McDonald's McRib is back for 2023. Here's how to locate it near you

Greta Cross, Springfield News-Leader
·2 min read

It's the most wonderful time of the year — for a certain brand of fast-food fan, at least. It's the time for tangy barbeque poured over a boneless pork patty, topped with dill pickle chips and slivered onions, all between a toasted bun. It's the time for the McRib.

McDonald's McRib hit restaurants nationwide earlier this month and will be available through mid-December, per confirmation from employees at the 234 S. National Ave. and 528 S. Glenstone Ave. locations.

The star of the McRib is its boneless pork patty, which, according to the McDonald's website, is made with only four ingredients: pork, water, dextrose (sugar that comes from corn or wheat) and rosemary extract. A few pickle slices and onions are all sandwiched between a "homestyle bun" and topped off with McRib Sauce, flavored with "natural smoke flavor," "spices," onion and garlic powders, chili pepper and beet powder (which are among other ingredients), according to the McDonald's website.

The McRib was born in 1980 and has garnered a cult following since.

Nearly 30 years after its introduction to the McDonald's menu, a McRib super-fan named Alan created the McRib Locator in 2008. The website allows users to track McRibs nearest to them.

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In 2021, with the rise of NFTs, McDonald's created a limited number of NFTs in celebration of the sandwich's 40th anniversary, according to the McDonald's website. Only a few of the NFTs were distributed to Twitter users.

The McRib is popularly recognized for its limited runs, but fans remain assured that it will always return. Last year, McDonald's announced that the McRib would embark on a "Farewell Tour," yet it returned to menus again this fall.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: It's back! The McRib returns to McDonald's in 2023