Your Breakfast Sandwich Needs Pickles

Breakfast sandwiches are a deeply personal affair. The classic combination of meat, cheese, egg, and bread is infinitely variable, with everything from one’s preferred egg doneness to regional processed meat delicacies contributing to each person’s ideal version.

Personal preferences aside, most people would probably agree that there’s no improving on a bacon, egg, and cheese, but I disagree. Pickles make everything better — even an already delicious breakfast sandwich.

This wonderful idea was brought to my attention by Jalopnik news editor Erik Schilling, who recently tweeted in support of adding pickles to the classic B.E.C.:

someone on this website recently recommended getting pickles with your bacon egg and cheese and honestly it’s great

— Erik Shilling (@erikshilling) February 28, 2019

When you think about it, pickles are an ideal breakfast sandwich topping. Whichever one you like best—Lebanon bologna or pork roll for me — breakfast meats are heavy on the salt and fat. This is not a dig: it’s why we love them. Throw on an oozing egg and some melted cheese and you’ve got a nearly perfect food — but one that’s almost too rich.

Much like a smear of relish on a grilled cheese, slipping a few pickle slices into your breakfast sandwich ties the whole mess together. They invite the slightest bit of sour crunch to the grease orgy, creating an addictive contrast in flavours and textures and making you feel like you’re eating vegetables for breakfast. (What? Technically, you are.)

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/08/putting-relish-in-a-grilled-cheese-is-a-very-good-idea/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/j6bsphk0o8irbp5zttwv.jpg” title=”Putting Relish In A Grilled Cheese Is A Very Good Idea” excerpt=”One of my favourite pieces of food writing is a Reddit post titled “You people make me sick.” What follows after the title is a veritable screed against members of r/GrilledCheese who populate their sandwiches with anything but bread, cheese and butter.”]

Cucumber pickles work great here, but if they’re not your thing, don’t let that put you off the whole idea. As we’ve learned from the mighty Reuben, the power of pickled vegetables presents itself in many forms. Sauerkraut, giardiniera, pickled onions, or even pepperoncini are just at home on a breakfast sandwich as any other.