Equipment
Ingredients
Core Components
- 200 g thick-cut smoked bacon, raw
- 200 g heirloom tomato, washed
- 50 g iceberg lettuce, washed and dried thoroughly
- 200 g sourdough bread, thickly sliced
Seasonings & Condiments
- 45 g mayonnaise
- 1 g kosher salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 664 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbohydrates
- 59 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fiber
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 2931 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 19 g
- Potassium
- 464 mg
- Calcium
- 52 mg
- Iron
- 2.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 44 mg
- Phosphorus
- 111 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 11 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 14 mg
- Vitamin E
- 7.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 19 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Thiamin
- 4.42 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.50 mg
- Niacin
- 7.6 mg
- Folate
- 51 mcg
- Water
- 86 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the bacon in a cold frying pan and set to medium-low heat around 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook slowly to render the fat until deeply browned and crisp.
Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat and cool slightly.
Place the heirloom tomato on a cutting board and use a chef knife to slice it into thick, 1 centimeter rounds. Season the slices evenly with kosher salt and black pepper.
Place the sourdough bread slices into the toaster and toast until golden brown and sturdy.
Spread a generous, even layer of mayonnaise on one side of each toasted bread slice, ensuring coverage all the way to the edges to create a moisture barrier.
On the bottom slices of bread, layer the crisp iceberg lettuce first, followed by the seasoned tomato slices, and finally the crispy bacon strips broken to fit the bread.
Top with the remaining bread slices mayonnaise side down, press gently to secure the layers, and slice in half diagonally before serving immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Starting bacon in a cold pan allows the fat to render slowly, resulting in a shatteringly crisp texture rather than chewy or burnt edges.
- Salting your tomatoes exactly five minutes before assembly draws out excess moisture and dramatically concentrates their savory, umami flavor.
- Using iceberg or romaine lettuce instead of softer greens like spinach ensures the critical refreshing crunch that defines a proper BLT sandwich.
- Spreading mayonnaise edge to edge on the toasted bread is not just for flavor, it creates a waterproof fat barrier that stops tomato juices from turning the bread into mush.
Storage
Troubleshooting
Soggy sandwich bottom bread
Cause: Wet tomatoes placed directly on the dry bread without a barrier
Fix: Cannot be fixed once assembled
Prevention: Always use lettuce and mayonnaise as a hydrophobic barrier between wet tomatoes and dry bread
Bacon curls up tightly and cooks unevenly
Cause: Starting the bacon in a hot pan or cooking over too high heat
Fix: Press flat with a spatula while still warm and pliable
Prevention: Start bacon in a cold pan to slowly render the fat out of the meat
Cultural Context
The Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich evolved from late Victorian era tea sandwiches but truly gained mainstream American popularity after World War II. The rapid expansion of supermarkets during this era allowed for year-round availability of fresh tomatoes and lettuce, transforming the BLT into a diner staple and a classic symbol of summer.
