 Fast Food Nation The book about the "darkside of the American meal." |
 Super Size Me The fascinating documentary film about a man on a McDonald's-only diet. |
Fat Land  How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World. |
Deconstructing McRib -- the story, the photographs...
So, knowing I'd never understand the thought process that created it, I decided to 'deconstruct' the McRib sandwich itself. Hence the photos below. But first, a little history: The McRib was introduced in 1981 and was a regular item on the menu for several years. Over time McRib became a 'special' menu item and was only available in select regions at various times. It became part of popular food culture with mentions on Letterman's Top 10 list and The Simpsons. Today McDonald's has even taken to self-mockery with regards to the McRib. They've created the fictitious "Boneless Pig Farmers of America" web site (www.bonelesspigs.org). But now, with McDonald's threat or tease about retiring the McRib, there are petitions on the net in favor and opposed to keeping the McRib around. And, of course, there's a petition at McDonald's official McRib site. And what about that fancy McRib.com web site that offers logos you can download for t-shirt iron-ons, trivia and games related to McRib and begs the question, "Why spend all the money if the sandwich is going away?" It's not. It's just a revival of that perennial anomaly of the rib-less rib-meat sandwich. The 'deconstruction': Whether or not it would continue to be around, I decided one day that I wanted to 'see inside' the McRib. Rest assured, I wasn't expecting to find ribs in there. I knew better. But I wanted to know what that 'meat' patty looked like without the sauce. And I wanted to know what was inside. The photos below show what I discovered from the moment I came home and opened the McDonald's bag to the moment I laid out the filleted McRib patty on the cutting board. Just click on a photo to enlarge it in a new window. Enjoy! {comments?}
You can leave comments about this page and the McRib at my McRib blog entry at Fast Food News. McRib Nutritional Info: 490 calories, 220 calories from fat, 25 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 1040 mb sodium, 44 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 24 g protein, 11 g sugars. McRib Ingredients McRib Patty: Boneless pork (Pork, water, salt, dextrose, citric acid, BHA, TBHQ).
McRib Bun: Flour (wheat flour bleached and enriched with thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, folic acid, malted barley flour), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated soybean oil, cottonseed oil). Contains 2 percent or less of dextrose, fumaric acid, calcium sulphate, salt, acetic acid, soy flour, monocalcium phosphate, ammonium sulphate, cornstarch, fungal protease, natural culture, ammonium chloride, ascorbic acid, azodicarbomide, mono- and diglycerides, propionic acid, phosphoric acid, corn flour, calcium peroxide, calcium propionate, dicetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides. McRib Sauce: Water, high fructose corn syrup, tomato paste, distilled vinegar, molasses, natural smoke flavor, modified food starch, salt, sugar, soybean oil, spices, onion*, mustard flour, garlic *, xanthan gum, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural flavor (vegetable source), corn oil. *Dehydrated Pickle Slices Cucumbers, water, vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, alum, natural flavorings (vegetable source), polysorbate 80, turmeric (color). Slivered Onions Allergens: Wheat, Soybean Food Sensitivities: Gluten | |||||||||||||||||||
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