The Perfect BLT with Oven-Baked Bacon and Salted Tomato

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A diner-counter classic done with actual technique: bacon baked flat on a sheet pan so every strip is crisp and straight instead of curled and steamy, tomato slices salted and drained so they season the sandwich instead of flooding it, and mayonnaise spread corner to corner on both toasted slices so no bite is dry. Fifteen minutes of real cooking for a sandwich that beats the $7 version at any lunch counter.

Ingredients

• 8 slices thick-cut bacon
• freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomato
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 leaves iceberg or romaine lettuce, inner crisp leaves

• 4 slices good white sandwich bread or Pullman loaf
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (optional, for griddling the bread)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (or parchment) and lay the 8 bacon slices flat in a single layer, edges just touching but not overlapping. Grind black pepper generously over the top.
2. Bake 16–22 minutes, rotating the pan front-to-back at the 12-minute mark, until the bacon is deep bronze and stiff-looking at the edges. Thick-cut bacon usually needs 18–20 minutes; it crisps further as it cools, so pull it while the centers still have a little give.
3. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate in a flat single layer — do not stack it, or the steam will soften it. Let it drain while you build everything else.
4. While the bacon bakes, slice the tomato 1/4-inch thick (you want 4–6 slices). Lay the slices on a paper-towel-lined plate, sprinkle both sides with the kosher salt, and let them sit 10 minutes. Blot the surfaces dry right before assembly — the salt draws out water and concentrates the tomato flavor so the sandwich seasons itself instead of getting soggy.
5. Tear the lettuce into pieces roughly the size of the bread slices, rinse, and dry thoroughly in a towel or salad spinner. Wet lettuce is the second-biggest enemy of a BLT.
6. Toast the bread until firmly golden and crisp on both surfaces — a shade darker than you think. For the best version, spread the softened butter thinly on both sides of each slice and griddle them in a dry skillet over medium heat, 1 1/2–2 minutes per side, pressing lightly with a spatula.
7. Stir the lemon juice into the mayonnaise if using. Spread 1 tablespoon on each of the 4 warm toast slices, going all the way to the corners and edges — the mayo is both the seasoning and the waterproof barrier between the bread and the tomato.
8. Build each sandwich on a bottom slice: lettuce first (it cushions and insulates), then 2–3 blotted tomato slices, then 4 bacon slices snapped in half and layered in two crosswise rows so there's bacon in every bite. Cap with the second slice of toast, mayo side down.
9. Press gently with your palm, then cut in half on the diagonal with a serrated knife and eat immediately, while the bacon is still warm and the toast is still crisp.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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