The McRib is set to return to McDonald's restaurants throughout Canada

Prepare your napkins, Canada. The McRib is back January 30 for a limited time. (CNW Group/McDonald's Canada)

Attention meat-eaters! After a 10-year hiatus, the McRib is returning to Canada.

The beloved sandwich will be available at participating McDonald’s restaurants nationwide for a limited time, starting on Tuesday, Jan. 30.

The boneless pork patty is dipped in BBQ sauce, topped with onions and pickles, and served on a homestyle bun.

Originally introduced to the McDonald’s menu in 1982, the sandwich was removed in 1986, and then temporarily re-introduced to Canadian restaurants in 2014.

McDonald’s Canada says the growing demand for the McRib’s return became difficult to ignore.

"In the last year alone, our team received thousands of inquiries on social media from very passionate Canadian McRib fans asking to bring it back here," said Alyssa Buetikofer, vice president and chief marketing officer at McDonald's Canada, in a media release.

"The McRib is truly a fan favourite. It appeals to guests of all ages—from loyal followers who have patiently waited a decade for its return, to our newer fans who have only heard the legend,” she said in the release.

A cultural phenomenon

Love it, hate it or curiously observe it from a safe distance, the McRib is a cultural phenomenon capable of eliciting strong reactions that span the human emotional spectrum. People are invested in this product, for better or worse.

Some have taken to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to express their excitement about the sandwich's return.

Then there's critical analysis ranging from arguments that the return of the McRib is directly tied to pork prices and economic downturn, to the idea that return of the McRib is a sign boycotts of McDonald's are making the company desperate, to hot takes such as "it tastes like earlobe meat."

Others are using the occasion to fire off nonsensical memes from the sidelines of the pro- anti- McRib debate.