The simple sandwich of the summer - four ingredients - and a perfect meal on busy summer nights. My favorite bacon to use for BLTs is cottage bacon. The flavor profile is like regular bacon, and it is a perfect shape and meatier cut of bacon. Perfect for sandwiches, pizza toppings, or a breakfast meat option!
Did you know that cottage bacon has multiple identities? It can also be called buckboard bacon or butt bacon. What makes it unique is that it is made from a boneless pork butt roast, unlike traditional bacon made from pork belly. This is why it is sometimes called butt bacon, clever butchering folks.
Cottage bacon is smoked with a curing process that includes sodium nitrite and is cut into thick slabs. Once it's removed from the cold smoke, it's fully cooked bacon. Although it can be eaten after smoking, it will taste better when fried or roasted. It has a smoky flavor everyone loves.
Jump to RecipeHow to Cook Cottage Bacon
Find a package of cottage bacon. Both Dennison Meat Locker and Nearstrand Meats have it if you are local. Also, some grocery stores will carry it, especially during BLT sandwich season. You know the season when the tomatoes in the garden are all ripe at the same time, and you are so busy processing all your garden goodies, which means it is BLTs for supper every night!
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Using a cookie sheet, cover it with tinfoil or parchment paper and place a wire rack on top. Place a single layer of cottage bacon on the wire rack. This allows the cottage bacon to roast and the grease to drop below.
Bake for thirty-five minutes in a 350 degree F oven for chewy bacon. If you want crispy bacon, leave it in the oven for a few additional minutes. Watch closely. It can go from crispy to charred very quickly.
Remove from oven and place on a plate covered with paper towels. This will soak up any grease. Place the bacon on a single layer of paper towels between each layer.
Alternative Cooking Methods
- Cast Iron Skillet - Place the bacon in a single layer in a cold skillet and bring up to medium heat. I would recommend using a splatter screen to keep flying grease splatters contained.
- Blackstone Griddle - Preheat the griddle to medium high heat and place the bacon on Blackstone. If you have a bacon press, I would recommend using it to help with any shrinkage. Cottage bacon will not shrink as much as American-style bacon. This is due to the ratio of meat and fat. Using the Blackstone or any griddle is a great way to cook cottage bacon!
How Does Cottage Bacon Compare
- Traditional Bacon - This type of American bacon can be identified as streaky bacon. You typically find it in American diners next to over-easy eggs and a pile of pancakes.
- Canadian Bacon - This bacon is found as a pizza topping or on breakfast sandwiches. It has a deli ham-like texture. It is circular versus a strip like traditional bacon.
- Turkey Bacon - This type of bacon is made out of turkey instead of pork. It is in the shape of bacon but lacks the look of regular bacon except for the shape. It is a good alternative for anyone who wants less fat and calories but wants all the flavor of bacon.
Using Cottage Bacon
Escape the meal doldrums and add this great bacon to the most basic recipes. Cottage bacon is a step above typical bacon, making everyone a bacon lover.
Sweet & Salty Bacon - Before baking, sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the cottage bacon before you bake it. If you are not a fan of brown sugar, brush some maple syrup on the bacon to create a sweet and salty maple bacon.
Breakfast Bacon - Serve cottage bacon as a side to Swedish pancakes, French toast, or as the meat on a breakfast sandwich. Chop it up and use it as the meat component for an egg bake.
BLTs- This is my favorite way to enjoy cottage bacon. Sandwiched between two slices of white bread with a generous amount of mayo and Dijon mustard. Thick slices of garden fresh tomatoes and crispy lettuce. And sometimes I add a slice of cheese. Because everything is better with some cheese, another great sandwich option is a Club Sandwich. Cottage bacon is an excellent change of pace meat choice for sandwiches.
Storing
Keep any cooked bacon in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. If you would like to freeze the bacon to use at a later date, place it in freezer-safe containers. I would recommend labeling what it is and with a date. Use it within four months.
Cottage Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sandwich (BLT) Recipe
Equipment
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 1 pound Cottage Bacon
BLT Ingredients
- 1 loaf Sturdy White Bread Gluten Free if needed
- 1 Tomato Such as Beefsteak
- Mayo
- 1 Head Iceberg Lettuce
- 1 Pound Cottage Bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cover a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Place a wire rack on top of the tinfoil.
- Place a single layer of cottage bacon on top of the wire rack.
- Place the cookie sheet in the over and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and place the cooked cottage bacon on a plate covered with paper towel. This will soak up any extra grease.
- Do as many batches as needed until the entire pound of bacon is cooked.
- Serve cottage bacon on a BLT, Club Sandwich, Breakfast Meats or however you choose.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days and in the freezer for up to four months.
BLTs
- Toast bread in a toaster or under the broiler.
- Wash lettuce and break it into sandwich size pieces.
- Slice hearty slices of tomato.
- Assemble sandwich. Spread mayo on both sides of the white bread, add the lettuce, cottage bacon, and tomato. Slice in half and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
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