There’s big business in limited-time offerings (LTOs) and the bacon industry is finally on board. Offering a product in a controlled quantity makes consumers curious and creates an urgency to purchase. Limited-edition flavors invite consumers to experience something new in a familiar format. Sometimes, they provide shock value and create a social media frenzy. They can also provide a test market and encourage shopper engagement. They are an excellent tactic for brands to connect with people. And, because everything is always better with bacon, flavors are sizzling in this category.

Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., is on board. The company’s Black Label brand offers one of the widest selections of flavored bacon to retailers nationwide and is now the first to offer a co-branded bacon in partnership with General Mills, Minneapolis, Minn. New Black Label Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bacon features Cinnadust seasoning rubbed onto thick-cut bacon. When it’s cooked, it has a crisp crust with a balance of sweet cinnamon sugar and savory bacon flavors.

According to the brand team’s research, millennial and Gen Z shoppers continue to demand new, exciting and sophisticated flavors, yet the same consumer group tends to ignore bacon as a common ingredient in non-breakfast recipes. Hormel is attempting to bridge that gap.

“The Hormel Black Label brand is boldly pushing the boundaries of bacon beyond breakfast,” said Aly Sill, senior brand manager. “By introducing these limited-edition flavors, we are bringing a new generation of consumers into the bacon category by offering a selection of options that no other brand can match.”

Other recent LTOs for the brand include apple cider, garlic rosemary and ranch. This flavor-forward approach will continue into the future, according to Sill.

“The complex flavor profile (of garlic rosemary) is best served wrapped around a juicy steak or in a creamy pasta carbonara,” Sill said.

Wright Brand bacon from Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark., is taking the LTO concept to a new level by keeping its latest concept limited to the state of Kentucky. New Sweet & Smoky Kentucky Bourbon Bacon embodies the essence of Kentucky bourbon with a rich, bold flavor that’s perfect for any time of day and any type of occasion. The thick-cut bacon is naturally smoked over hickory wood chips to infuse a smoky, salty flavor. It is then infused with real maple syrup and natural flavors in the curing process to add a sugary, sweet twist.

Arby’s, the “We have the meats” fast-food chain, brought back its Bourbon BBQ Sandwiches this past summer for a limited time. Sweet brown sugar bacon is a key component of the sandwich that features either brisket or chicken.

“…consumers are looking beyond one-dimensional flavors for complex, layered taste profiles,” said Shelley Balanko, senior vice president at Hartman Group, Bellevue, Wash. “Additionally, globally inspired flavors like the spices found in Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American foods have been gaining popularity for some time. Technology and global connectivity have enhanced culinary exploration, especially for younger consumers.”

Turmeric, with its earthy, peppery, citrus notes can be part of a spice blend rub. Teriyaki can be injected prior to smoking.

“Affinity for unique flavors and innovative flavor combinations is on the rise,” said Eric Hamilton, director of product innovation, Daily’s Premium Meats, South Salt Lake, Utah. “Younger consumers are more open to unique offerings that may be twists on traditional American breakfast flavors or completely different altogether. For grocers, being bold with flavor offerings and having a wider range of offerings is more important than ever.”

Packaging format variations, from shingled to stack packs, offer consumers options in thickness and even resealability in some products. (Source: Wright Brand)

Sweet and spice is nice

The company is kicking the heat up a notch with two new bacon flavors: Hot Honey and Spicy Maple. They complement the swicy (sweet and spicy) trend that is booming across food categories. What makes this combination appealing is that the sweetness (from caloric carbohydrates, not non-nutritive sweeteners) helps tame the kick of capsaicin, the chemical compound in peppers that delivers fiery flavor. That’s because sugar coats the taste buds, while capsaicin binds to them. By mellowing the perception of heat with sugar, the consumer can better taste the complexity of the pepper as well as the carrier food.

“We’ve seen incredible excitement around sweet and spicy flavor profiles recently,” said Hamilton. “We worked closely with our research team members to monitor, track and ultimately pick flavors that will resonate with consumers who are looking for more bold flavors that make mealtimes memorable.”

The trend toward spicier flavors signifies a notable shift in consumer preferences, according to the culinary experts at Affinity Group, Charlotte, NC. They urge industry professionals to embrace the increasing demand for spicy flavors as an opportunity for innovation and collaboration in order to foster growth in the coming year.

“Spicy foods are super trendy right now,” said Bridget McCall, vice president of culinary and innovation at Affinity Group. “We’re seeing a growing interest in exploring the complexity of heat beyond just the intensity. It’s about understanding and appreciating the nuanced flavors that different spices bring to the table.”

She emphasized that this trend underscores a broader culinary narrative where adventurous eaters are eager to explore diverse, vibrant flavors from around the globe. Balancing the heat while enhancing and diversifying flavor profiles is key to successfully navigating this trend.

“It’s not about adding heat for the sake of heat,” said Rebecca Gruwell, corporate chef at Affinity Group.

Rather, it’s about creating a balance where the spice enhances the overall flavor without overwhelming it. The consumer still wants to taste bacon.

