McRib To Return December 17

Christmas is coming early for millions of fans of processed pork this year, as McDonald's announced this week that its divisive McRib sandwich will be making its yearly return Monday, Dec. 17.

The sandwich, which slathers a pre-formed "rib"-shaped patty made of pork trimmings with barbecue sauce, tops it with pickles and onions, and squishes it inside a bun, makes its annual pilgrimage back onto McDonald's menus at around this time each year, but this time around the release date was pushed back due to an unseasonably warm fall. This year, it'll be available for only a few weeks before going back into hibernation until next year.

Some would argue that the only reason the McRib shows up for a brief period each year is to keep its cult, "craveable" status, but in reality it's just not big enough of a seller to stay on the menu year-round, according to Business Insider. And as McDonald's has no natural marketing "hook" for the holiday season (think Coke's polar bears), the McRib's return is as good as anything.

If you're hankering for a McRib this season but would prefer to avoid anything that involves "restructured meat product" (and happen to be near Miami), we'd recommend checking out famed pitmaster Myron Mixon's version, The King Rib, at his restaurant there, Pride and Joy.