A couple of comments:
1) My aversion to mayo is, to a large degree, its bland greasiness. Bacon mayo actually sounds worth trying, and rendered chorizo mayo may be something I'll have to test as soon as I have a working stovetop again
2) Another nice crunch green for sandiwches is young mustard greens. Let them get too big and old, and they're tough and very strong-flavored. The younger leaves add a lot of spice to a sandwich. I've been using them with burgers with bleu cheese dressing every spring, and lament when they bolt, and get inedible without a nice long simmer. Their spiciness pairs nicely with a mayo-based dressing, where a ketchup or mustard would muddle them.

Inspired by a BLC (bacon lettuce cucumber) salad made by Aarti of Next Food Network Star fame (and in celebration of them getting rid of that annoying Serena), I made a bacon, tomato, avocado, carmelized onion and cucumber sandwich (topped with homemade aioli mixed with tandoori spice from The Spice house) this weekend. Really tasty, I don't know why I let so much time go by between BLT's/BLC's/BCT's/BACCT's, etc...

Hubby and Sparky came up with this one on their own: the BKT - bacon, kale chips and tomato. (Kale chips: wash and tear up several large kale leaves. Toss with olive oil until coated - roast at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes until crispy) Nice bitter edge to the kale chips, and good contrast of textures even with crispy bacon: the kale chips kind of shatter pleasantly as you bite down.

LTH,

No freshly baked homemade bread this time. Just squishy, soft Wonder bread with Hellman's, split cherry tomatoes from Nichols, freshly ground pepper, and Scott's Kentucky bacon. I used their sliced slab bacon today rather than their jowl.

http://www.scotthams.com/index.php?meth ... GroupsId=3

I think tomorrow I might have to have the same sandwich substituting Taylor Pork roll for bacon.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=9724&hilit=Taylor+Pork+Roll

My first BLT of the summer season was as fantastic as any I have had. I got some excellent sliced pancetta from P & E Mullins 'Local' in New Buffalo, Michigan. It's a meat specialty store. More on this place in an appropriate thread but to all those reading this one here that find themselves in or passing thru Harbor Country this summer, they're on Red Arrow Highway, check 'em out. They're doing some good things like this homemade Pancetta.


Pancetta from Local in New Buffalo, MI

As I thought of what to do with this batch, which my uncle actually brought me back (I've since been back there to see for myself) BLT's came to my mind. It's officially summer so why not? I did a quick google search of "pancetta BLT's" and this first result is not only easy but sounded very succulent and refreshing which is what I wanted in this heatwave week. Although the cheese might not be readily available to all. I got it at Lincoln Park Whole Foods which carries the real Italian stuff which is what I grabbed and also a Wisconsin brand from BelGioioso Cheese. I also learned Standard Market makes it fresh every Wednesday but it goes quick.

Ingredients

Crispy Cooked Pancetta
Burrata Cheese
Heirloom Tomatoes or Other
Arugula
Olive Oil & Salt
Bread


Arugula and tomatoes marinating in olive oil and herbs

Those unfamiliar with Burratta cheese, it's really rich. Burratta means buttered in Italian. It's similar to mozzarella which it resembles in looks but it's not that. It's definitely it's own cheese much creamier and softer too so it spreads. The sandwich was simple but made great by using the best available ingredients. Directions arent really necessary but cook the pancetta until crispy and set aside and then toast your bread. Spread the Burratta cheese on one top of a piece for each sandwich and then add the pancetta followed by the tomato/arugula mixture and eat. Not a cheap BLT but a damn pleasing one.


Pancetta BLT

DB--that looks amazing! I'm now a little bitter that I drove right by that place last month on my way back from Union Pier and didn't even know about it.

The tomatoes are in and today was the day that Ronna and I made our traditional once-a-year BLTs.

The 2013 edition included: green zebra, Pruden's purple, and Black Sea man tomatoes from our garden, bacon from Jordanal Farms, homemade bacon aioli, and a few splashes of Grace hot sauce. I was pleasantly surprised by the baguette from The Eating Well at the Glenview Farmers Market.

Until next year, BLT. We will miss you.

--Rich

With Mighty Vine tomatoes now readily available at Local Foods you don't really need to wait until mid-July to start making BLT's. I couldn't wait that long considering I had just returned home from a stop in Charleston and did so with a few elbows of Carolina White (shrimp) that was caught and bought the same morning at the Shrimpers Market in Mt. Pleasant.

So I had a few meals of shrimp worth to eat and a BLT sounded wonderful for one of them. With Mighty Vine's product being readily available at Local Foods I decided to just go there and get everything in one swoop. 10 strips of bacon from B&L as well as a sliced Pullman Rye Sourdough loaf from Publican Quality Bread and the tomatoes and I was good to go. The lettuce came from my parents yard and I always keep both Duke's and Kewpie mayo's in the fridge. Lightly toasted the buttered bread and seasoned the scrimps with some Cajun seasoning and BAM!

SCSBLT (South Carolina Shrimp BLT)

This crappy iPad photo was taken a few summers ago in late August, but the sandwich was stellar. Crisp Scott's Kentucky jowl bacon, Nichols' Farm tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, Tellicherry black pepper, Hellmann's (gasp!!!) and soft squishy Martins' potato bread. I baked a lot of bread that summer (Busman's holiday), but for me, very fresh commercial white bread allows everything else to shine through. (This is also true for soft shell crab sandwiches...no ciabatta or rustic sourdough for this dinosaur please.)

Evil Ronnie wrote:
Hellmann's (gasp!!!)

