Homemade McRibs

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Homemade McRibs are easy to make at home with simple ingredients and the whole family loves them! No drive thru needed! This McRib recipe is made with ground pork, BBQ rub, a homemade sauce, and served on seeded hoagie rolls topped with dill pickles and sliced onions.

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Copycat McRib Recipe

This is an easy and delicious copycat recipe for the McDonald’s McRib and it has all of the nostalgic flavor you love!

Homemade McRibs are super easy to make at home with simple ingredients and you can make them all year long! With this recipe you won’t have to wait until they hit the menu again!

The McRib isn’t actually made with rib meat or bones. These are made with ground pork, BBQ seasoning, onions, pickles, seeded hoagie rolls, and a sweet and tangy homemade sauce.

If you are looking for more family dinners, you’ll love my Mini Meatloaf Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls, Meatloaf Patty Sandwiches, Smoked Baby Back Ribs Ribs, and BBQ Cheeseburger Sliders!

McRib Ingredients

• Ground pork
• BBQ Rub Seasoning
• Onion, sliced
• Dill pickles
• Seeded Hoagie Rolls
• Homemade Sauce

Make Copycat McRibs

To start making the homemade McRibs, form the ground pork into McRib shaped patties.

I used 2 lbs of ground pork and made 7 patties.

Use a spatula to add horizontal lines to each one to give them the signature McRib look.

Season the pork patties well with BBQ seasoning. I use Strawberry’s BBQ Seasoning, but any BBQ rub will work.

Bake on a sheet pan with a wire rack to help the grease drain away from the patties.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F.

Homemade McRib Sauce Ingredients

• Ketchup
• Water
• Brown sugar
• White vinegar
• Worcestershire
• Onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper

Make the Sauce

While the McRibs are baking in the oven, make the homemade sauce. The sauce is what makes the sandwiches so good, I don’t recommend skipping it!

I spent some time testing and tweaking my homemade McRib sauce recipe and feel like it turned out so good! It’s sweet, tangy, and so delicious!

If you are short on time, you can use bottled BBQ sauce instead.

In a pan, combine ketchup, water, brown sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and pepper.

Stir the sauce together well and heat over medium heat until the sauce is well combined and starting to thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Serve the McRibs

Once the meat is fully cooked, brush the homemade sauce over the McRibs and place them back in the oven for just a couple of minutes.

Once the McRibs are nice and saucy, it’s time to eat! Build the sandwiches on toasted buns and top each one with sliced onion and dill pickles.

I served these with fries and an easy salad kit!

If you love the McRib, you will love this homemade version! It’s easy, delicious, and the meat reheats well for any leftovers.

Tips and Substitutions

• I used 2 lbs of ground pork for this recipe and it makes 6 or 7 patties depending on how thick you make them.
• If you want extra sauce for dipping, you can easily double the sauce recipe.
• Any BBQ seasoning or rub will work for this recipe. My go-to is Strawberry’s Grand Champion BBQ Rub.
• For the ultimate McRib vibes, top your sandwiches with raw onion and dill pickles. My favorite pickles are Grillo’s brand, but you can use any you already have in the refrigerator.
• The meat reheats well for any leftovers.
• My Homemade McRib sauce recipe turned out perfect! If you have the time I recommend making the homemade sauce. If not, bottled BBQ sauce would work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a McRib made of?

The McRib is made from ground pork and is formed into rib shaped patties! It’s not actually made with ribs or bones!

What meat can be substituted for ground pork?

If you don’t want to use ground pork you could really substitute the meat for ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken. It won’t be quite the same as the original, but still good!

What sauce is used on a McRib?

The sauce on the McRib is a BBQ style sauce! You can use any bottled BBQ sauce you already have, but I spent some time testing and tweaking my homemade sauce and prefer it over bottled sauce for this recipe. The sauce is sweet, tangy, and so delicious! I recommend not skipping my homemade McRib sauce if you’ve got the time to make it.

What temperature should the McRibs be cooked to?

The ground pork in McRibs should be cooked to 165 degrees F with an internal meat thermometer. I recommend checking with a meat thermometer to know the meat is fully cooked.

Can McRibs be frozen?

Yes, cooked McRibs can be frozen. Store them in an air tight container or freezer bags in the freezer. The frozen McRibs reheat well!

Can McRibs be made on a smoker or grill?

Yes, these can be cooked on a grill or smoker. On a grill they would cook pretty quickly! Grilled McRibs would cook for a few minutes on each side or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

I tested this recipe on my smoker and smoked them at 275 degrees F for about 40 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked. Add the sauce to the McRibs about half way through cooking. My family loves them on the smoker!

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If you make this recipe I hope it’s a hit and satisfies all of those fast food cravings! Leave me a comment or pin this to your Pinterest account!