Hamilton explained his approach to innovation. He starts by thinking about the consumers’ needs and then goes through a series of questions. These include “What are the unmet needs of consumers for the specific category? How could we fulfill those desires in a product offering? What trends are gaining traction? What is already out there in the market? How can we differentiate from the competition, whether it’s nutrition, flavor profile, packaging and so on?”

“After we get a better idea on how to meet consumers’ unmet needs and desires, we move into development where we turn those ideas into kitchen prototypes. Throughout development, operational capabilities must be kept top of mind,” Hamilton said. “It’s important to have these in mind so that we don’t set unattainable expectations from the beginning and fail to meet them as we scale up. During development, we also work closely with a variety of vendors and providers to source spices, custom ingredients, vegetables, etc., as we’re developing a product to determine viability.”

Once Hamilton’s team approves a formulation, plant trials and consumer testing will begin. The latter provides feedback to make any necessary tweaks.

“At any given time, we’ve got about five to 10 products in development, some of which take longer than others to get to market,” Hamilton said.

Flavor infusions

White Bear Lake, Minn.-based Bacon Scouts Inc., prides itself on its unique bacon flavors, which are hand rubbed on the slab and include particulates for visual cues. Varieties include Chipotle Lime, Raspberry Chipotle, Smoked Jalapeno and Cajun. The latter is made with a hot blend of peppers, sugars, paprika and spices.

Rubs are one approach to adding flavor. The dry flavor system is applied to the outside of the belly before it is smoked. Smoking over wood adds a layer of flavor. Bacon Scouts hickory smokes its Apple Cinnamon bacon after it’s been rubbed with a fresh apple purée and cinnamon coating.

In general, hickory smoking wood creates the flavor most consumers associate with bacon. It’s mid-range in terms of smokiness, as well as slightly sweet. Mesquite, on the other hand, is recognized as the strongest smoky flavor and is more associated with barbecue than bacon.

Both applewood and cherrywood contribute characteristic sweet, fruity nuances, while pecan wood, also considered a fruit wood, layers in some earthy, slightly nutty notes. As does oak wood, which is often used in combination with fruit woods to add a medium smoky dimension but also great by itself.

BaconFreak.com, Moorhead, Calif., now offers a Fall Spice Smoked Bacon. It’s a dry cured bacon smoked over applewood, pecan wood and coffee beans and finished with a “secret spice blend with a touch of cinnamon.”

The online bacon purveyor also features Coffee Cocoa Smoked Bacon. The pork belly is hand rubbed in a blend of kosher salt and brown sugar, as well as coffee and cocoa. It takes seven to 10 days for the flavor to soak in. It is then smoked over the same trio of woods and beans.

Topical ingredients, such as the coffee and cocoa, or seasonings and other dried particulates, must not change over shelf life or with cooking. They should not impact the bacon’s visual appeal in the package. Some seasonings may contain ingredients that dissolve and provide color. These can have a negative impact on the visuals by ‘bleeding’ when the bacon is cooked, leaving most of the color in the melted fat instead of on the cooked bacon. To prevent this, developers should utilize dry spices and ingredients in seasonings whenever possible and avoid the use of liquid ingredients containing color.

When topical seasonings are applied, challenges may be encountered during the slicing operation. It’s easier to maintain integrity with thicker slices. That’s because large particles may separate from the bacon and sometimes the slicing knives wear out from the spice particles. Some fine particle seasoning blends may absorb moisture on the bacon and give it a muddy look and color.

Another way to add flavor is through a brine. These flavors can be incorporated directly to the brine within a static system or injected. These flavors must fully dissolve in the brine to ensure they are evenly distributed and fully absorbed by the bacon. It is paramount that they don’t cause the curing ingredients to become unstable. Take note: brine viscosity may influence flavor absorption and retention, even with injected products, so shelf life testing is important.

All that flavor must survive the manufacturer’s smoking process and cooking by the consumer. If too much flavor dissolves during frying, the aroma can linger for hours or even days.

Topical sugary glazes, which yield what is known as candied bacon, allow for lots of innovation. The sweetener source contributes flavor, while also acting as an adhesive to deliver flavor extracts and hold topical seasonings.

The fully cooked flavored bacon expands this traditional breakfast meat into the growing snacking space. It has the potential to be an alternative to jerky and come in slices or even chips.

Minneapolis-based Riff’s Smokehouse offers Bacon On The Go Meat Candy. It’s bacon on a stick. The snack is designed to be microwaved for 15 seconds and consumed warm.

The Sweet variety is simply coated in a wood-smoked brown sugar glaze, while Sweet & Spicy is that same glaze with the addition of a five-pepper blend. Other varieties blend characterizing flavorful ingredients into the glaze. Innovations include Habanero Heat, Raspberry Chipotle and Red Curry.

Sometimes multiple flavoring approaches work best. Bake’n Bacon, a restaurant and food truck in Philadelphia, does that with one of its side dishes. Bacon Burnt Ends is extra-thick pork belly smoked for three hours until tender, then baked with a special brown sugar and spice glaze.

Everything is better with bacon. Bacon is better with flavors.