Day 260- The McRib was Created in a Lab in Nebraska

Call me crazy, but I'm a little confused on all the excitement over the McRib sandwich. Yes, I understand that it only comes around for a limited amount of time, and that during its short release it is one of the top selling items on the menu. Still I am confused. The McRib sandwich isn't even ribs! It was created in a lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln by scientist, Roger Mandigo.

Mandigo's invention, which is called "restructured meats,"earned him induction into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, along with famous names such as Colonel Sanders and Wendy's Dave Thomas. The idea of restructured meat has been used to create chicken nuggets, and is very popular in the U.S military since it is convenient for feeding large numbers of people every day.

The McRib doesn't contain ribs, but apparently it does contain 70 other ingredients:

McRib: McRib Pork Patty, McRib Bun, McRib Sauce, Pickle Slices, Slivered Onions

McRib Pork Patty: Pork, water, salt, dextrose, preservatives (BHA, propyl gallate, citric acid)

McRib Bun: Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, high fructose corn syrup, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, corn meal, wheat gluten, soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oils, dextrose, sugar, malted barley flour, cultured wheat flour, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, soy flour, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide), calcium propionate (preservative), soy lecithin.

McRib Sauce: Water, high fructose corn syrup, tomato paste, distilled vinegar, molasses, natural smoke flavor (plant source), food starch-modified, salt, sugar, spices, soybean oil, xanthan gum, onion powder, garlic powder, chili pepper, sodium benzoate (preservative), caramel color, beet powder

The McRib is basically ground -up low-value pork trimmings mixed together with salt and water to create "meat logs" that are then carved to size. Which is then topped with a high fructose corn syrup, salted BBQ sauce mixture.

Sounds delicious? No thank you.

The McRib is only available for a limited amount of time because the longer it is offered on the menu the smaller the demand for it is. This way they keep the demand high at all times. Seems like a bit of brainwashing to me.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

How to make a McRib