Sell the Sizzle

PERFECT SLICE™ Fully Cooked Crispy Turkey Bacon has everything you like about traditional bacon, plus all the benefits of turkey.

You’ve tried turkey bacon, of course. But until you’ve tried Jennie-O Turkey Store’s PERFECT SLICE™ Fully Cooked Crispy Turkey Bacon, you haven’t experienced a product that combines the smoky flavor and crispness of traditional bacon plus other valuable attributes that may surprise you.

PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon is revolutionary in appearance, mouth feel and flavor compared to the turkey bacon that has come before. It helps operators in any segment take advantage of two important trends—the skyrocketing popularity of bacon as a flavor enhancer and the increasing demand for healthier menu options.

For example, at Caribou Coffee, the best-selling breakfast sandwich features PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon, egg whites, Swiss cheese and spinach Florentine spread on a toasted whole wheat brioche roll. Also popular is a mini sandwich with PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon, eggs and melted Wisconsin cheddar cheese on a toasted ciabatta roll.

“People like the flavor combinations and the healthy halo that comes with turkey bacon,” says Mark Miller, Senior Manager of Culinary Development for the Minneapolis-based specialty coffee chain.

The fact that PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon has all that flavor and crispness yet has only two grams of fat and 25 calories per slice could surprise some people who have tried the less flavorful turkey bacon of the past.

“Knowing that it is healthier than traditional bacon and still delivers on flavor, texture and appearance is a win-win for sure,” says Miller.

Dave Gruis, Sr. Development Leader for Jennie-O Turkey Store Foodservice, offers his perspective on the product.

“The most important thing is that it tastes good,” says Gruis “Repeat sales are based on taste.”

However, the product offers some additional significant advantages, Gruis notes. Because PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon is precooked, precrisped and has consistent, 100-percent usable slices, it saves considerable time and labor. “And the prep time is not very long,” says Gruis.

For example, to heat PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon separately, just microwave it briefly or warm it in a convection or conventional oven or on a flat grill momentarily. Alternatively, in some menu items, it can be heated together with the other ingredients. “There are some sandwich applications where it goes on the sandwich and the entire sandwich is heated,” says Gruis.

That’s true at Caribou Coffee, where a preassembled turkey bacon breakfast sandwich goes in whole into an accelerated cooking oven. “It comes out nicely toasted and ready to serve in about a minute,” Miller says.

One big surprise may be how well PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon performs.

“When you put it on the grill and watch it sizzle up it is absolutely beautiful,” says Rick Perez, CEC, a consulting chef to Jennie-O Turkey Store. “It has the caramelization and the nice, crisp edges you expect.”

Frederic “Fritz” Sonnenschmidt, CMC, also a Jennie-O Turkey Store consulting chef, highlights the versatility of the product.

“You can make great sandwiches with it, but also try crumbling it on fried potatoes or on a nice Boston lettuce salad with sour cream dressing,” says Sonnenschmidt. “It is also good on the breakfast buffet in a chafing dish.”

With all those selling points, PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon is poised to follow in the footsteps of turkey breakfast sausage, which has carved a niche in the morning daypart, and turkey burgers, which are widely menued in casual dining restaurants. That is especially true now that customers have a growing taste for turkey products at home. In fact, retail sales of turkey bacon increased 29 percent from 2009, according to AC Nielsen figures.

The distinctive smoky flavor and crispness of PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon is an asset in a wide range of menu applications.

Chef Perez suggests creating a flavorful turkey burger by topping it with PERFECT SLICE™ Turkey Bacon, sliced avocado and fresh fruit salsa. “With the smoked flavor of the turkey bacon, you have a really good alternative to a traditional bacon burger,” he says.

For more ideas on how Jennie-O Turkey Store’s PERFECT SLICE™ Fully Cooked Crispy Turkey Bacon can make your menu more profitable, call 1-800-328-1756 or visit www.jennieofoodservice.com.