Flavour Strips - Enhance the Value
The Preferred Choice for Value Added
The traditional pork roast was always recognized for its excellent flavour. Serving a pork leg roast always signified a special occasion. Scoring the rind created special crispy snacks, which were usually the first to go. The aroma of that roast coming out of the oven never failed to draw flattering words.
Today's pork is not the same. Consumer demands have driven the industry to deliver a product, better suited to today's nutritional requirements. The trade off is a very fragile creation, very easy to overcook. Not to mention the average consumer does not have the cooking skills their parents had.
This creates an opportunity for your meat department by allowing you to offer a "Value Added" product that will cross the void between yesterday's pork and today's consumer. We have an opportunity to offer a roast that returns the flavour and moisture, without sacrificing the nutritional requirements your customer expects you to deliver. As always labour is a priority, the challenge is to make a program such as this part of the daily routine.
Primal Considerations
Certain primals are better suited for this program. Keep in mind that our objective here is to enhance the moisture and flavour in the roast. The shoulder still has more moisture and flavour than other cuts. As all pork cuts are inherently tender, there is little to be gained by using the shoulder in this instance. The loin is always the initial choice; it is lean and easily recognized by the consumer. The leg is still the "Preferred Choice" though. Trimmed to the same specs, the leg is leaner than the loin, just as juicy, tender and more economical. You can apply a healthy margin and still offer your consumer an appealing price. When introducing a new product to your consumer, be sure that quality and freshness are there.
We are moving toward breaking the leg into its primals inside, outside, and leg tip. This is to stay within the nutritional guidelines of lean trimmed pork and for ease of carving for the consumer.
This roast uses just the basic format.
- It requires two incisions along the length of the roast. Be sure not to make the incision more than 1/2 in. deep.
- Insert a strip of side pork, or sliced back fat into each incision. If the side pork is too deep, you can slice it to the right width, or fold it in half - whichever you prefer.
- Be sure to leave the rind exposed.
- Tie the roast firmly, but not too tight, as you will cause the juices of the roast to purge prematurely
This method uses strips coated in a seasoning. It can be anything you want.
- The objective is that when the strip is seasoned and the roast is cooked, the juices from the strip will carry the flavour of the seasoning throughout the roast.
- If you use the Alberta Pork Marinades as your seasoning, be sure to use the labels that we provide. It will tell the consumer the flavour and the ingredients in the marinade.
Bacon makes a good alternative to using pork strips.
It serves the same function by adding moisture, as well as the added smoke flavour.
- Use bacon that still has the rind on, and be sure to leave it exposed
- There is one aspect to be aware of: the cure in the bacon may cause the roast to lose its colour prematurely
Fruit goes so well with pork, and can dramatically enhance the look and flavour of your roast..
It serves the same function by adding moisture, as well as the added smoke flavour.
- This roast will have three incisions, although you can play with your own ideas.
- The two outside incisions would still use a strip of pork.
- The center strip would be wedges of green apples, apricots, pineapple or kiwi fruit.
- The fruit not only gives moisture, flavour and color, but the citric acids act as a tenderizer.
- Ensure fruit and strips are fresh. As with any program, you will kill it before it starts by trying to use old products. A little more effort for a lot more value.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation has stated that a 100 g serving of trimmed pork leg is lean. This means it contains less than 10% fat per 100 g serving.
100 g of side pork contains 27 grams, but inserted into a 2 kg roast, the combined fat content averages about 5 g per 100 g serving. This means, including the side pork, the roast is still considered lean.
Ensure you use proper labeling. Trust takes a long time to build, but can be destroyed in one sale. Remember if you are using the Alberta Pork marinades, be sure to ask for the labels that go with them. They describe the flavour and the ingredients for you.
To Help You Succeed:
| To ensure your program will succeed, Alberta Pork offers the following materials: |
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| Tent Cards |
| A great way to highlight the program at the point of purchase. They clip in to your sign holders, or stand on their own on the top of your service counter. |
| Posters |
| Great for drawing attention to the "Value Added" section. |