generous amount of sliced pickles and onions as per your taste.
- Cap it off with the top half of the hoagie roll.
- Serve immediately and enjoy your homemade McRib sandwiches with all the classic flavors right at home!