Since its debut on McDonald's menu in 1981, the McRib had claimed a truly special place in fast-food history. It's spawned off-spring (meet the McRib Jr.), made scores of television and movie appearances, and even inspired a website dedicated to tracking its "sightings."
And it's currently available at participating McDonald's through November 14, so hurry.
Or head to British Open Pub in Scottsdale.
When we heard that this local pub had the cajones to call out the holiest of all processed pork products with a menu item no-so-conspicuously called the "McRib My A**" we had to put it to our ultimate test.
Enter our latest Battle of the Dishes: McRib Melee.
Find out which sandwich took home the title after the jump!
The Set Up: We'll assume you know what the inside of a McDonald's looks like.
The Pros: The service was prompt and the staff were nice enough. As first time McRib-ers, we order the sandwich with all the fixings (onions and pickles) and a medium fry. Before even opening the box, the sweet smell of the sauce made us think of summer time barbeques in the backyard. The sandwich was good in the way fast food tends to be: filling, tasty, and kinda gross if you think about it too much.
The Cons: The huge pieces of uncooked onions made us feel pretty bad for anyone within reasonable breath-smelling radius. Oh, and don't even think about trying to eat this baby without an adequate supply of napkins. Otherwise, the McRib lived up to all expectations.
In the Other Corner: British Open Pub 1334 North Scottsdale RoadThe Set Up: This cozy pub is located in a strip mall at Scottsdale Road and McDowell. The Open Pub would make any Englishman feel right at home and made us Americans feel quite refined. The bartender was friendly and honest, not hesitating to tell us it was her first day on the job.
The Pros: The McRib My A** featured a heaping pile of meat that was definitely recognizable as pork, a fundamental distinction from the McRib patty. The pulled pork was moist and the onions were cooked--avoiding any further damage to our already reeking breath.
The Cons: With two half-melted slices of what looked like Kraft American singles on top, the McRib My A** didn't present its self as all that much fancier than it's competitor. The bread also appeared to be a store bought hamburger bun that, while perfectly acceptable, certainly left something to be desired.
The Verdict: If you're going to take on the top dog, you ought to bring your big guns. No doubt the British Open Pub makes a perfectly decent pulled pork sandwich, but to challenge the sandwich that's gone on three nationwide "farewell tours"...well that's a hard standard to live up to. Since more people seem to love the McRib than approve of the president right now, it would be insane to hand the win over to just any ole' contender. In the end, we have to side with America's Sweetheart: the McRib.
