McDonald's Welcomes Back Its Iconic McRib And Fans Are Getting An Extra Treat

McDonald's has been popping up in our feeds plenty lately — most recently with a viral social media video that at first seemed to be teasing all-day breakfast, but was really related to its new Doodles holiday hot cups. Today, we caught some extremely welcome news from the Golden Arches: the McRib is coming back! Currently, there are around 40,000 McDonald's locations in over 100 countries, but the iconic sandwich is largely (though not exclusively) a North American phenomenon, appearing periodically on menus and stirring up excitement there. This time around, McDonald's is getting in on the hype, releasing a holiday song entitled "It Could Only Mean One Thing (McRib is Here)." We predict that the earworm will be playing nonstop on TikTok before long.

It's hard to overestimate the cultural impact of the McRib. "The McRib is more than a sandwich – it's a part of culture, it's a legend, it's an event," gushed Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's, in a press release (via USA Today). Calling the season of the McRib "a holiday unto itself," Hassan also dropped the bombshell that fans of the sandwich (which is made with pork patties shaped like a rack of ribs, barbecue sauce, slivered onions, and pickles) would be getting a bonus stocking stuffer this year: the chance to buy McRib sauce, just in time for Christmas giving.

You don't have to wait long for your McRib fix, as the sandwiches will be making their glorious return to participating McDonald's restaurants on December 3rd. But there's no need to hold on until next month to drown pretty much everything you eat in your favorite sauce. Starting on November 25th, you can score a half-gallon of zesty, sweet A Whole Lotta McRib Sauce. A half-gallon jug of the condiment is just $19.99 and will be available on a dedicated website for a limited time. As of this writing, a countdown to the saucy sale was already live. Some of our favorite McDonald's hacks involve mix-and-match sauce combinations, which begs the thought ... imagine McRib sauce on nuggets! Big Macs! French fries! This holiday season, the possibilities are endless.

One thing's for sure: we'll definitely get our McRib fill while the getting is good. Historically, there's been no predicting how long the McRib will be gone before it disappears, but chances are that it will move fast. Looks like it's time to blast our holiday music and plan a daily drive-thru McDonald's run.