Saucy sandwich spotted! McRib arrives in Indianapolis before its official release

Update: The McRib sandwich was spotted at an Indianapolis McDonald's location Tuesday, Nov. 14, one day ahead of its scheduled Wednesday release. According to the McDonald's app, the saucy sandwich is $4.99 by itself or $9.28 with a meal, which comes with large or medium fries and a drink.

Update: McDonald's foodies won't have to wait much longer to bite into a McRib sandwich. The company confirmed to IndyStar that the McRib would return to select Indiana locations. This article was updated Nov. 7 with the date.

Here's everything else we know about it.

Original article: As you've no doubt heard, McDonald's' seasonal barbeque-flavored sandwich, the McRib, is back again. That's good news for devoted fans who were told the McRib was possibly on its final curtain call in 2022.

"It turns out not everyone was ready to say 'goodbye' to the McRib after last year's farewell tour," a spokesperson for McDonald's said in a message to IndyStar.

Longtime fans of the saucy sandwich probably weren't too worried about it going away for good. The company has released and re-released the McRib with farewell tours and limited-time offers since it departed McDonald's menus in 1985.

Now we know the date it will return to Indianapolis: Nov. 15, but the sandwich arrived a day earlier, confirmed by McDonald's customers and the McDonald's online app.

Where can I get a McRib sandwich?

The McRib will appear only in a select number of locations in November, McDonald's confirmed. A request for the specific locations went unanswered by the company.

For those who don't see it at their local McDonald's restaurant, McRib super fan Aaron Klein created mcriblocator.com, a website that keeps tabs on where to find the elusive sandwich.

What's in a McRib?

The 520-calorie McRib is made starting with a boneless pork patty shaped to resemble a rack of ribs — the actual amount of rib meat has been a topic of debate. The patty is smothered in barbeque sauce and topped with pickle slices, onions and wrapped in a homestyle bun.

For the health-conscious consumer, be aware that each McRib sandwich has around 46g of carbs, 24g of protein and 28g of total fat, according to nutritional information provided by McDonald's. Health experts at the Mayo Clinic say that's nearly half the amount of daily fat you should be consuming if sticking to a 2,000-calorie diet.

Keep that in mind if you order large fries and a Coke.

A McRib sandwich also contains 13 grams of total sugar, the same as eating two rolls of SweeTarts candy. While that might sound miniscule, it's 26% the daily value of sugar recommended by nutritionists.

Why does the McRib come and go?

The McRib, as it turns out, might be a victim of its own popularity.

In an article by the Lincoln Journal Star, Roger Mandigo, an animal science professor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, discussed his contributions helping to create McDonald's signature pork-flavored sandwich after he was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame — notable members include McDonald's founder Ray Kroc and KFC's Col. Harland Sanders.

Pork trimmings, Mandigo explained, are more limited than the national supply of beef trimmings. When companies like McDonald's buy large amounts of pork, the price rises, and the McRib tends to go out of circulation.

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John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.