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Bacon Sandwich (with the Right Bread)

Pork · Back bacon

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

What you'll need

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Ingredients & method

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

  1. 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.
  2. 2Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. The fat strip should be crisp and golden, the lean rosy and just cooked through.
  3. 3Lift the bacon onto kitchen paper to drain for 30 seconds.
  4. 4Butter the bread generously — both slices, edge to edge, while the bacon's still hot.
  5. 5Pile the bacon onto one slice. Add brown sauce or ketchup — never both. Top with the second slice and press lightly.
  6. 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.

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