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Arby's goes a little 'foodie' with ol' Porky

Arby's is not only putting all its guns behind its "We have the meats" branding, but it's also getting a little "foodie-esque" in the process. For proof, look no further than the latest menu innovation at the chain, a super-trendy "meat" porchetta.

July 24, 2017 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Arby's is not only putting all its guns behind its "We have the meats" branding, but it's also getting a little "foodie-esque" in the process. For proof, look no further than the latest menu item innovation at the chain, the super-trendy "meat," porchetta. 

Recall, of course, that this is the resurrected brand that brought you the wildly successful venison sandwiches last year after going to New Zealand for one of the few sources of farm-raised deer mea that met U.S. standards for restaurants. Now the chain is introducing a pork-alicious offering in the form of the new $5.49 smoked Italian porchetta sandwich.

The thinly sliced smoked pork belly-wrapped pork loin creation is covered in provolone with lettuce, tomato, red onion, banana peppers, red wine vinaigrette and garlic aioli on a toasted sub roll.

Porchetta — pronounced por-ketta for the less gourmet-inclined — is a World War I-era Italian dish that involves wood fire-roasting a pig that's been deboned, layered with stuffing, fat and skin, and rolled up for cooking on a spit. It's popular not only in Italy, but also in several places in the U.S., including Philadelphia, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Austin, Texas, and other parts of the world.

An Arby's spokesperson told QSRweb that the new sandwich lives up to the brand's pledge to customers to put something both meaty and unusual on their plates. 

"Arby's product innovation team tests more than 1,000 potential menu items each year and last year introduced the brand's most exotic meat offerings to date — pork belly and venison," the spokesperson told QSRweb via email. "One of Arby's goals is to create first-time experiences for guests via unique and unexpected proteins many consumers have never heard of, let alone tried before."

Arby's obviously knows that this is heaven for both meat-lovers and foodies. According to the spokesperson, that "foodie central" newspaper, the New York Times, described porchetta in an article last year as "tender meat, lush fat and crunchy cracklings." (Please note: Drooling on your computer keyboard may be detrimental to its functioning.)

Now you can even go porchetta one better at Arby's with the Mount Italy sandwich, the spokesperson said in an email. This item features prochetta, thin-sliced pit-smoked ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, banana peppers, red wine vinaigrette and garlic aioli on a toasted star-top roll.

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.