McRib faithful hail return of a McDonald's hit

The tangy pork sandwich, sporadically available for 16 years, has become a cult favorite. By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times McDonald's McRib is back. The barbecue sauce-slathered, tangy pork sandwich that launched more fan sites than many rock stars has once again started showing up in McDonald's restaurants nationwide.

The last time the McRib made a limited-time appearance — in fall 2010 after being sporadically available for 16 years — customers went whole hog, driving McDonald's U.S. sales up 4.8% in a month.

And it's likely to again be a hit, at least among the McRib faithful that made the sandwich — which has no actual ribs — a cult favorite. Only a few hours after the company announced the McRib's revival Monday, websites celebrated "confirmed sightings" as the menu item rolled out to McDonald's 14,000 outlets in the U.S.

Twitter lighted up with comments. "The McRib is delicious," wrote user eyceeslim. "I don't care what any haters say!" Even celebrities, perhaps hungry for publicity, got into the game. "I've only had one McRib in my life and I fondly remember it," tweeted Diane Sawyer, "and will proudly succumb to another."

McRib was the second-most-searched keyword on Google for much of Monday, behind only Dina Manzo, one of TV's "Real Housewives of New Jersey." One tweet writer tied the sandwich to current events. "FACT: 99% of people want the McRib to come back. We are the 99%. #occupymcrib."

For all the adulation, the rebirth of McRib was not universally celebrated. "Americans just got a little bit fatter," wrote one non-fan of the 500-calorie sandwich on Twitter. "Ewwwwwwwwwwww," another wrote. The McRib is set to retreat back into obscurity Nov. 14.