McRib vs Real Country Rib

McDonald’s McRib sandwich

VS

Arby’s Real Country Rib sandwich

It’s that time of year again when the McDonald’s hype train starts rolling for their “limited time only” McRib release. This year though; it has some competition. Arby’s once again proves it “has the meats” as they have produced their own “real country rib” sandwich in conjunction with Sadler’s, the east Texas smokehouse.

I tried both. Let’s see how my experiences compared

The McDonald’s McRib: a pre formed pork patty covered in a tangy bbq sauce with onion slices and pickles on a small hoagie bun. Retails for $4.99 for the sandwich and $8.69 for the meal which includes a medium drink and fries.

The McRib slides around a lot due to all that sauce

The meal includes medium (pictured) or large french fries and a drink

The McRib is a sloppy sweet mess. When I was little I would pick off the pickles and onions. They just got in the way of the sugary sauce. Today I ate it all and relished the pickles and onions as a different flavor to break up the overpowering sweetness of the over used sauce.

I liked the McRib when I was little, but not so much today. Whereas my childhood memories of the McRib were positive, my adult palate is just reminded of a poor version of those bbq meals you find in the frozen food section of grocery stores.

You know the type I’m talking about…(this particular example is cheaper than a McRib and tastes better to boot)

The Arby’s Real Country Rib: generously seasoned, 8 hour hickory smoked pork with a slice of smoked gouda cheese, bbq sauce, mayo and crispy onion straws on a star cut bun. Retails at $6.19 for the sandwich and $9.09 for the meal: small drink and small fries (crinkle or seasoned curly).

Real Country Rib sandwich

Seasoned curly fries

Do you see that piece of meat on the left side of the sandwich? It didn’t have any sauce on it, so I pulled it out to try on it’s own and oh..my…smoked meat loving goodness! Tender, juicy with a thin bit of fat on it. Tasted like it had been recently cut from the bone.

The Real Country Rib meal is $ .40 more expensive than the McRib meal, but significantly larger. The small fry at Arby’s is bigger than a medium fry at McDonald’s (see pics).

The sandwich is also larger and more flavorful than the McRib. The McRib has the rib shaped pork meat patty (covered in their sweet & tangy bbq sauce), onions and pickles. Whereas the Real Country Rib has seasoned, 8 hour hickory smoked pork, crispy onion straws, a sweet & smokey bbq sauce, smoked gouda and mayonnaise. There are a lot more flavors going on that all meld together into a smokey, savory bite of deliciousness.

After comparing/contrasting both, the winner was clear. Both are limited run sandwiches from their respective brands, but only one would I choose to eat multiple times when it becomes available.

In this #FoodFaceoff the REAL COUNTRY RIB sandwich from Arby’s is the obvious winner!

*note: prices may vary by location