Perhaps no other fast food captures the uniqueness of America like the McRib. Once a struggling sandwich dwarfed in sales by typical favorites like the Big Mac and the McNuggets, the McRib is now more urban legend than heart stopping sandwich. Slap together a pork shoulder patty (some claim McDonalds actually uses kangaroo meat), barbecue sauce, onions and pickles, and release it for only a couple months a year, and suddenly you get a sandwich beloved by fanatical fans.

Nonetheless, there is probably no sandwich more controversial than the McRib. The Humane Society of the United States filed a complaint against the producer of the McRib meat for its treatment of the animals (they probably should have filed a complaint for the sandwich’s mistreatment of humans. The sandwich contains 980 mg of sodium, which is 41% of a recommended daily diet in one sandwich). The comedian John Oliver says, “The death penalty is like the McRib. When you can’t have it, it’s so tantalizing. But as soon as they bring it back you think, this is ethically wrong. Should this be allowed in a civilized society?”

The sun, however, may soon set on the McRib Empire. This year, according to CNBC, only 8,000 of the 14,350 McDonald’s in the U.S. will sell the sandwich. As McDonalds attempts to compete with growing chains, like the fast casual Chipotle Mexican Grill, and loses ground in the market, it has given regional owners more power to choose the menu in an attempt to compete. Nonetheless, a McRib Locator website was started by an avid fan for fellow McRib connoisseurs. A quick search shows that the closest McDonalds selling the McRib to Rocky Mount Academy is Roanoke Rapids 35 miles away. The next closest confirmed sighting is in Williamston. Bad news for McRib fans, good news for arteries everywhere.

We would also like to shout out Jen Reviews and her barbecue sauce recipe!