10 deliciously offbeat ways to pimp your bacon butty

“I love bacon on toast, me” – Charles Dickens.

There are two types of people you should never trust: those who fabricate quotes on the internet, and those who eat their bacon butties plain.

After all, there are far more options to this hangover-obliterating dish than just butter and lashings of ‘brown’ or ‘red’ - as James Packman will attest. Pioneer of London’s critically acclaimed street food outfit Le Swine, he's been putting alternative toppings on this most hangover-obliterating of foodstuffs for some time now.

Here he gives us 10 shrewd ways to maximise your bacon sandwich. Stick the grill on.

The Fool’s Gold Sandwich

“Elvis Presley left behind many great things; a unique sense of style, iconic music, and perhaps most important, his love of the Fool’s Gold Sandwich. To create this behemoth you need one large Italian-style sub, a jar of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy – you decide) and a jar of grape jelly (that’s jam, to you and me). Though if you’re not ready for this beast, try Elvis’ other favourite sandwich filling – peanut butter, banana and bacon."

The mac attack

“Bacon and cheese go together superbly. So next time, do more than just add cheese – make macaroni cheese using rich and tasty mature cheddar, then add it to your bacon sandwich. Try experimenting with sweet and nutty Swiss varieties, like Jarlsberg or Emmental. Heck, add some pepper-spiced Monterey Jack cheese while you’re at it. Then grill that sandwich good. Cheese, on macaroni cheese, on heaps of bacon, on more cheese. Do it."

Marinate your bacon with whisky and maple syrup

“Who knew it was possible to make bacon taste better? Well, we do. Try sweetening it with a maple syrup marinade: using a fairly thin syrup, soak the bacon in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cooking. Alternatively, create your own concoction using a shot of Hennessy VS Cognac or Maker’s Mark whisky, hot sauce and plenty of BBQ sauce. Once doused, cover with foil and pop in the fridge overnight for a taste sensation."

French toast bacon sandwich

“Using thick-cut white bread, make French toast (eggy bread) and use it as the base for your pimped-up bacon sandwich. This means more protein, and more taste. To make the best eggy bread, soak your bread slices in freshly-beaten eggs, before frying in a hot pan with plenty of butter. For a little something extra, sprinkle cinnamon into the pan and allow to cook for a minute or two, before layering your bacon on top.”

Sriracha and mayonnaise

“Forget brown sauce and ketchup, let’s introduce a new opponent into this age-old battle with Sriracha mixed with mayonnaise. The perfect mixture of spicy and creamy flavours, you can buy your own ‘Sriracha Mayoo’ sauce, but we like to mix up our own batch, to taste. This sauce was almost made for bacon sandwiches. It adds a whole new level of depth and flavour that you can’t even comprehend until you taste it – which you must."

Bacon burrito

“The burrito is the perfect vehicle for transporting food straight to your mouth. Make your bacon burrito as you see fit (we suggest crispy bacon with helpings of scrambled egg, cheese and onion relish) then wrap it up, burrito-style. Then, wrap your wrap in more bacon. That’s right. Create a bacon weave using streaky bacon rashers, and wrap that around your burrito, before frying until golden."

Maple syrup pancake sandwich

“For some real sweet and salty goodness, use buttermilk pancakes instead of bread, put several slices of bacon between and drizzle with maple syrup to taste. Add a knob of butter on top and feast on your syrupy success.”

Lobster bacon brioche roll

“This idea combines two great things – the lobster roll and the bacon sandwich. Surf and turf is what dreams are made of, so bring that taste home with a lobster roll in a fresh, sweet brioche bun, not forgetting plenty of fried bacon. After all, the bacon is still the star of the show. Mix your lobster with crème fraîche, lemon juice and diced shallots, for extra flavour."

Pimiento cheese grilled bacon sandwich

“Making a bacon and cheese grilled sandwich is instinctive. Pimp this exemplar of taste up further by making pimiento cheese. This stuff is holy. On the surface, it’s simply diced pimientos (cherry peppers), cream cheese, mayonnaise and cheddar, but the taste is the perfect accompaniment to a grilled bacon sandwich. Add it as a very generous filling before grilling for melty, cheesy goodness. Add a sprinkling of fresh jalapeno peppers in there for an extra kick."

Bread’s great… but cinnamon rolls are better

"No, you haven’t misread. Half a cinnamon roll (or use two, whatever) and fill with plenty of crispy bacon. From here, you’re free to add whatever you like. You’ve already crossed all the lines by this point, and what’s OK for a bacon sandwich is all grey area. Add a fried egg and cheese to boost the salty taste, or flip the flavour to sweet and top your cinnamon roll with buttermilk icing. We’re not here to judge."

For more great recipes, visit LovePork.co.uk