Bacon jam, baconnaise and bacon ketchup are popular in the United States and with several New Zealand companies now offering bacon spreads, their products are being snapped up by those in the know – including Wendy’s.
Wendy’s new Ultimator comes loaded with bacon jam, baconnaise and bacon ketchup, four strips of thick-cut Manuka smoked streaky bacon, Colby cheese and two beef patties, all on a toasted Kaiser bun.
Boutique food producers around the country have been working overtime preparing for the burger’s launch with Tauranga’s The Big Smoke BBQ providing bacon jam, Wild Country in Hamilton supplying baconnaise and bacon ketchup, and award-winning family owned Magills butchery in Te Awamutu the sole suppliers of Wendy’s streaky Manuka smoked bacon.
The Big Smoke BBQ’s Mike Jeffries started making his own bacon jam after getting his first taste of the spreadable bacon at a BBQ festival in North Carolina. Featured on TV last year making his own, Jeffries was swamped with interest from the public and media, and Wendy’s got in touch about supplying its restaurants. Jeffries said production had been up 100 percent ahead of the launch, and while he hasn’t tasted the new burger, he’s made his own version.
“I snuck into Wendy’s with my bacon jam and spread it on a Baconator! It tasted great, and I’m looking forward to trying the real thing.”
