Mediaboss Marketing

The Country Style Rib Sandwich from Arbys is a surprisingly well-executed barbecue sandwich thats one of the best fast food items Ive eaten in a while. However, the way Arbys is marketing it has been nothing short of maniac behavior.

The nations loudest meat-haver chain of restaurants brought back the Rib Sandwich this week as part of an elaborate ad campaign that involves rapper Pusha T putting out an actual diss track about how this new sandwich is better than the McDonalds McRib. Theyre also selling $50 T-Shirts and $140 jackets, which have already sold out.

None of this was particularly necessary, especially since the McRib is a machine-pressed nugget of dubious mystery meat designed to be a pork-sponge for a sauce that falls somewhere between Memphis-style and jet fuel. As for the Arbys sandwich, it features cuts of meat that actually resemble what you find on smoked ribs.

Its simultaneously ridiculous troll behavior and service to the country. For too long, the fast food sandwich giants of McDonalds, Burger King and Wendys have all existed in a sort of peaceful state of co-existence. Arbys is out here crashing through the wall into the fast food tea party like the Kool-Aid Man where the pitcher is full of barbecue sauce.

The Arby's Country Style Rib Sandwich. (Nick O'Malley, MassLive)

Whats wild about all of this is that Arbys managed to pull off a good sandwich that is way better than it really needed to be. The sandwich features a healthy pile of sliced rib meat that is topped with a slice of melted gouda cheese, crispy onion strings and BBQ sauce.

The rib meat is tender and tastes like it was actually smoked whereas the McRib tastes like it was squeezed out of a tube.

Meanwhile, while all of this is happening, Arbys also has a new Strawberries & Cream Fried Pie a clear shot across the bow at the McDonalds Apple Pie.

The whole thing feels like an angry neighbor sculpting a dragon statue out of bronze that breathes actual fire on your front lawn all just to spite the family next door who everyone says has the best holiday decorations. Its the type of behavior of someone who writes thesis-level Poli-Sci arguments in the comments of their high school friends political posts on Facebook and then claims theyre living rent-free in peoples heads.

I dont know why Arbys is doing any of this. But since the sandwich is pretty good, Im not going to question it.

Country Style Rib Sandwich

The thing that really stands out here is how it actually tastes like youre eating legit ribs that were cut up. The texture is on point, with the tender meat fibers breaking apart to give you nice chewy bites.

As for the taste, it falls somewhere between a decent sandwich from a BBQ joint and a fancy version of the Burger King Rodeo Burger.

The rib meat is powerful and plentiful, giving you a nice flavor foundation from the smoked, well-seasoned meats. Thats important here, as you get a pretty powerful pop of sweet and tangy from the barbecue sauce that would overpower a lot of other sandwich meats.

The fried onion strings are a nice touch. They add some nice savory notes and depth of flavor with their seasoning. Plus, onion rings are always a fun element to add texture-wise.

The bun here is solid, slightly sweet and chewy. Its a good bun.

Looking at this sandwich, Im aware theres cheese on it. Eating it, I could barely notice it.

The end result is a meaty indulgence thats a good combination of savory, sweet and tangy.

The new Arby's Strawberries & Cream Fried Pie (Nick O'Malley, MassLive)

Strawberries & Cream Fried Pie

This reminds me a lot of a Pillsbury Strawberry Toaster Strudel -- just with the icing on the inside.

The Arbys Fried Pie is lighter and flakier than the McDonalds Apple Pie, giving you a nice, crispy texture as you bite in as opposed to soft and bready.

Inside is a brilliant one-two punch of sweet strawberry and cream fillings. The strawberry element is like a lighter, smoother jam. Meanwhile, the cream part is sort of a whipped cream cheese icing. It pulls back on the sweetness, giving you something slightly tangy to balance out the strawberry.

I really wanted to make fun of the Rib Sandwich. But then I ended up liking it way better than I expected to. Its one of the best fast food sandwiches out there. Its big, loud and indulgent in its flavors. But honestly, thats what most people are signing up for.

As for the Fried Pie, the one-two Strawberries & Cream punch is greater than the sum of its parts as the two contrasting elements blend and dip in and out to create something delicious.

The final word

A few months ago, Arbys came out with their Wagyu Steakhouse Burger, which was a weird move for them. At the time, I said it was like if Kanye West up and decided that he was going to put out a country music album.

This line was intended as a joke. Little did I know it would turn out to be partially prophetic, heralding the bizarre phenomenon that was rapper Pusha T releasing a country-themed rap specifically for Arbys as part of this sandwichs release.

I didnt know I had this sort of power. I should use it responsibly. Or I could use it to try and predict Taylor Swift coming out with a heavy metal track for some weird ad campaign for Doritos.

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I ate it so you dont have to is a regular food column looking at off-beat eats, both good and bad. It runs every other Thursday-ish at noon-ish.

You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com. Please send all criticisms and complaints about me insulting the honor of the McRib to kdunlop@masslive.com. You can check out the rest of the series here.

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Arbys Rib Sandwich Review: I ate the McRib competitor so you dont have to - MassLive.com