What Type Of Meat Is Used For McDonald's Beloved McRib Sandwich?

When McDonald's gets knocked down, it gets back up again. Even when America's most iconic burger joint experienced customer drop-off due to an E. coli outbreak in 2024, it didn't take the catastrophe lying down. It extended its $5 value meal, and there was even a rumor that the restaurant might bring back all-day breakfast. Fans of the Golden Arches were also treated that year to the return of one of its most beloved menu items: the McRib. The revival of the McRib was celebrated by joyous fans of the elusive meal, but it also rekindled a debate about what kind of meat is featured in the sandwich.

The truth is, what makes up the McRib isn't all that secret. According to the McDonald's website, the "mystery meat" is simply seasoned boneless pork. Despite the rumors and wild assumptions claiming the meat is some type of byproduct you would never knowingly order, it is just run-of-the-mill pork shoulder, ground up and emulsified with dextrose sugar, seasonings, water, and preservatives so it holds its iconic shape.

The over-processed structure is what breeds so many questions and allegations about the meat. It doesn't taste like ribs — because it isn't — and yet it resembles a rack of ribs like you might see at Chili's. The shape of the meat has as much to do with the McRib's popularity as that flavor some folks can't get enough of, and was conceived using technology that has been around for thousands of years.

Before the McRib debuted in 1981, chicken nuggets were the star of the show at McDonald's. The menu item became so popular that franchises were clamoring for another big hit with customers. Enter Roger Mandigo, an animal science professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska. Mandigo took a page from the book of sausage-making to create the pork patty McDonald's desired, but instead of putting meat into a casing, he extracted protein from muscle using salt. The protein worked to emulsify the meat and hold the patties together.

The original McRib was constructed to look like a pork chop, but McDonald's had other plans. Corporate executives wanted the patty to resemble a boneless back rib, and that design stuck. Mandigo didn't technically invent the McRib, but the technology he perfected to create it did earn him a spot in the Meat Industry Hall of Fame's class of 2010.

So if you're hankering for the McRib's return, you can rest easy knowing it consists of ground-up pork shoulder and not some other unusual meat byproduct. Keep in mind, also, that McDonald's has given this menu item multiple farewell tours in the past, so its last reappearance in 2024 may have been your last chance — or maybe it wasn't. The mystery of the McRib remains eternal. In the meantime, it's full steam ahead for McDonald's' 2025 menu, which will feature another fan favorite: the snack wrap.