McRib  – Double Smoked Boneless Rib Sandwich

The last time the McDonalds McRib sandwich was sold in Canada was in 2013.  So, the only way to enjoy a McRib  – Double Smoked Boneless Rib Sandwich at the SmellaQue house is to make it from scratch.  There’s no $5.89 burger available around the corner.  And this may be the antithesis of fast food, but its so worth it – especially when your American friends are celebrating the annual return of this iconic sandwich.  I’ll even add that I think this is far superior than the original; when you try out my recipe, let me know what you think!

Let’s get down to the details:  

• The base recipe for this delicious creation comes from the inspiring Kenji Lopez.  The biggest difference in recipes is simplified the recipe using ground pork instead of putting chunks of pork shoulder and cooked ribs into a food processor.  I don’t love washing meat mush out of kitchen equipment. 
• On a previous McRib craving, we hired a kid to 3D print a McRib sandwich mold, but you can use a burger press, cookie cutter or form with your hands.
• I am not interested chasing down restaurants with an app or a locator to find this elusive sandwich in December in the USA.  The one part that stands out to me about the McRib is the sauce.  The sauce is sticky and messy and accentuates the meat patty (which I am going to guess is just a pork blend mixture without any real rib component).  So very important to this recipe is to have a lot of sauce around!   
• The authenticity of a rib sandwich is that its grilled.  So don’t cheat yourself.  Make sure the rib patties are smoked and grilled. 
• Boneless rib meat sandwich?  Genius!

McRib – Double Smoked Boneless Rib Sandwich

4.50 from 2 votes

A mouthwatering version of the iconic McDonalds McRib sandwich that is made from scratch.  And you can cook this recipe too!

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 racks baby back or St Louis cut ribs
• 1 cup spice rub I used 1 layer each of Kosmos Honey Chipotle Killer Bee, Head Country Championship Original and Simply Marvelous Pecan on each side of the ribs
• ½ cup margarine block
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 cups barbecue sauce I used 1 part Kosmos OPX-1 and 1 part Head Country Original
• 1 1/2 pounds 700g ground pork shoulder
• 1 tablespoon/ 12g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon/ 2g white sugar
• 6 soft sausage buns
• dill pickle slices
• 1 white onion, thinly sliced (I don’t enjoy raw onions, so I soaked the slices in a bowl of water for 10-15 minutes to take out the sharp onion bite)

Method

 

1. Remove membrane on the back side by placing ribs meat side down (which will also mean bone side up). Use the back of a spoon to lift the edge of the white transparent membrane on the back of the bones. Using a piece of paper towel to get underneath the membrane where it is lifted and pull off the membrane across the bones.
2. Season both sides of the ribs with spice rub and set aside in the fridge.
3. Warm up smoker to 300F.

   Note: I cooked on a Wichita offset smoker and used Texas Original briquettes and apple wood. I warmed up the pit to 300F on the right hand side thermometer.
4. Place ribs onto the pit with bones facing down and meat facing up, as close to the heat as possible.

   Note: On an offset smoker, the fire box is set on the right hand side. The heat from the fire box comes from the bottom of the smoker and pushes upwards on the right hand side of the smoker. The ribs were cooked on the right hand side on the bottom rack of the smoker.
5. Maintain the heat on the pit at 300F. After 2 hours, check to ensure the bark is set and the top surface of the ribs begins to sweat (meaning moisture is bubbling through on the top).

   Note: The bark is set when you rub your finger on the top of the meat and the spice rub or the top surface doesn’t rub off.
   
6. If the bark is not set, continue to cook for another 30 minutes until bark is set.
7. When the bark is set, lay out 2 long layers of heavy duty aluminum foil per set of ribs.

   Add: 2 tablespoons or pats of margarine with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.

   Lay the ribs meat side down to the margarine and syrup with the bones facing upwards.

   Add on top of the bones, add 2 tablespoons or pats of margarine with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.

   Wrap the tin foil around the ribs tightly by folding down each of the sides and keeping the ribs tightly wrapped
8. Place the ribs (exactly they way they are wrapped where the flat surface of the tin foil, meat side down faces downwards) onto the hottest spot of the smoker (right hand side, bottom rack)
9. In 2 hours, put a thin probe or bamboo skewer into the rib meat. If the probe or bamboo skewer slides into the rib meat easily, then take the ribs off the smoker, keep them wrapped in the aluminum foil and place onto the counter with a towel on top to retain the heat. Allow the ribs to rest for at least 30 minutes.

When you’re ready to make rib patties:

1. In a large bowl, combine ground pork, salt and sugar and toss.
2. Pull the rib meat off the bone and place into the bowl of ground pork. Toss to mix
3. Form a thick patty with your hands or push the rib and pork mixture into a form using parchment on the inside of the form. Place the patty onto a sheet of parchment and place in the fridge to set while the grill is warming up.

   Note: You can leave the rib patties in the fridge overnight or for several hours until you are ready to grill them.
   
4. Heat a grill to 250-275F

   Note: I used a Yoder Flat Top grill with the rack on the middle shelf setting and 1 chimney full of Texas Original briquettes. I can hold my hand over the grill rack over the charcoal for more than 10 seconds.
   
5. Using a pair of scissors, cut the parchment paper while it’s the rib patties on top. Flip the patties meat side on the grill and peel the parchment away.
6. Cook the rib patties for 5-10 minutes. Flip patties on the grill when the grill side is sizzling and caramelizing.
7. Grill the other side of the patty until that side is sizzling and caramelizing and internal temperature is 145F.
8. Generously slather barbecue sauce on all sides of the rib patty.
9. Assemble McRib sandwich with the bottom side of the bun, then the rib patty, dill pickle slices, onion slices and finally the top bun. Enjoy! You’ll love it!!