Britain's national breakfast in two slices of bread. Back bacon — a single thick rasher of cured loin with a tail of belly fat — fried hot, piled into white sliced or a soft roll, with butter and a choice of brown sauce or ketchup.
Serves 1Prep 5 minCook 8 min
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Ingredients
- 3 rashers of back bacon (smoked or unsmoked, your preference)
- 2 thick slices of soft white bread, or 1 floured bap
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- Brown sauce (HP) or ketchup
- Optional: black pepper
Method
- 1Heat a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Lay the bacon flat — don't overlap. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on the first side until the fat starts to render and the lean is golden.
- 2Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. The fat strip should be crisp and golden, the lean rosy and just cooked through.
- 3Lift the bacon onto kitchen paper to drain for 30 seconds.
- 4Butter the bread generously — both slices, edge to edge, while the bacon's still hot.
- 5Pile the bacon onto one slice. Add brown sauce or ketchup — never both. Top with the second slice and press lightly.
- 6Cut on the diagonal. Eat immediately. Tea, strong, with milk.
Chef's tip
Rendering bacon properly means starting a touch cool and bringing the heat up — too hot from the start scorches the lean before the fat releases. The fat is the point.