Homemade McRib With a Sticky Glaze and a Sharp Pickle Bite

It is 11:52 on a Thursday, and the sandwich you are craving has a habit of leaving the menu without saying goodbye. You deserve better than being ghosted by a sandwich, so this homemade McRib recipe puts it back on your counter in about 25 minutes.

Sticky barbecue pork, raw onion, two pickles, and a bun that has your back.

A quick note before anyone gets the wrong idea: this is a home copycat inspired by the McDonald's sandwich. It is not the official recipe, and SwipeCart is not affiliated with McDonald's. What you get is thin pork loin cutlets, a glossy sauce, and the sharp crunch of onion and dill pickle, all of it your call from the first bite to the last napkin.

How to make it

1. Slice the 1 lb pork loin into four thin cutlets and season both sides with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.
2. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat for about 2 minutes.
3. Cook the pork cutlets 4 minutes per side until browned and cooked through.
4. Pour 1 cup barbecue sauce into the skillet and simmer the pork in the sauce for 3 minutes.
5. Slice the onion into thin rings while the pork simmers.
6. Toast the 4 hamburger buns lightly in a toaster or dry skillet.
7. Place one saucy pork cutlet on each bun bottom and top with onion rings and 2 pickle slices per sandwich.
8. Close the buns and serve immediately.

Notes

Leftover pork from this homemade McRib recipe keeps three to four days refrigerated, per USDA FSIS. Store it in its sauce but keep the buns, onion, and pickles separate, because a bun left in contact with sauce turns soft and sad fast.

For doneness, USDA lists 145°F as the safe minimum for whole cuts of pork, followed by a 3-minute rest. A thin cutlet crosses that line quickly, so a thermometer is the kind of friend who tells you the truth before the pork gets dry. Pulling a cutlet off the heat right at 145°F and letting it sit while you toast the buns is a fine plan.

Reheating is easy: a covered skillet with a splash of water warms the pork gently, and you can spoon some extra sauce over it as it goes. Cooked pork in sauce generally freezes reasonably well, so a few extra cutlets are a good candidate for a future lunch, as long as you build the sandwich fresh.

The pork will release a little juice, and the sauce loosens as it cooks. That is normal and a bit useful, because the loosened sauce is what clings to each cutlet instead of sitting on top like paint.

Use a skillet big enough that the four cutlets sit in a single layer. Crowded pork steams instead of browning, and browned edges are where the flavor comes from.

If you want a lighter hand with the sauce, you do not have to use the entire cup. Stop when each cutlet is glossy and the pan is lightly pooled rather than swimming, and keep the extra for dipping at the table.

Swaps that actually work

In this homemade McRib recipe the barbecue sauce is the point, so choose one you would be happy to be seen with in public. This sandwich has no secret sauce to hide behind. A smoky, slightly sweet style suits it best, and a very thin or very vinegary one can leave the glaze feeling sharp rather than sticky.

Pork loin suits thin cutlets because it tends to slice cleanly. Boneless pork chops can stand in if you slice them thin, and chicken breast cutlets work too, though poultry needs to reach 165°F instead of 145°F, per USDA.

Raw white onion is what gives the sandwich its sharp snap. Red onion works and brings a bit of sweetness, but the flavor reads a little differently, so cut it thin and rinse it briefly if you find raw onion intense.

Dill pickle slices are the other half of the contrast. Sweet pickles are a different sandwich, and a pleasant one, but you will lose the vinegary bite that cuts through the sauce. Pickled jalapeños are the swap for people who want heat to ride along.

Buns can be any soft hamburger-style bun. A sesame bun adds a little toasty flavor, and a plain one does the job. The swap that costs you the dish is a bun that is too crusty or too small, because the cutlet and the sauce need something soft to lean on and enough width to hold them.

If it goes wrong

The pork is dry. The cutlets cooked too long or were sliced too thick. Check them early next time, and for the batch in front of you, spoon the warm sauce over them and let them rest in it for a minute. A dry cutlet is a sandwich that needs a long talk, and sauce is the therapist.

The sauce scorched or turned gluey. Barbecue sauce has sugar in it, which can darken quickly in a hot pan. Lower the heat, add a splash of water, and stir until it loosens. If it has really caught on the bottom, transfer the pork to a clean pan and add fresh sauce.

The bun went soggy. The sandwich sat too long or the buns were not toasted. Toast them a little longer until the cut sides are golden, and assemble right before eating. A thin layer of toasted crust keeps the sauce from soaking in.

The cutlets are uneven. Some pieces were thicker, so they cooked at different speeds. Pound the thick ones between sheets of parchment or plastic wrap before you season, and pull the thinner ones out of the pan first.

It tastes flat. Most likely salt, or not enough acid. Season the pork properly before it goes in the pan, and add an extra pickle or a few drops of the pickle brine to the finished sandwich.

What to serve with it

The default is fries, and there is nothing wrong with the default. A sticky sandwich likes something crisp and salty beside it.

The better version of the default is a quick slaw dressed with a little vinegar and salt. It brings crunch and a cool bite, and it cleans your palate between mouthfuls so the sauce keeps tasting good.

The thing in the fridge that lifts it is extra pickles, or a handful of sliced cucumbers tossed in salt. Anything crisp and sour does the same job.

Cold, the pork from this homemade McRib recipe makes a decent next-day lunch, sliced into a wrap or piled over rice with the extra sauce. The bun does not hold up overnight, so give the leftovers a different home.

Why this one earns its place

Some cravings come and go on someone else's schedule, and this homemade McRib recipe means you set the calendar. Swipe this one into your week, let the agent shop the cart, and have the sandwich on your terms whenever you want it, no waiting for a comeback.

If you are still deciding on the rest of the week, what's for dinner tonight can help break the tie. For more slow-cooked barbecue flavor, BBQ pulled pork is the long-haul cousin. And homemade Big Mac is another fast-food favorite rebuilt at home.

More like this: all American recipes in Crave Corner.