Key in to the brunch trend

Key in to the brunch trend … with smart uses of premium cuts

The brunch boom keeps, well, booming. This trend took hold a few years ago, propelled by a younger demographic looking to blow off steam on weekends, enjoying adventurous, casual, creative, lighthearted menus. Modern brunch showcases seriously fun food and beverage, where Negroni slushies, over-the-top Bloody Mary bars, globally inspired Benedicts and flavor-forward hashes—to name a few—are the order of the day. Modern steakhouses have found opportunity in weekend brunch, leveraging its popularity with millennials to showcase the fun, “anything goes” side of their brands.

Operationally, the brunch space has always offered a savvy platform for cross-utilization. Expectations from today’s consumers are higher than ever, on both quality and uniqueness of experience. Repurposing premium cuts in unique, intriguing ways—with no perceived trade down for the dining consumer—is a smart menu strategy. A number of modern steakhouses do this really well. The brunch menu at Knife in Dallas serves a Short Rib “Benedict” with braised short rib, poached eggs, hollandaise and potatoes. At Edge Steak & Bar in Miami, tacos are on offer at brunch, including the Mojo Marinated Pork Shoulder Tacos. At Artango Bar & Steakhouse in Chicago, brunch taps into Latin flavors with offerings like the Beef Arepa Sandwich. And Son of a Butcher, also in Chicago, leverages the red-hot carnitas trend, serving it in a Carnitas Benedict: handmade sopes, black beans, house-braised carnitas, poached eggs, chipotle hollandaise and cotija cheese.

5 Brunch Ideas for Premium Cuts

1. Banh Mi Benedict—Citrus-glazed pork tenderloin, poached eggs, pickled radish and onion, sambal hollandaise over sliced French bread
2. Bloody Mary Pork Chops—Pork chops glazed in vodka-spiked tomato juice, celery salt, Worcestershire and horseradish, served with fried eggs and roasted baby potatoes
3. Smoked Short Rib Breakfast Hash—Smoked short ribs cooked until tender, served with a fried egg, diced potatoes and root vegetables
4. Pork Shank Raviolo—Pasta stuffed with braised pork shank and runny egg, topped with shaved cured egg yolk and served in a meaty broth
5. Breakfast Ramen—Udon noodles, pork-enriched broth, char siu, pork belly and soft-cooked egg

Bonus Idea:

Korean Style Pork Tacos—Boneless pork loin chops marinated in spicy pepper jelly, soy, sherry, garlic, ginger and oyster sauce in a grilled corn tortilla topped with radish, cilantro and kimchi slaw

Try Hatfield^® Premium Reserve Pork^® for unrivaled flavor.