Smoking McRibs at Home Tastes So Much Better Than Fast Food
My grandson asked for McRibs…so we are making McRibs!
Things to know:
What meat is actually in the McRib?
The McRib is made from ground pork shoulder (also called pork butt), which is seasoned, formed into a patty shaped like a rack of ribs, and then covered in barbecue sauce, pickles, and onions on a bun. It’s not actual rib meat but a restructured pork product, developed from techniques used by the U.S. Army for cost-effective meat delivery.
What kind of bread is on the McRib?
McDonald’s McRib is a relatively simple sandwich: pork, barbecue sauce, pickles, and onions, served up on a hoagie bun. It doesn’t seem like the type of thing that would make people crazy, and yet it has an incredibly devoted following.
What is the history of the McRib?
The McRib, a boneless pork sandwich with BBQ sauce, pickles, and onions, debuted in 1981 due to a chicken shortage, created by McDonald’s Chef René Arend to offer an alternative after the success of Chicken McNuggets. Initially a flop, it became a cult favorite through its intermittent, limited-time releases, sparking fan demand and “farewell tours,” often timed with low pork prices or promotions like The Flintstones, creating scarcity and hype for the famously cyclical sandwich.
What is the difference between baby back and spare ribs?
Baby back ribs are leaner, shorter, and curved, from the loin near the spine, cooking faster; while spare ribs are flatter, fattier, from the belly, and require longer cooking for rich flavor, often trimmed into St. Louis-style for even cooking. The main difference is origin: baby backs from the top (loin), spares from the bottom (belly).
Are baby back ribs just pork ribs?
Yes, baby back ribs are always pork, never beef; they come from the upper rib cage near the pork loin, are smaller and leaner than spare ribs, and the “baby” in the name refers to their size, not the pig’s age. Confusion with beef ribs is common, but beef ribs are a different cut entirely, usually called beef back ribs or short ribs, and come from cattle.
Ingredients:
2 racks baby back ribs
¼ cup Rub (we used GrillMates Sweet & Smoky and Butcher BBQ Wild Cherry Seasoning)
8 white sandwich rolls
1 cup dill sandwich pickles
½ large sweet onion (sliced)
1 cup BBQ Sauce (we used Blues Hog Raspberry Chipotle )
RIB BRAISE
3/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup whisky (We used Revel Stoke Pecan Whisky)
½ cup salted butter (cut into pads)
½ cup brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F with your favorite hardwood/pellets.
2. Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs.
3. Season the ribs on all sides with the Rub.
4. Smoke the ribs. Place the ribs on the smoker, bone side down, close the lid, and smoke for 3 hours.
5. Remove the ribs. Tear off two large sheets of aluminum foil. Place one rack of ribs in the center of each of the sheets of foil, meat side down. Sprinkle each rack of ribs with 1/4 cup of brown sugar and top with 1/4 cup of the butter. Fold up the edges of the foil and slowly pour in 1/2 cup of apple juice/whisky mixture. Seal up each foil pack tightly and carefully return to the smoker.
6. Finish smoking. Smoke the ribs in the foil, meat side down, for 2.5 hours. Carefully open the foil to check for doneness. The meat should have pulled back from the bones about 1/2 inch and when pulled on, the bones should start to loosen from the meat.
7. Carefully remove the ribs (still in the foil pouch) from the smoker onto a large cutting board. Allow the ribs to rest in the foil for 10-15 minutes.
8. Open the top of the foil packets and begin removing the rib bones from the meat. They should easily pull out with tongs or your fingers. Make sure to remove any additional small bone fragments.
9. Sauce the back of the ribs, then utilizing the foil pouch, turn the ribs meat side up in a baking sheet and sauce the other side.
10. In your oven, broil on high for 1-2 minutes, remove, resauce, then broil again.
11. Cut the ribs to fit your buns, place a smoked rib portion onto the bottom sandwich bun. Top with sliced onions, dill pickle slices, and additional BBQ sauce if desired. Finish with the top sandwich bun, then eat and ENJOY!
Equipment used:
Yoder YS640 Smoker
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