Big Loaf BLT

One of the most important elements of a perfect BLT is, of course, the bacon. There should be a lot of it and it should be fried all the way crisp, so that it has snap. Once you cook bacon this far, it can be stored at room temperature as long as overnight and will retain its texture, without being coated in congealed fat. Chewy bacon–I think of it as flabby–means the bacon is undercooked and will, as it cools, have tongue-coating fat congealed all over it. When the bacon is fully cooked, it is easier to eat a BLT, too, because that snap means you won’t be struggling to bite a piece of flabby bacon in half while the sandwich falls apart. For the very best BLT, cook the bacon just this side of burned.