Air fryer back bacon is the weekday breakfast win — crisp rashers, less grease spatters, and the grill left cold. 5lb Unsmoked Back Bacon is the big unsmoked freezer pack; 5lb Smoked Back Bacon is the smoked twin when you want a deeper flavour. Shop both in bacon and pork.
Air fryer method
Separate the rashers and pat dry if they look wet from the pack. Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Lay the bacon in a single layer — overlap steams the fat rather than crisping it. Air fry 6 to 10 minutes depending on thickness and how crisp you like it, flipping halfway. Smoked packs brown a little faster; start checking at six minutes. Drain on kitchen paper for a few seconds. Do not overcrowd; cook in batches for a big breakfast. Soft bacon for butties needs the short end of the timing; shatter-crisp needs a minute or two more. No oil needed — the fat renders itself. Wipe the basket between batches so old fat does not smoke.
Pan, grill and oven backup
No air fryer: hot pan 3 to 5 minutes a side, medium grill 4 to 6 minutes a side, or oven 200°C on a rack for 12 to 18 minutes. Browse bacon for back and streaky, and pork for sausages and joints beside.
What to serve
Full English plates, bacon butties, carbonara, or chopped into jacket potatoes. Leftover cooked bacon keeps a day in the fridge — reheat briefly so it does not go leathery. Freeze spare rashers interleaved with baking paper so you can pull a few at a time.
Times above are a guide for home ovens, air fryers and pans — always trust a probe over the clock, and rest meat before you carve so the juices stay in the slice, not on the board. British packs vary a little in thickness, so start checking a few minutes early the first time you cook a new size.
Write your own fridge note the first time you cook a new pack size — home ovens and pans vary, and a two-minute early check beats dry meat. Rest on a warm plate, not a cold board, so the juices stay put when you carve or plate up.
Season boldly, keep a small gap between pieces so heat can circulate, and taste the pan juices before you add more salt — cured and smoked packs already carry seasoning.