Rolling out to Midwest grocery stores this spring and summer is Johnsonville’s new line of Sausage Strips. This new product looks and cooks like bacon, but it’s sausage!

These strips are fully cooked, made with premium cuts of pork and available in four new flavors: Original, Spicy, Maple Flavored and Chorizo. The new product will be available in limited distribution, starting in May with retailers Hy-Vee, Meijer, Cub Foods, Target, Woodman’s, Spartan Corp. stores, Piggly Wiggly, Festival Foods, and many additional independent retailers throughout the Midwest. The Sausage Strips will be available Kroger stores throughout the Midwest in July.

Johnsonville is excited about introducing this new breakfast meat experience, after product testing showed that 86% of participants stated the product met or exceeded expectations. Each 12 oz. package contains approximately 12 strips, with a suggested retail price of approximately $4.99.

“At Johnsonville, we are obsessed with sausage, so naturally we’re always looking for new ways to enjoy it. When we thought to slice sausage like bacon, and then combine it with great sausage flavors like maple, chorizo, spicy, and our original recipe, we thought we had a pretty darn good idea and needed to share it with the world,” said Steve Bembenista, a brand manager on Johnsonville’s innovation team. “Ultimately, Sausage Strips were made to add something flavorful and exciting not only to breakfast, but also to sandwiches, burgers, or whatever else your mind can dream up.”

Because the Sausage Strips are fully cooked, preparing this breakfast meat is quick and convenient, in a variety of cooking methods, and the time depends on how crispy the user prefers. In a skillet by stovetop takes just 3-5 minutes; baked in an oven (at 450 degrees) takes 12-15 minutes; microwave is 1-2 minutes; and by air fryer (at 400 degrees) for 5-6 minutes.

Key product features:

• Great protein option, available in four different flavors
• More meat per strip since the sausage doesn’t shrink like bacon when cooked
• Lower sodium than bacon (per gram serving size)
• Versatile to use along with eggs, a flavor enhancer to sandwiches or salads, as a garnish to cocktails or seafood dishes

Nutrition information per serving (2 slices):

• Features lower sodium (per gram) than bacon (between 440 mg - 530mg among the four flavors)
• Protein = 9 grams
• Fat = 12 grams
• Calories = 150 (exception: Maple Flavored = 160)

Source: Johnsonville