Last time we tried to make an American BLT back home in the UK, we thought we’d done a pretty good job.
Then the Americans arrived in the comments!!!!!!
Apparently, the biggest thing we’d got wrong was the bacon. British bacon and American bacon are VERY different — so while travelling through America, we decided it was finally time to put things right.
This time we’re making a proper American BLT using real American applewood-smoked bacon, Duke’s mayonnaise, American tomatoes and lettuce — and we’re even testing toasted bread against bread grilled in bacon grease.
From the sheer SIZE of the bacon to the amount of grease that came out of it, we genuinely weren’t prepared for how different American bacon would be.
But there’s only one question that matters…
Were the Americans right? Is an American BLT actually better?
And our American food education isn’t finished yet. Next time we’re finally visiting somewhere you’ve been telling us to try for YEARS — Olive Garden!
If you enjoy watching a British family discovering America through its food, people, places and culture, subscribe and come along for the journey.
And Americans — we need you in the comments: what should we make next now that you’ve finally taught us how to make a BLT properly?
#americanfood #blt #bacon #britstry #MrHAndFriends
Want to improve your BBQ and support the channel?
Our first downloadable product is here:
The Ultimate BBQ Smoking Guide by Mr H & Friends
✅ Smoke & fire management
✅ Smoke ring science explained simply
✅ Common BBQ mistakes to avoid
✅ Meat marbling guide
✅ Smoking woods & temperatures
✅ Printable A4 quick-reference charts
Perfect for offset smokers, pellet grills, kettles and kamados.
Your support genuinely helps our family continue creating BBQ content ❤️
🔥 Download here:
LOW. SLOW. SMOKE. REPEAT.
Support us on Patreon for exclusive content & merch
👉 patreon.com/user?u=65835488
Official Merch, Zoom Hangs, & Bonus Reactions!
Join our extended foodie family ❤️
💬 Tell us in the comments what dish YOU want us to try next!
Subscribe to our Channel:
USA GRIZZLY BLOCKS & MORE – Use this link and automatically get 10% off
*We will receive a small commission for any purchases
Check out these Popular Smoking / BBQ videos:
My first BBQ Brisket:
We Made GUMBO:
Terry Blacks:
Goldee’s:
Buy us a Coffee (or Tea) ☕️
Help us make more videos. Support us with a PayPal donation:
Check out our Amazon store for products featured in this video (we earn a small commission from Amazon):
Join this channel to get access to the perks:
Sign Up for Mr H and friends competitions and newsletters:
📦 📬 We have a new mailing address!
Parcels can be sent to:
Total Construction SW LTD
FAO – Mr H and Friends
Unit 11 Ashmead Business Centre
Ashmead Road
Keynsham
Bristol
BS31 1SX
Please let us know the tracking details so we can keep an eye on deliveries at this end.
✅ We have a NEW MERCH Store:
✅ Follow Us on our social media for behind-the-scenes content, updates, and more family fun!
Instagram:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Threads:
Discord: email mrhandfriends@gmail.com for the up to date link
source
OK, America… you were right about the bacon!!!!
But now we need to settle TWO things:
1. Toasted bread or fried in bacon grease?
2. What American food have we STILL been getting completely wrong?
We're heading to Olive Garden next, so make sure you're subscribed — apparently we've got unlimited breadsticks to deal with.
And yes… I did eat Nakita's leftover bacon. I regret nothing.
Mr. H, the best way to cook American bacon is on a sheet pan in the oven at 425f on the middle rack. The bacon stays flat and it cooks evenly and without all the popping grease.
Y'all make it pretty much exactly how I make it with the Bacon grease don't listen to the haters I would order that sandwich anytime I wanted a blt
I mean thats kinda crap bacon but hey most of us eat that anyway
One of the best ways to cook bacon for BLTs is to BAKE it on a sheet pan. It will stay flat, all the spatter is kept in the oven and you can even cover the bacon with parchment paper or another sheet pan to keep it flat and the spatter contained. American bacon is made from the pork belly. If you buy heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes the tomato flavor is much better than the supermarket beefsteak (big) tomatoes. Homegrown is the best of course. And saving the bacon grease for future cooking.