Used to be the mayo, of course, but somehow not now as good as I think I remember.

"Sir Kensington" mayo (the regular kind, labeled "Classic") is quite tasty.

Roger Ramjet wrote:

Evil Ronnie wrote:
Hellmann's (gasp!!!)

Used to be the mayo, of course, but somehow not now as good as I think I remember.

"Sir Kensington" mayo (the regular kind, labeled "Classic") is quite tasty.

I lived in Norfolk, VA for my first 21 years, and my mom bought Kraft + Miracle Whip. "Dukes" was on every grocery store shelf, but our family didn't go there. I'd like to try it and will one day, but I'm now using lower fat Hellmann's at home, and can not tell the difference on a sandwich. When you use the low fat product to make Ranch, Roquefort, Green Goddess, etc...the dressing does break down much more rapidly.

(I'm scheduled for a Sleeve Gastrectomy on 11 JUL 16, and have now lost 39 lbs. since November. )

Ronnie, best of luck with your 'procedure'. And bien fait on your loss of avoirdupois! Keep it off, dood!

Geo

Geo wrote:Ronnie, best of luck with your 'procedure'. And bien fait on your loss of avoirdupois! Keep it off, dood!

Geo

Merci, Geo. My decision to move forward with this has taken me twelve years, and I feel well prepared by the Team at NWMH. 39 lb. pre surgery weight loss.

The secrets to a good BLT I found in a few places in the loop where I would go and they made really good bLTs. I watched them make them. You don't need to add flavors or anything special as there was nothing special to what they made. Get some good white bread and toast it. I love using Turano bread toasted. Traditionally people use iceberg lettuce but a nice piece of crunchy romaine will do too. Skip any fancy greens or arugula which adds unpleasant non BLT tastes. The secret is to get a good tomato preferably from the garden if you have one. If not get a nice slice of a good tomato. Use good mayo like hellman's..I think home made lacks the tang you need. And the real secret is use a lot of bacon. You don't need pepper bacon or any thing else the secret is some nice crisp bacon and lots of it. You will then get a very bacon taste.

enjoyed a smoked sturgeon BLT (smoked sturgeon added to traditional white bread BLT) at Fahlstrom's on Belmont. Quite enjoyable.

Between Mighty Vine tomatoes and Gotham Greens, I've become spoiled. Terrific tomatoes and greens ALL YEAR LONG in Chicago. So, a BLT for dinner. Maybe not the best picture, but I'm a happy camper. Of course, my wallet will be far happier in a few months when my garden is overflowing with ripe tomatoes.

@redhotrancher on Instagram waxed poetic about Blue Plate Mayo, even Cooks Illustrated ranked it #1 over my fav Hellman's. Not available in Chicagoland, Amazon delivered in two days. First blush, tip-top, eggy, like a dialed up to 12 Hellman's. BLT for dinner, went a little overboard on the Blue Plate, tasty!


Blue Plate Mayo, count me a Fan!

G Wiv wrote:@redhotrancher on Instagram waxed poetic about Blue Plate Mayo, even Cooks Illustrated ranked it #1 over my fav Hellman's. Not available in Chicagoland, Amazon delivered in two days. First blush, tip-top, eggy, like a dialed up to 12 Hellman's. BLT for dinner, went a little overboard on the Blue Plate, tasty!

Never had Blue Plate mayo before but those are some damned nice-looking BLT's!

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Never had Blue Plate mayo before but those are some damned nice-looking BLT's!

Actually, I bet you have. From what I understand most of the po boy shops in New Orleans use Blue Plate. Parkway, Domilise's etc.

BLT's were great, one of those is rye bread, the other english muffin both toasted. And tomatoes were from a Farmers Market, bacon Nueskes, lettuce, Iceberg.

G Wiv wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Never had Blue Plate mayo before but those are some damned nice-looking BLT's!

Actually, I bet you have. From what I understand most of the po boy shops in New Orleans use Blue Plate. Parkway, Domilise's etc.

Okay, then definitely I have. It looked familiar but I couldn't recall ever having purchased it.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:It looked familiar but I couldn't recall ever having purchased it.

Blue Plate Mayo might look familiar as the packaging seems evocative of Hellmann's. I have a jar of Blue Plate with your name on it next time I see you.

On the way!

G Wiv wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:It looked familiar but I couldn't recall ever having purchased it.

Blue Plate Mayo might look familiar as the packaging seems evocative of Hellmann's. I have a jar of Blue Plate with your name on it next time I see you.

To me it is more than evocative. I'm amazed Helmans hasn't sued.

Huh. Blue Plate mayo, eh? Well, I've always sworn by Hellman's/Best Foods, until a year ago when I started making my own Kenji-style whole-egg.

So now I've got to try this new stuff. <sigh> Well, what the hey! isn't that what
Prime is for?

I'll report back--and yeah, I've probably had it at Acme Oyster, non?

Geo

budrichard wrote:On the way!

Nice, I'm thinking you will like Blue Plate. I'm planning on turkey club or salad (chicken or tuna) for lunch. First BLT blush was tip-top.

Wondering why you purchased Heavy Duty mayo? As you probably already know its typically a food service product, we used it at the restaurant, sold across most brands. Heavy duty contains slightly more egg and the emulsification is a little more stable. It also "weeps" less in salads etc when held.

My Amazon order was Blue Plate Squeeze Mayonnaise, Regular, 18oz (Pack of 6) incl shipping for $15.84. A pretty good deal, as was your purchase of a gallon of Heavy Duty for $8.88.