The Time McDonald's And Michael Jordan Came Together For An Epic Sauce Collaboration

A plethora of weird fast food collaborations have taken the industry by storm over the years. We've had notable partnerships like Arby's and Old Spice or Pizza Hut and IKEA. Fortunately, there are some collaborations that made more sense, such as the time McDonald's teamed up with Michael Jordan to release the McJordan Special in the early '90s. After all, the former basketball superstar reportedly ate at McDonald's every morning during his playing days, so it made sense for a meal with his name stamped on it to be sold as a limited-time offering. It just so happened that this meal came with a specially made sauce that became iconic later down the line.

Without a doubt, the sauce was the star of the show; it was what made an otherwise rather basic meal stand out. The sauce was a barbecue sauce at its core. That's how it was referred to in the original advertisements describing the burger's elements. Some of the ingredients used in the McJordan sauce overlap with the ingredients used to make McDonald's current Tangy Barbecue Sauce, such as tomato paste, garlic powder, and a natural smoke flavor. However, according to the product's label, the limited edition McJordan sauce also contained brown sugar and molasses, meaning it was likely sweeter and thicker than the chain's current barbecue sauce. This sauce ultimately brought life to the McJordan meal, which was essentially just an upgraded Quarter Pounder that included a beef patty, cheese, bacon, onions, mustard, and pickles in a sesame bun.

It's a shame that the McJordan sauce ended up joining the list of McDonald's discontinued menu items, given how popular it was. Further proof of its popularity came in 2012 when Mort Bank, who used to operate McDonald's restaurants, sold a 1-gallon jug of McJordan sauce for just under $10,000 via eBay. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the buyer was from Chicago. (This stands as one of the incredible facts about McDonald's sauces that only fast food fanatics know.)

If you thought that was the crazy part, just wait. What's even more bizarre is that this is not an isolated situation. Even now, you can find another unopened container of McJordan sauce on eBay. This one is currently listed for $6,999.99. Paying $7,000 for a jug of fast food barbecue sauce probably sounds like an unbelievably horrid deal to the average person. But, to die-hard fans of both McDonald's and basketball, getting their hands on this rare (and delicious) piece of memorabilia at this price probably sounds like a steal.