Precooked Meats: Improve Your Menu and Operations

Sponsored by Burke Corporation
Tags: Asian, Ethnic, Food & Beverage, Food Safety, Fresh Mex, Going Green, Italian/Pizza, Online / Mobile / Social, Operations Management, Safety
Type: Guide
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In today's busy restaurant environment, the use of precooked meats in recipes is one tool foodservice operators can employ to make their jobs easier while managing growth and quality.

Precooked meat products help ensure that menu items are prepared in a consistent manner — an important aspect of quality control and customer retention. When precooked meats are used, the resulting quicker throughput and simplified employee training translate into reduced labor costs. At the same time, operators avoid the food safety dangers associated with raw meat, especially cross-contamination. And the vast array of precooked meat options available in today's market ensures maximum versatility throughout the menu.

This guide, sponsored by Nevada, Iowa-based Burke Corp., takes a look at the quality, efficiency and versatility that using precooked meats in fast casual and quick-service restaurants can provide. In addition, this guide explores consumer trends and the cost and safety implications of using fully cooked meats.

Burke manufactures and markets fully cooked meat products that can be used as ingredients in entrees and appetizers prepared by restaurants, foodservice establishments and manufacturers of prepared foods. Product lines range from sausage and beef crumbles to meatballs, Mexican meat toppings and fillings and breakfast meats.

No matter what type of menu a restaurant has, it's easy to incorporate precooked meats into recipes. Today, a wide selection of precooked meats is available and ready to use as ingredients in a variety of recipes.

For example, Burke's sausage and beef toppings line provides an array of flavors and sizes. The company also offers pepperoni, meatballs, Canadian-style bacon, chicken strips, beef strips, shredded meats, Mexican-style meats and more. And all of these products can be used in multiple applications.

"Restaurant operators have hundreds of options when it comes to fully cooked meats," said Liz Hertz, marketing director for Burke. "When selecting precooked meats, they now have the opportunity to select the flavor profile and product characteristics that best suit their needs.

"You can't come to a fully cooked meats company any longer and just say you want the Italian sausage. Especially with something like meat crumbles and toppings … flavor, shape, size, color — you name it, it’s available."