There is a category of food not shown on the ideal diet pyramid with whole grains at the bottom and red meat at the top. This mystery group provides negative physical health effects but positive emotional effects, such as a celebratory Jack Daniels, some ice cream on a hot summer day, funnel cake at the County Fair, or anything at Starbucks other than a black cup of coffee. These fall into the “I know it ain’t good for me, but dang it sure is GOOD FOR ME” food group that the health experts don’t want on the pyramid.

Bacon belongs right near the top of those foods that may not be good for the health, but makes life worth living all the same. Let yourself enjoy the king of summertime sandwiches, the Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato, or a “Bee-EL-Tee” for short. A simple four ingredients (bacon, lettuce, tomato, and bread) plus some condiments will increase your joy tenfold while decreasing your arterial freedom of movement at a much lower rate of change.

So go ahead, create some color in your lunch this summer (and, no I’m not referring to the fruits). Grab some bacon from the farmer’s market, and render that delicious, crispy scent all the way through the house.

Y’all enjoy the BLT this summer. Let’s get supper on the table.

Grocery List	Recipe Quantity (2 people)
One wide loaf of bread	2 slices per sandwhich
2 CRISP Tomatoes	2 quarter inch slices per sandwich
1 Head of Lettuce	1 Large Piece per Sandwich
1 Pack of Thick Cut Bacon	2 Slices Per Sandwich
1 Container of Pimento Cheese	4 TBS
1 Container of Mayonnaise	4 TBS
1-2 Beers (or drink of choice)	1-2 Beers

COMMANDMENTS

CAST IRON COMMANDMENTS  https://castironsoul.com/cast-iron-cooking-ethos/

Commandment #7 -Respect seasonality

Commandment #24 – Let food share the same skillet. It helps blend the flavors together.

Cookware: 12″ Carbon Steel skillet.

Do you ever feel stuck sometimes, needing a change? I’ve been cooking with cast iron for years now, and was given this Carbon Steel skillet as a gift recently. It’s an awesome piece of cookware that gets really hot, really fast, perfect for tacos, hamburgers, or other meat-bread combinations. So if you’re feeling like like you might just need a change to spark some creativity again, give this skillet a chance. I’m sure it will quickly become a favorite to use just like it has for me.

HOLD MY BEER – PREPARATION

Split off a large lettuce leave from the head. Rinse and set aside.

Cut the tomato into quarter inch slices. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Remove bacon from packaging and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Crack open that first beer.

LIGHT THIS CANDLE- START COOKIN’

Place the 12″ skillet (or other flat surface cookware such as a Cook-It-All) on the stovetop with NO HEAT. Place the bacon in strips onto the clean skillet without heat. Then turn the stove up to 6 and let it start to cook.

*The best way to cook bacon is to let it go from cold to hot along with the cookware.

Wait and listen for the “cackling” sound of bacon fat being rendered off. Try not to get overly excited by that sweet, crispy sent percolating through your kitchen. Once you start to hear the cackling, wait 3-5 minutes. Then flip the bacon over.

Place a heat resistant material (such as a smaller skillet) on top of the bacon to weigh it down and crisp the edges. Let cook for another 3-5 minutes before flipping over one more time.

Remove from the stove after 1-3 minutes or until otherwise cooked through to your preference. Place the bacon on paper towels to absorb the grease. Pat dry and let sit.

DO NOT CLEAN THE SKILLET.

Turn down the stovetop heat to a 3. Place 4 slices of bread in the skillet to absorb the grease and crisp with that sweet bacon flavor.

After 2-4 minutes on one side, flip over and move so that the grease gets absorbed. Let crisp for another 2-4 minutes, flip over one more time, and then turn the stovetop off. Wait for both sides of the bread to be crisp. All of the grease should be absorbed by the bread slices.

Remove the bread from the skillet. Take one slice and spread the pimento cheese on one side. Take the other slice and spread mayonnaise on one side.**

Traditionally this sandwich is made with mayonnaise, however I am not a huge fan of the eggy white stuff. So I split the difference with pimento cheese like my Uncle Greg, who is a BLT connoisseur and a trusted voice on the matter.

Build the sandwich in the following order

• 1. Bottom piece of bread with Mayo
• 2. Lettuce slice
• 3. Two Tomatoes
• 4. Two Bacon Strips
• 5. Top slice of bread with Pimento cheese

Press down on the top slide of bread just to combine the flavors. Slice at a diagonal and serve away.

BLT SANDWICH

Serves 2 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

1. Split off a large slice of lettuce from the head. Rinse and set aside.
2. Cut the tomatoes into quarter inch slices and season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove bacon from packaging and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside Let for 5 minutes.
4. Crack open that first beer.
5. Place the bacon strips in the skillet with NO HEAT.
6. Turn the stove up to 6.
7. Once bacon starts to cackle, wait 3-5 minutes and then flip over. Place a heat-resistant product (a smaller skillet works well) on top of the bacon to help crisp. Let bacon cook for another 3-5 minutes. Flip over one more time for 1-3 minutes or until crisped to your preference.
8. Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside in paper towels for the grease to absorb. DO NOT CLEAN THE SKILLET.
9. Turn the stove heat down to 3. Place four slices of bread in the skillet to absorb the grease. Let crisp on one side for 2-4 minutes, flip over for another 2-4 minutes. Flip over again if necessary and turn the stove off.
10. *Repeat steps 4-8 to make multiple rounds of sandwiches.
11. Remove the bread slices from the skillet. Spread mayonnaise on one slice of bread and pimento cheese on the other.
12. Build the sandwich in the following order
    • Bottom piece of bread with Mayo
    • Lettuce slice
    • Two Tomatoes
    • Two Bacon Strips
    • Top slice of bread with Pimento cheese
13. Press down on the assembled sandwich and cut on a diagonal. Serve complete with some salad to cancel out the salt.
14. Enjoy summer with friends.