Grill bacon is the fast breakfast trick — crisp rashers, fat dripping onto the tray, hob left free for eggs. Start with Smoked Back Bacon 454g for a smoky hit, or Unsmoked Back Bacon 454g when you want a milder fry-up. Both sit in bacon and back bacon.
Grill method
Heat the grill to medium-high. Line the grill pan with foil for easy clean-up and set the rack over it. Lay rashers in a single layer — slight overlap is fine, stacking is not. No oil needed. Grill 4 to 6 minutes a side depending on thickness and how crisp you like them. Thin breakfast rashers finish nearer four minutes; thicker back bacon sits at the longer end. Smoked packs colour a touch faster — check early so the edges do not go bitter. Catch the drips on the tray. Crowded pan? Two quick rounds beat one steamed pile.
Oven, air fryer and batch tips
No grill: oven 200°C for 12 to 18 minutes, or air fryer 180°C for 6 to 10 minutes. For butties and big breakfasts, cook a tray and keep cooked rashers warm under loose foil. Shop breakfast meats when you are pairing bacon with sausages and eggs, and back bacon when you are comparing smoked and unsmoked packs.
What to serve
Soft white roll with ketchup or brown sauce, a full English, or crumbled over jacket potatoes. Leftover cooked bacon keeps a day in the fridge — reheat briefly so it stays crisp rather than rubbery.
Times above are a guide for home ovens, air fryers and slow cookers — 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 air fryers 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.