BLT Skillet — The Cast Iron Never Lies

April 2022. Spring in Memphis, and I am 63, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 38 years of marriage. The BBQ class at the community center continues — students of all ages learning fire and smoke, and me learning that teaching is its own kind of cooking: you prepare, you present, you hope something sticks.

I made cornbread in the cast iron skillet — buttermilk, cornmeal, bacon drippings, the recipe that goes back to Mama and before Mama to her mama and before that to wherever the tradition began. Baked at 425 until golden and crusty, the edges dark and lacy, the center soft and crumbling. Some weeks cornbread is enough. Some weeks the simplest food is the most profound.

The week ended on the porch with Rosetta, the evening settling over Orange Mound, the smoker cooling in the backyard. The fire was banked but not out — it's never out, just resting between cooks, holding the heat the way I hold the tradition: carefully, permanently, with the understanding that what Uncle Clyde gave me is not mine to keep but mine to pass, and the passing is the purpose.

That week of cornbread and porch evenings reminded me what cast iron is really for — not just the big holiday cooks, but the quiet Tuesday nights when you want something honest and fast and warm. The BLT Skillet has become one of those go-to meals for Rosetta and me when the smoker is resting and we still want something that feels like it came from the same tradition: bacon sizzling, the smell filling the kitchen, everything coming together in one pan the way a good week should. It’s not cornbread, but it speaks the same language.

BLT Skillet

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 cups romaine or butter lettuce, roughly chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt to taste
• Toasted bread or cornbread, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon. Heat a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7–9 minutes until crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving about 2 tablespoons of drippings in the skillet.
2. Sauté aromatics. Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook in the bacon drippings over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring, until fragrant.
3. Add the tomatoes. Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet along with the smoked paprika and black pepper. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to blister and release their juices.
4. Nestle the eggs. Using a spoon, create 4 small wells in the tomato mixture. Crack one egg into each well. Cover the skillet loosely with a lid or foil and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks remain slightly runny (or cook to your preferred doneness).
5. Finish with greens and bacon. Remove the skillet from heat. Scatter the chopped lettuce and reserved bacon over the top. Season with salt to taste. The residual heat will gently wilt the lettuce without cooking it down completely.
6. Serve. Bring the skillet straight to the table and serve with toasted bread or a wedge of cornbread for soaking up the pan juices.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 620mg