The 4th annual PEI Porktoberfest returns October 1st-to-31st, and this year bacon dreams do come true with Ultimate Bacon Sandwiches.
Using bacon as the signature ingredient, 25 Island restaurants have created one-of-a-kind Ultimate Bacon Sandwiches in hopes of winning the 'Best PEI Porktoberfest Chef' title. To win, Islanders are encouraged the eat the gourmet sandwiches, then vote online for their favourite chef creation. Every vote is also an opportunity for people to win prizes such as $20 gift cards and Porktoberfest shirts. The campaign also has three new signature contests where lucky winners could take home Bacon For A Year, two prize packs of $200 in gift cards, or win a Bacon-Packed Getaway to Charlottetown.
"The Prince Edward Island hog industry is pleased to be part of PEI Porktoberfest again in 2015", said Tim Seeber, Manager of the PEI Hog Commodity Board. “We hope that the Ultimate Bacon Sandwich challenge will entice people to get out and enjoy the creations of our culinary partners to not only make this the best event yet, but to remember that the pork industry still makes a significant contribution to the agriculture community of our province."
The month-long celebration of PEI pork was created by Fresh Media, and is presented in partnership with Prince Edward Island Hog Producers, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and PEI Flavours. This is the first Porktoberfest campaign where bacon is the hero pork cut, with previous campaigns focusing on PEI sausages or pulled pork.
“With the launch of this year’s porklicious campaign, Islanders will instantly see the culinary creativity of our local chefs on full display with their sandwiches, as well as the overall versatility of pork bellies and bacon”, said Melody Dover, owner of Fresh Media, the agency that owns and markets Porktoberfest.
Types of bacon featured in some of the sandwiches include apple smoked, dry-cured, double smoked, pea meal, honey & smoked paprika glazed, jalapeño, maple-braised chipotle, whiskey chili, plus many more flavour combinations. Several chefs found unique ways to further include bacon as part of their sandwich by highlighting it within other toppings, or as part of their buns or bread. Some chefs have even added more pork to their sandwiches with pulled pork, ground pork, pork sausage or a bacon-wrapped pork dog.
“Porktoberfest is an excellent example of how our province’s high quality food products can inspire culinary creativity”, said Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Alan McIsaac. “The Province of Prince Edward Island is pleased to partner on this initiative to promote our local food products and the people who produce it, and we will continue to support initiatives that grow our Island food brand.”
To view the full list of PEI Porktoberfest creations, visit www.peiporktoberfest.ca. The campaign runs until October 31st.