Beef & Burgers

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Yes, every patty is 100% real beef with no fillers, additives or preservatives. Have more questions? They’re probably answered here.
Have more questions? They’re probably answered here. 

Every one of our burgers is made with 100% pure beef and cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else—no fillers, no additives, no preservatives.

We use the trimmings of cuts like the chuck, round and sirloin for our burgers, which are ground and formed into our hamburger patties. Check out more information about how we make our beef patties.

In 2018, we started serving 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder®* burgers cooked right when you order**.

* Weight before cooking 4 oz. (ea.)

**Available at most restaurants in contiguous U.S. Not available in Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. Territories.

Our burgers aremade of 100% ground beef and formed into hamburger patties at our suppliers.

Our Quarter Pounder®* patty is made with 100% fresh beef and cooked right when you order.** Our other burgers are quickly frozen at our suppliers to seal in great fresh flavor.

We add salt and pepper to our burgers when they are cooked on the grill at our restaurants to bring out all that great beef taste. Learn more about the beef we use.

In 2018, we started serving 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder®* burgers cooked right when you order. **

* Weight before cooking 4 oz. (ea.)

**Available at most restaurants in contiguous U.S. Not available in Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. Territories.

We add salt and pepper to our burgers when they are cooked on the grill at our restaurant to bring out all that great beef taste. We don’t add anything when making our patties—they are 100% ground beef.

Of course, there’s always an option to order without salt and pepper, so you can adjust your order to fit any dietary needs. (Or, just your preferred taste.) Learn more about about how we make our beef patties.

It takes a lot of beef to make as many famous burgers as we do—so our suppliers buy from ranchers located throughout the U.S., including in states like Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and California.

While we remain one of the largest purchasers of U.S. beef, we also import USDA-inspected beef from New Zealand, Australia and, recently, Canada. Find out more about what kind of beef we use.

Farming practices vary, but most of the cattle we use for our beef are raised in the U.S. on grass for the first part of their lives. Later, the cattle are provided a balanced diet of grains, grasses and minerals.    

Our 100% beef is ground, formed into patties, and then flash frozen. Flash freezing is when beef is quickly frozen to seal in fresh flavor. From the day it was formed, it usually takes about two to three weeks until the burger is served. Care to learn more about how we make our beef patties? We’ve got you covered.

In 2018, we started serving 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder®* burgers cooked right when you order. **

* Weight before cooking 4 oz. (ea.)

**Available at most restaurants in contiguous U.S. Not available in Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. Territories.

We serve more than 25 millioncustomers every day, so we buy in bulk. Those savings are then passed along you to you.

We start with pork that’s ground from the pork shoulder. The actual patty is then formed with a special press you’d use to shape a hamburger patty, except this one resembles the shape of a rack of ribs. Why a rack of ribs? Easy...it’s fun. And it’s one of the reasons the McRib® has developed such a loyal following.

The McRib® starts with pork ground from the pork shoulder that has been shaped into that iconic rack of ribs shape. The patty gets tossed with a tangy barbecue sauce and then topped with slivered onions and pickles. And it’s all layered on a soft, hoagie-style roll. Makes you wish you had one right now, doesn’t it?

We like to change up our menu throughout the year by offering some limited time only items, like our Shamrock Shake® in the spring. The timing of the McRib®’s return can vary from year-to-year, but most recently, it debuts in the fall. If you'd like to share your thoughts with us, find us on McDonald's Facebook page or McDonald's Twitter account. We're always here to listen. 

The McRib® pork patty is quickly frozen right after being formed to maintain the great taste. It is then fully cooked in our stores and assembled with slivered onions, pickles and barbecue sauce on a hoagie-style roll.  

We use ground pork from the pork shoulder to form the McRib® patty into that famous, rack of ribs shape.

Nope. Our beef patties are made from 100% pure beef. Nothing else is added. No fillers, no additives and no preservatives.

Some consumers may be familiar with the practice of using lean, finely textured beef sometimes treated with ammonia, which is referred to by some as “pink slime.” We do not use this. Still curious about what's in our burgers?

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  * Weight before cooking 4 oz. (ea.)     
** Available at most restaurants in contiguous U.S. Not available in Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. Territories.