McDonald's is bringing the McRib back but its delaying it until late December as part of a strategy to parlay the sandwich's popularity into a year-end sales surge.
Advertising Age reported Monday that the debut of the once-a-year sandwich from McDonald's will be pushed back from late October to the second half of December this year as the fast-food chain looks to bolster fourth-quarter sales.
The sauce-slathered pork sandwich will appear during the holiday season along with a bigger advertising push that emphasizes its "high-quality pork" and "unique taste," according to Ad Age.
McDonald's will fill the void left by the McRib this autumn by offering a Cheddar Bacon Onion Angus burger as well as a similar chicken sandwich, according to the report. In February, the chain is expected to roll out the Fish McBites, about a year after it successfully launched a poultry version.
Here's how you can make your own McRib delicious sandwich at home:
Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipes Version of McDonald's McRib Sandwich
Serves 4
1 pound uncooked pork sparerib meat, cut off the bones of 1 whole rack (you can use pork shoulder, as McDonald's does, instead)
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 6-inch center-split white sandwich rolls
1 cup Hunt's Original Barbecue Sauce
8 dill pickle slices
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
Combine pork, water, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process on high speed for 30 to 60 seconds or until it's a smooth pink paste.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Divide the pork puree into 4 equal portions. Using your fingers (wet them with water first), shape the portions of pork on the baking sheet into thin 6-1/2 inch by 3-inch rectangles, or about the size of your rolls. Cover them with another sheet of parchment paper or foil and freeze until pork is frozen solid, about 2 hours.
Split the rolls open and toast them. pour the barbecue sauce into a large shallow bowl.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, and then cool the frozen pork patties for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until browned in spots. Cool the cooked patties for a few minutes, then dip each portion into the barbecue sauce to coat completely. Place each patty on one half of the roll, top with two pickle slices and about 2 tablespoons of sliced onions, and the other half of each roll.
Just before serving, heat each fully assembled sandwich in the microwave for about 15 seconds on high, to warm through.