You're quite right that tomatoes in US supermarkets are usually bred for size, not flavor. HOWEVER, if you want the best tomato you've ever had in your life, go to a farmer's market or look at the local grocery store for heirloom tomatoes. These are often huge, and may be any number of colors such as yellow, red + green, brown, or purplish, but are rarely pure bright red. American heirloom tomatoes aren't sold widely because they're seasonal and expensive to grow, but they are the BEST.
It has bacon and lettuce and tomato on it. It's YOUR sandwich. If you don't want or have Dukes, who cares? What matters is if you like it. Only have Brit bacon, cool. muttering something that sounds like "elitist sammich police make their own damn sammich…" Have a great day
I am getting really sick of all these videos of English people chewing.
To REALLY make it good, you’ve got to use home-grown tomatoes, but I can forgive that part 😄
Something interesting when you asked how big the pigs are… the most common hog used in farming is super big when fully grown. It’s just.. not used in movies a lot since it’s easier to handle younger ones.
Yes, standard supermarket tomatoes in the US are pretty bland and not much flavor. Really need to get fresh or heirloom tomatoes from a farmer's market, a garden, or even hothouse tomatoes in a pinch.
BLT is the most simple and tasty sandwich ever !
BLT- the tomato is very important. A poor tomato makes a poor BLT
The best way to make a BLT is this- cook your bacon in the manner you choose (either a pan or in the oven. Oven bacon lays flatter.) Bacon that is very crispy will break and fall out of the sandwich when you bite it. Save the fat in a small container. While the bacon cooks, slice your tomatoes and season on both sides with salt. Only use fully ripe tomatoes for a BLT. It is primarily a tomato sandwich and will suffer greatly with subpar tomatoes from the supermarket out of season. Fry your bread ( I prefer a wide pan loaf to the normal sandwich loaf) in a very small amount of bacon fat on one side only until it is golden brown. Spread a good layer of high quality mayonnaise on the untoasted side of both pieces of bread. Now you construct. Place a layer of lettuce (any works, iceberg tastes of nothing though) on both sides, followed by enough slices of seasoned tomatoes to cover, followed by the bacon. You want just enough that you get some in every bite, but no more or it will be overpowering. Put the top bread with lettuce on and slice diagonally. Best accompaniments are good regular potato crisps and a cold kosher dill pickle spear.
Before I became allergic to tomatoes I always toasted my bread. Also I used hickory smoked bacon. At least you got the mayo right. Duke's is the best mayo hands down. Your wife is right frying the bread just makes it too greasy.
Perfectly cooked American bacon, IMO, is when the fat parts are crispy on the outside and melty on the inside, but it takes a lot of practice to achieve reliably in a pan – much easier in the oven, but still a little trial and error in any given oven.
You have a smoker. You should make your own bacon
A spatter screen helps .😁🥪
I take my bacon. Put it on the griddle and then put a big flat pan over the top. It cuts down on splatter and keeps the bacon nice and straight.
Bacon grease isn’t as bad as it’s been made out to be. All things in moderation.
Our big tomatoes are taste-free, it’s true. I can’t fathom why people eat them. Stick with the ones on the vine. They’re better.
I'm just a random passer-by who stopped for the BLT, so I haven't experienced your journey. That being said…
–You were justifiably critical of that tomato, and probably less harsh than it deserved. I could tell as soon as you pulled it out that it was storebought; the perfectly rounded shape plus the suspiciously uniform orangey tinge screams mass-market. Those never get fully ripe because they're always picked too soon so they can ship before they get soft, and they've always been kept colder than optimal so they can't ripen properly. For best results, you have to grow your own or go to a trustworthy farm stand, and preferably get an heirloom variety. If you can't do that, then definitely go for tomatoes on the vine as the best storebought option. The best BLTs are truly a seasonal, late summer dish!
–I also noticed you cut your lettuce into strips. I'm guessing it was romaine? If that's what you like, that's fine — I confess to using handfuls of spring mix at times, which is delicious but absolutely not canonical! — but traditionally it's whole leaves of crispy iceberg lettuce, folded or torn off just to fit the bread.
–One further note: although bread fried in bacon grease is a treasured part of childhood breakfast memories for me, I've never actually tried it for a BLT. Simply toasted is standard, and the degree of toasting is a matter of preference. I like mine best just lightly toasted so it's still soft in the middle and soaks up the tomato juices better, but I can't deny that darker toast has a more complex flavor.
I like to bake the bacon, in the oven on 350 degrees. I like chewy with some crisp.