With attractive wholesale prices, great flavor and a growing customer appeal, pork is easy to market. Here are some ideas to menu and move more pork.

1. Steakhouse experience. Menu pork alongside your best beef. With production nearing all-time highs, pork is affordable, and premium cuts will command premium menu prices. Menu fancier cuts (many of them bear “new,” more marketable names) as indulgent center-of-the-plate items similar to prime steak. These can include: Bone-In Chops (cut from the part of the loin that meets the fresh leg), Porterhouse Chops (bone-in chops with loin muscle and tenderloin), Ribeye Chops (bone-in chops from the rib portion of the loin with one or more loin back ribs on each chop).
   
   
   
2. Just add bacon. “Bippity, Boppity, Bacon!” is how comedian Jim Gaffigan described the magical power of bacon to transform the blandest of foods to delicious status. Bacon accounts for approximately 20 percent of U.S. pork sales, and our infatuation with bacon isn’t going anywhere, say experts. Americans love bacon, and if you’re not adding it, wrapping it, layering it or sprinkling it on at least some of your menu items, you’re missing out on the chance to add premium price increases. Also, take note of restaurants that are inventing new ways to menu bacon on its own, including Logan’s Roadhouse’s Bacon-on-a-Stick, and Buffalo Beer-Battered Bacon from Rockit Bar & Grill.
   
   
   
3. Offer ethnic. Pork is a staple ingredient in Mediterranean, Asian, South American and African cuisines. Americans are also largely adventurous when it comes to their food. Satisfy your guest’s global tastes with dishes such as a grilled pork loin served with condiments such as zhug, a Yemenite hot sauce made with cilantro and parsley, or African harisa sauce made with hot peppers, garlic, coriander, saffron and caraway seeds. Other trending ethnic pork ideas that are sure to please your guests: Korean pork shoulder with kimchi, baked barbecue pork buns, pork ramen, and barbecue pork char siu.
   
   
   
4. Market the story. Consumers will indulge in premium items if you give them a reason to feel good about them. Younger consumers are especially responsive to socially responsible food offerings. Clemens Food Group’s pork, for instance, will give you plenty of conversation starters. This sixth-generation family-owned business is committed to a higher operating standard in the way that they approach their business. From ethical farming and sustainable production, to respect and fair treatment of their team members, they produce high quality products that any operator would be proud to serve. To find out more about the Clemens story, and its brands, including Hatfield Premium Reserve Pork, visit us online or stop by MUFSO booth 207.