In 1981, McDonald's unveiled the McRib sandwich to a lukewarm response. For shame, America! I'm sure McDonald's futurist food scientists never could have conceived that the hungry masses would reject a boneless pork patty machine-formed to resemble an actual rack of ribs, coated in savory barbecue sauce and topped by pickles and raw onions. It was pulled from regular menus a few years later, only to resurface occasionally as a "limited time offer."

In 2005, McDonald's publicized the McRib's farewell tour, along with a stealth website promoting the sandwich and taking signatures for a petition to bring it back. It didn't take long for Ronald to greenlight the McRib for a comeback, a la every aging rock band of the 1970s.

The only thing I can think to ask the corporate overlords at McDonald's is why? The McRib is offensive, horrifying and just plain bad. Dear God, why spend any effort on this dreadful sandwich?

Read the review after the jump:

This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2008.