After a tease of summer sunshine last month, everyone is ready for the warm sunny season and a break from what has felt like a very long winter. It’s time for operators to shake up their menus and provide customers with delicious fresh flavors and dishes that are quick and easy to prepare during busy trading periods. With the barbecue season just around the corner and National BBQ Week commencing at the end of the month, its time to stock up for the summer.
Grill gurus
We recommend adding barbecue classics, such as burgers, sausages, and pork to your menus to give customers the distinctive BBQ flavor. Within the Big Al’s fully cooked frozen range is a range of versatile products that are consistent in quality and delicious in taste. Not all venues have the capacity or facilities to physically barbecue, but Big Al’s uses techniques such as flame grilling, wood smoking, and stone baking to help any operator provide the taste of summer their customers are seeking.
The popularity of pork has become prevalent in recent times and it now features in 16.2% of meal occasions[1], with an estimated 2 billion servings of pork out of home between March 2016 and 2017[2]. Big Al’s BBQ Pork Rib Steak and BBQ Pulled Pork are both ideal for the summer season. Cooked to perfection over an open flame to give an authentic barbecue taste, both products can be cooked to order from frozen in minutes, meaning no professional chef or extensive kitchen equipment is needed.
Any barbecue menu would be incomplete without a tasty hot dog. Big Al’s Gourmet Hot Dogs are wood smoked and created by a German Master Butcher. Perfect for BBQ lovers, serve in a toasted brioche bun and top with a generous drizzle of BBQ sauce, melted cheese and crispy cubes of bacon, or for a Mexican spin, serve a Big Al’s Gourmet Hot Dog in a bun with guacamole, soured cream, jalapenos, fresh salsa and a sprinkling of crushed tortilla chips.
Burgers, arguably the holy grail of any barbecue menu, are a must serve. With the burger market estimated to be worth £3.3bn[3], ensuring you stock a great patty will help drive profit at the till. Big Al’s Prime Burger, the brand’s first raw product is made with 100% grass-fed beef, fully traceable from farm to fork. The Prime Burger is ideal for operators with a range of kitchen capabilities; the patty made with premium chuck and brisket cuts, cooks from frozen in six minutes on a grill and can be used to create burgers to suit all consumer taste buds. In addition, Big Al’s Flame Cooked 4oz Beef Burgers lend themselves well to be built into more than just your average burger and are quick to prepare from frozen in just a matter of minutes.
As well as the main attraction, it’s important to consider sides, salads, and sauces to accompany the barbecue menu. Garnishing food with more than the traditional ketchup and mayonnaise and introducing chutneys, relishes and dips will allow customers to enjoy their dish, their way. Additionally, offering a variety of sides, such as salads, vegetables, and fries will ensure your barbecue is a complete scorcher – even if the weather doesn’t live up to it!
Explore the product range here
[1] NPD Crest May 2017
[2] NPD Crest May 2017
[3] Mintel, 2016
