BLT: Build A Better One
It’s summertime and the tomato harvest is at its peak – it’s the ideal time for one of America’s favorite sandwiches…the BLT. Delco’s CIA-trained Chef and Sales Representative, Stephen Campbell, has come up with a classic recipe using Nueske bacon – considered the “caviar of bacon” and the season’s freshest ingredients. After you sink your teeth into the best BLT you’ve ever tasted, look below for a spin and take things to another level.
Classic BLT
Yields - 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1lb Neuske’s Bacon (#1002355 Sliced 16-20 or for an extra-special treat try #1002362 sliced thick 10-12)
- 1 each head of green leaf Lettuce
- 1 each large ripe Tomato
- 8 slices of bread such as Turano’s Sliced Panini Loaf (#130480)
- 4 tsp of butter (#180140)
- Salt and Pepper (#110610 & 450430)
Directions
- Lay bacon flat on a sheet tray and bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside on paper towels to drain grease. I like to cook the bacon in the oven because it cooks very evenly and requires a lot less work than a frying pan.
- Wash leaf lettuce and tomato. Green leaf lettuce or red leaf lettuce will work just as well; it’s all about the texture with the lettuce here. When choosing a tomato just make sure it is a ripe one. With only three ingredients on the sandwich each item plays a huge part in the flavor profile so choose wisely.
- Slice tomato into ¼ slices and set aside
- Lightly toast and butter the bread. When choosing your bread I would look for something that is light and airy on the inside and has a nice crispy crust. The Turano Panini loaf that is perfect for this because it actually gets better when toasted. Sourdoughs are a good choice as well.
- Assemble the sandwich. I start with my bacon on the bottom followed by lettuce and then the tomato. I like to add just a pinch of salt and pepper to the tomato to help bring out their natural flavor.
Stephen’s BLT Twist
Yields – 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 lb Neuskes cherry wood smoke Bacon (#1002360)
- 1 head of bibb Lettuce
- 1 each Heirloom Tomato
- 4 tblsp roasted garlic Aioli
- 8 slices Sourdough or Turano’s Sliced Panini Loaf (#130480)
- 4 slices of Provolone Cheese (#150250)
- Salt and Pepper (#110610 & 450430)
Directions
- Lay bacon flat on a sheet tray and bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside on paper towels to drain grease.
- Wash lettuce and tomato
- Slice tomato into ¼ slices and set aside
- Lightly toast and spread aioli on bread.
- Once bread has toasted place bacon on the bread and top with cheese, put back in oven for a minute to melt cheese
- Finish assembling the sandwich
Want to learn more about Nueske’s bacon?… Here’s the bacon so good it’s won national acclaim from The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Cuisine Magazine and been named Gold Award Winner in the Specialty Food Association’s 2009 national competition. The New York Times described Nueske Applewood-smoked sliced bacon as the beluga (caviar) of bacon. You can actually see how lean Nueske’s Bacon is…and you’ll be amazed how little it shrinks in your skillet. Its taste is unforgettable too, because they smoke it over glowing Applewood embers to give it that rich, smoky Nueske’s flavor.
Four generations of the Nueske family have produced premium quality Applewood smoked meats and poultry. They still use the same time-tested methods and natural ingredients, blended by hand with cures and spices in an artisan process that’s been handed down from father to son. Then, they slow-smoke these specialties with a unique 24-hour process over real Wisconsin Applewood logs, finishing them to perfection. Their products deliver genuine old-fashioned quality and goodness. Order yours today and experience the Nueske difference.