Dive Brief:
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Johnsonville has come out with a Smoked Bourbon BBQ sausage as part of its new smoked sausage collection, according to Meatingplace. The company said that consumer interest in charred, smoked food items is growing and that the more complex flavor of smoked protein makes it an on-trend ingredient.
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The new product has authentic bourbon flavor and is naturally smoked with hardwood chips, Johnsonville noted in a release. The Wisconsin-based company's smoked sausage collection's other flavors include Polish Kielbasa, Smokey Cheddar and Hot Link.
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Bourbon BBQ is a unique flavor that appeals to consumers at any time of day, the company stated. Technomic reported that barbecue items in convenience stores saw a 16.7% increase in menu item mentions this year over 2016.
Dive Insight:
Meat snacks are a $2.8 billion category, and the category's impact is continuing to rise. Nielsen reported that they have enjoyed annual sales growth of more than 7% in each of the past four years, according to Food Business News.
Smoke flavor is also trending. In April 2015, FONA found that product launches with the flavor had increased 56% since January 2011. In the U.S., smoke flavoring has come to some unexpected places, such as beer, mayonnaise and sweet bars.
Adding a bit of smoke is a good way to transform flavors of food, and the trend capitalizes on something Americans already like. According to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, 75% of adults in this country own a grill or smoker. Of those people, 71% use their grill or smoker to improve food's flavor.
And while many consumers can go outside and use a grill and smoker, Americans are looking more for food that brings the flavor without the work, especially as cooler temperatures arrive.
The complex yet smooth flavor of bourbon is also experiencing heightened popularity. The spirit is made from at least 51% corn and aged in charred white oak barrels. The end result is a sweet alcoholic drink with a flavor profile that is used to enhance everything from sauces to desserts. According to FONA, 2015 saw more than twice the number of new bourbon-flavored products than the year before. The 71 new products introduced in North America were mostly sauces, allowing consumers to sometimes get a flavor similar to the one offered by the new Johnsonville product — which seems to combine all of these trends.