Pan back bacon is the British breakfast staple — a meaty eye, a strip of fat that crisps, and a butty waiting. Unsmoked Back Bacon 454g is the classic mild pack; Smoked Back Bacon 454g is the smoky twin for fuller flavour. Shop both in bacon and pork.
Pan method
Lay the rashers in a cold or gently warm heavy pan — starting cooler helps the fat render without burning. Cook over medium heat 2 to 4 minutes a side depending on thickness, turning once, until the fat is golden and the eye is cooked through. For crispier bacon, leave a little longer and drain on kitchen paper. Do not crowd the pan; cook in batches so the rashers fry rather than steam. Wipe excess fat between batches if it smokes. Smoked packs already carry seasoning — taste before you add more salt. Soft for a breakfast roll; crisp for crumbling over eggs. Keep the rendered fat for frying eggs or mushrooms. Never blast on fierce heat from the start or the fat burns before the eye cooks.
Grill, oven and air fryer backup
No pan: medium grill 3 to 5 minutes a side, oven 200°C on a rack for 12 to 18 minutes, or air fryer 180°C for 8 to 12 minutes shaking once. Browse bacon for back and streaky packs, and pork for sausages and joints beside.
What to serve
Eggs, toast, and grilled tomato, or a soft white butty with brown sauce. Leftover cooked bacon reheats best in a hot pan so it crisps again. Freeze spare packs flat; thaw overnight in the fridge.
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.