• McDonald’s like to keep its customers guessing.
• The sandwich was once parodied on “The Simpsons”
• No, it’s not made of pig anus

McDonald’s wants McRib to be like an Eagles or Elton John farewell tour.

You buy into it and pay the price to go to the show (or eat the cult-favorite sandwich) but nobody truly believes that this is an actual retirement.

The fast-food giant leaned into that vibe heavily in 2022 when it brought McRib back nationally for what it called a “Farewell Tour.”

“We have good news, and we have bad news. The elusive McRib is finally back…BUT this could be your last chance to get it. After three straight years headlining McDonald’s nationwide menu each fall, the iconic sandwich is embarking on a ‘FarewellTour,” giving fans across the country one more chance to experience a taste of the McRib,” the chain shared in a press release.

At the time, the company did make it clear that while the McRib was going away, its departure was likely temporary.

“Like any true farewell tour, we’re hoping this isn’t a ‘goodbye,’ but a ‘see you later.’ Because as our McRib stans have experienced time and time again: you never know when – or if – the McRib is coming back,” it added.

And, because no crass pretend retirement tour is complete without selling stuff to fans, McDonald’s copied that aspect of rock band farewells as well.

“Since no Farewell Tour is complete without custom merch, fans will be able to show their love for this legendary sandwich long after it’s gone with limited-edition throwback-inspired merch featuring the McRib throughout the decades on art, clothing and memorabilia,” the company shared.

That farewell lasted about a year, before McDonald’s brought the sandwich back.

“It turns out not everyone was ready to say goodbye to the McRib after last year’s Farewell Tour. While it won’t be available nationwide, some lucky fans may find their favorite elusive saucy sandwich at their local McDonald’s restaurants this November,” a company spokesperson shared in an email to TheStreet.

Since then, the rib-like sandwich has made sporadic menu appearances and, now, it’s set to make a return to some McDonald’s menus on Nov. 11.

The McRib is not made from rib meat.

McDonald’s/TheStreet

Return of McRib

The McRib, it should be noted, is not rib meat.

“Despite its molded-and-stamped rib-resembling appearance, the McRib contains no bones, nor is it cut from bony parts of the pig,” Taste Cooking shared.

And, while there is all sorts of speculation as to where the sandwich’s meat comes from (no, it’s not pig anus as one urban legend suggests), the truth is only mildly less disturbing.

“McRibs are primarily made of ground boneless pork shoulder emulsified with water, spices, dextrose sugar, and preservatives to refine its flavor and texture. The meat’s smoky flavor comes from liquid smoke, a benign distillate of smoky vapor, rather than anything approaching low-and-slow barbecue,” the website shared.

Its limited availability and local, rather than national rollouts (in most cases) has to do with the price of pork.

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Now, two credible sources, the McRib Locator, and Snackolator have reported that the sandwich is making a comeback.

“After a weekend of playing phone tag to try to track down when the fall 2025 US McRib release will begin, I was able to identify that the large scale release will kick off November 11th, 2025! This timeline matches up with the conclusion of the current Monopoly promotion, and will be about a full month earlier than the start last year. Several of the contacts I made mentioned that this date was on the in-store planning calendar, so confidence is high on this date,” McRib Locator shared.

Snackolator was more concise in its post.

“The McRib is coming back to McDonald’s (in select markets) on the 11th,” the popular Instagram page shared.

McDonald’s was not contacted to confirm the return because at the time of the 2023 comeback after the farewell tour, a spokesperson for the brand told TheStreet that the sandwich was not coming back, only to confirm its comeback roughly 36 hours later.

Timeline of the McRib sandwich

• 1981: The McRib is first introduced, tested in the Kansas City area. Source: Retroist
• 1982: The McRib is released nationally in the U.S. Source: Chowhound
• 1985: After poor sales and rising pork costs, the McRib is “permanently” removed from the U.S. menu. Source: Mashed
• 1989: The McRib returns to some U.S. menus. Source: RetailWire
• 1991-94: The McRib makes sporadic comeback appearances. Source: Mental Floss
• 2003: The “McRib Jr.” variant briefly introduced. Source: McDonald’s Corporation
• November 1, 2005: McDonald’s announces a “Farewell Tour” for the McRib, formally pulling it from the permanent menu in the U.S.
• 2006 onward: The McRib becomes a limited‑time offering (LTO) in the U.S., rather than a permanent menu item.
• November 2022: McDonald’s announces another “Farewell Tour” for the McRib, showing the continuing episodic nature of its availability.
• November 2023: The McRib is brought back and has appeared sporadically since its return.

McDonald’s keeps bringing McRib back because the strategy works.

“It provides a healthy bump to sales,”Mark Kalinowski, an analyst and CEO of Kalinwoski Equity Associates told Business Insider.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski likened the sandwich to Tom Brady and Michael Jordan.

“Well, the McRib is the GOAT of sandwiches on our menu. And so like the GOAT of Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and others, you’re never sure if they’re fully retired or not,”he said during the chain’s third-quarter 2022 earnings call.