The McRib has officially returned to McDonald’s today (October 16), alongside four new menu items as part of a major menu revamp.
The burger was initially introduced to the UK in 1981 and discontinued four years later, Leeds Live reports.
Although it has been multiple temporary returns since, last appearing in December 2014. While people are excited for the comeback of the iconic sandwich, it does come with one caveat. The fast food giant confirmed to The Sun that it will only be available in limited numbers.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “The McRib is a limited-edition product and will be available whilst stocks last. In the UK, we consider it important to separate pork and beef on the grill, so separate cooking processes and dedicated utensils have been implemented across our restaurants to allow us to satisfy McRib fans and finally bring it back to the UK.”
When questioned about the McRib’s sporadic availability, McDonald’s explained: “Unfortunately, many of our restaurants do not have enough grill capacity to cook pork and beef products at the same time.
“The breakfast menu is different because we don’t serve beef products, which allows us to have a dedicated grill for all our delicious pork products.”
According to the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), pork pricing is significantly higher that the five-year average, with supplies being scares as the UK breeding herd at a record low. This has resulted in the price of pork is 20 percent higher in the UK than in the EU.
However, a spokesperson for Red Tractor responded: “Whatever the driver for the introduction of the McRib, I can’t see that it is due to lower prices or an increased supply.
“Pig prices have dropped this year after a long term rise. The pig price is pretty cyclical and also very much influenced by the EU pig price – if that’s reduced it pulls the UK pig price down.
“So, we think it’s fair to say that there is a fair amount of ‘heads up’ on direction of travel of the pig price. We wouldn’t be able to say whether that drove McDonald’s to re-introduce the McRib, unfortunately.”
This comes after fans were outraged at the way the McRib was going to be made this time around. With the instructions shifting from the usual process of the patty being smothered in a layer of BBQ sauce, to the sauce now being squeezed straight onto the bun.
Making it a lot less ‘saucy’ than what fans previously remember.
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