Good news… the McRib is back. Bad news… it’s only in a handful of cities, and it’s still pressed pork wearing a rib costume, well beneath the standards of the Dead Meat Society. Show us the real racks you’re smoking in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram.

Now, here’s what we’ve been cooking up all week…

First up, because the McRib is back, we’re making a real one in defiance. Plus, Pat Neely’s new BBQ show.

And down in the recipes, our CMO’s 3-1-1 spare ribs, the only rib plan you need this weekend.

Every week, we crown the DMS champion of BBQ. And there are only two ways to enter: 1) Submit a pic to the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group 2) Tag us on Instagram. If you aren’t sharing (and competing), what the hell are you waiting for?

And remember, the stakes have never been higher!

This week’s Smoke Show Champ is Matt Willis with the impressive bone-in spiral ham (with the Meat Church Honey Hog). Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Honorable mention to Joshua Jetton for the 15-hour beef ribs at a cool 210. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Honorable mention to Steve Boyce for the baby back ribs on the Recteq. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Have a Smoke Show submission? Stop wasting your time posting on all those other sites and share it with the Facebook group that gives a damn: Dead Meat Society. Or just tag us on Instagram.

That one story that will make you infinitely more interesting than your know-it-all brother-in-law. Seriously, wtf is that guy’s deal?

It’s that time of year again… No, not the holidays (yet).

The time of year when it becomes sooooo tempting to pull up to the Mickey D’s drive thru for a delectable classic: the McRib.

Yes, indeed, the McRib is back. And BBQ purists (us) everywhere are allowed to be tempted, but we should also be pushing for better…

Honestly, it’s only back for a limited time anyway, and only in select cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, and Dallas.

And look, we get the appeal. Sauce, pickles, onions, a soft roll. Nostalgia is a hell of a seasoning. But let’s be honest… it’s a boneless pork patty pressed into the shape of a rib.

But we’re the Dead Meat Society. We don’t chase a sandwich shaped like ribs. We make one out of actual ribs.

The crew at Barbecue Bible asked the obvious question: What if you built a McRib out of real smoked rib meat… minus the bones?

They call it the McRob, and the method is exactly what you came to the DMS for. A few highlights in case you aren’t a rib expert yet:

And before you rib guys stand up and complain, yes, we’re overcooking these ribs. On purpose. Barbecue Bible’s exact words: “Overcook them!” It’s the one time falling off the bone is on purpose.

From there, keep the meat in one rib-shaped slab, give it a sauce bath, and stack it on a long roll with sliced onions and pickles. Fun fact: the sauce that gets closest to the original is Sweet Baby Ray’s. (So Zuck would be proud.)

But you can probably do better than that (“be better” is the idea here).

Before you hit the meat counter, know what you’re grabbing. Our own CMO (Chief Meat Officer, obviously) broke it all down in Pork Ribs 101.

The short version: baby backs come off the top of the rib cage, so they’re leaner and cook faster. Spares come off the belly side, so they’re bigger, fattier, and built for flavor. St. Louis cut is just a spare trimmed into a clean rectangle.

Whichever you pick, they’re done around 195 to 203 internal, plus the bend test.

The McRib will disappear again. It always does.

Real ribs don’t have a press release and a drive thru. They’re sitting at the meat counter every single day, waiting for someone with a smoker and a free Saturday to love them.

So this weekend, let’s all make it real. Smoke a rack, pull the bones, build your McRob, and post it in the Facebook group so the rest of us can judge.

Need a rib plan? Keep scrolling down to the recipes. Our CMO’s 3-1-1 spare ribs are waiting for you…

Like the memes you send back and forth in your group chat, except these won’t get you canceled. Oh, and lots more grill marks.

🥩 LEWIS LANDS: John Lewis, the Franklin and La Barbecue alum, is building in Raleigh and bringing Texas hot guts to whole-hog country by Spring 2027.

🥩 STADIUM QUEST: One man has spent 18 years chasing a home game at all 138 college football stadiums, and barbecue tagged along for the ride.

🥩 SPARE PRAISE: A Mobile joint served the best spare ribs one reviewer has had in Alabama, then the brisket showed up. Maybe next time, Alabama.

🥩 PIT STOPS: Pat Neely is back with a BBQ show he owns, and this week he meets a woman who left a 33-year bank career to run her brother’s joint 👇

Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

Tips, tech & gear that’ll help you beat your friend’s meat. Wait, that came out wrong…

🥓 NANO PROBE: The Thermapen NANO scored a 9.9 out of 10 and knocked off the ONE as the new instant-read king.

🥓 CHUCK ENDS: Cube a chuck roast first and you’ve got burnt ends in about 3.5 hours.

🥓 KNIGHT BRUSH: A chainmail grill brush means zero wire bristles ending up in your burger. No more recall anxiety.

🥓 TRAEGER PICK: Shopping Black Friday? Skip the base Woodridge, because the Pro is worth the extra $250 for Super Smoke and a pellet sensor.

🥓 RIB FIGHT: Same ribs, a Weber kettle versus a pellet grill, judged blind 👇

Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

Like a Paula Deen cookbook, but with less butter and more BBQ sauce.

Straight from the Pit, our CMO’s go-to: three hours of smoke, one in the wrap, one to set the bark. Exactly the rack your McRob deserves.

Have a recipe you want to share? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

A happy ending just for you.

That’s it for this week. If you make any of the recipes above, you’re legally obligated to share pics on the DMS Facebook Group or tag us on Instagram so we can feature them next week (sorry, we don’t make the rules).

And since the only thing that is better than grill marks and ice-cold beer is grill marks and ice-cold beer with a side of dad jokes, we’ll leave this right here…

Dead Meat Society Merch in the wild.

Pizza night with DMS steel in the wild. That’s a Dead Skull Spatula pulling double duty as a pizza peel. Thanks for the share, @firegrillin365

But what we really need to talk about this week is… hunting season.

Whether you’re spending your mornings shivering up in the tree stand or your evenings comfy on the ground in a blind, we’ve got a reminder of what you’re hunting for…

The Dead Meat Society Hunting Collection. Happy Hunting for you freezer-fillers out there…

As part of our commitment to community, we will donate 10% of net profits to charities that matter.