Authentic New York Bacon Egg and Cheese At Home 

Hey Joshua, you should start a series called "But Simple" where you simplify extravagant dishes so regular home cooks can make them at home without spending the entire day in the kitchen. Love your stuff, keep it up!

Lifetime New Yorker here. They rarely if ever scramble the eggs for this sandwich. Instead they oil the flattop with the spatula then break the 2-3 eggs per sandwich right there and just swizzle the spatula back and forth for 1-2 seconds or use half a broken shell already in their hand just to break the yolks and marble the egg slightly. It’s a very different and more accurate texture than scrambled… give it a try.

As a Texan who moved to New York, I felt that intro. There is something about being able to get these fantastic foods from a Bodega or even convenience stores that sell pizzas, have hot boxes, etc, that really does make it worth it to be here.

It's always okay to add salt to eggs when stirring them. Makes them taste lovely when I chug down the yolks with a little grape jelly.

So happy you wrapped your sandwich. To many people out there running around with big floppy sandwiches not knowing how important it is to wrap it tightly to keep those juices inside

New Yorker here, papa you almost nailed it. The one criticism I have is the egg, it’s usually cracked right onto the griddle. The yolk is broken about halfway through frying and then tossed around, then the cheese is placed on top almost like a hamburger. That way you get the perfect mixture of cooked white and ever so slightly runny yolk, it’s not all mixed together like a scrambled egg. Still love you

I have a cool idea, Josh should go visit General Ock.

Lifelong Long Islander here. When I saw the parchment and foil come out I sighed in relief lol. For the eggs I usually break them into a carbon steel or cast iron and break the yolk with a spatula slightly scrambling it up. Every SEC or BEC I've had has had them this way. There's something about the sandwich, while sipping shitty deli coffee and the small 4oz orange juice they give you that just hits.

Aw man, this is amazing! Great job! One note I wanna add (as a lifelong Long Islander who worked in NYC for 20+ years) - I suggest cooking the bacon *first* in your pan - as they do on the bodega griddles. One of the corner stores I used to frequent would have a bacon mountain to the side, so it'd be ready to go as orders came in. Then the egg would fry or scramble in that residual bacon grease, and that infusion is what I think makes a baconeggandcheese (yes, it's one word indeed!) incredibly special. But this is awesome. (I also tried your ground beef taco recipe and it was STUPID GOOD.)

Fun fact the Kaiser rolls at the deli are baked fresh locally every morning… if you walk through the city around 3 am you can smell them baking the rolls, at various bakeries…they literally get carted out every morning because the sandwich is so popular many bodega/deli/corner stores can’t keep them in stock

As much as we're in love with croissants in France, we practically never use it for sandwiches. You can mainly see that in other European countries.

One can't go wrong with creamy eggs, bacon and some nice bread! Great! The jelly for the second version is a surprise but I guess it would be nice.

There’s something different about a good kaiser roll that’s more than just the shape. It’s lighter, airier, and it has a paper thin crisp crust. It doesn’t have huge air pockets like ciabatta, it doesn’t have fluffy wispy pull apartiness like japanese milk bread and it’s certainly not cakey and buttery like brioche. Ive had it in Germany, and the kaiser rolls from Safeway, and a few mexican bakeries in LA have bolillo rolls with a similar texture.

A real new yorker would get that with an Arizona. That was my go-to before going to school. It doesn't matter if you're late for school you would always grab your bacon egg and cheese with your Arizona💁‍♀ and yea you were right about that last one you made I was like "what is that I've never seen that made in a bodega before "😂

I usually always got mine with the Boar's Head Wisconsin Cheddar instead of American... also with mayo, and sometimes no bacon, to be honest... I tend to have a lighter appetite in the morning. It's nice with tomato too. that's really my order... egg and cheddar on a roll with tomato and mayo. The egg technique they use in NY is a bit different... they don't scramble it, they just crack it on the flat top, bust the yolk, spread it just a bit, then flip it and top it with the cheese... if it's done perfectly you end up with just a slightly jammy yolk texture instead of a total scramble, and definitely not as brown as you have it here. Minor quibble. I know a lot of people order theirs scrambled... that's the beauty of a bodega sandwich IMO, is that you get it your way! All I need is a Nuyorican cat in a Yankees cap calling me "boss", making me a perfect sandwich, and cracking me up with non stop banter all at once. Those guys are really some of the most skilled short order cooks in the world... they will have it the way you like it, ready in like 3 minutes, and it's perfect every time.

Man I get the whole bacon egg and cheese vibe, it's the equivalent of getting up at 6 in Australia and stopping by the milkbar to get a sausage roll and iced coffee and it doesn't matter how good the sausage roll is, you're going to enjoy it

I’ve done a fair amount of testing as a jersey boy myself - I’ve found that thick cut bacon does not achieve the same experience as normal cut or thinly cut bacon. It seems counter intuitive but something about the chewiness of thick cut bacon throws the sandwich off for me, even if you cook it to be within minutes of burning. Of course, if you’re really not messing around you’d use taylor ham (or pork roll if you’re from south jersey). Edit: your egg & cheese technique is definitely the superior technique for a BEC. If you’re doing Taylor ham, slap the cheese in the middle of the slices & stack them once they’re close to being done. Edit 2: try “marbling” the eggs too. Josh’s technique is better for the home cook but most places in NJ would crack the egg on the flat top as if they were frying it, then break the yolk & mix it around a bit. Achieves a different texture which I like a bit more.

The simplicity has me drooling 🤤

Did I just see you eat a bacon egg and cheese with a fork????!!!

As a New Yorker I have to say... a lot of good in this video. Baconeggandcheese is correct. It's a simple but magical sandwich. Good video

I love kaiser rolls. In my area of PA (I think this comes from Buffalo NY), we have roast beef sandwiches on kimmelweck rolls, basically kaiser rolls with caraway seeds. V good

My man, Braums is a dairy/food store around Oklahoma, and they ask if you want jelly by default when ordering a breakfast sandwich. And yes...under the circumstances you described? Strawberry jelly on a sausage biscuit is amazing~

I've only had IDK about a thousand of these in my life. Kaiser roll Eggs have to be cooked in random grease they keep in a metal tin on the grill or bacon fat. The griddle is hotter than you think and the eggs are cooked longer. I got em scrambled and that was done in either an aggressively unclean bowl or moved around with a fork or spatula on the grill Bacon was the cheapest they could find, usually pretty well done. Cheese put in the middle near the end as they fold it up so it slightly hangs off the side. And yes, saltpepperketchup is always one word 👍

As a Californian that recently moved to NYC I can say that this recipe is as authentic as it can get. Bacon, egg, and cheese is a cultural staple here. It’s so simple but so right. It connects everyone around here and it kind of makes this gigantic city feel so much smaller. Cheers Jousha! Great work!

Im sorry Josh but you've forgotten the most intrinsic part to a NYC Bodega bacon egg and cheese. You're supposed to use your beloved bacon fat to cook your eggs brother. Remember on a flat top griddle everything is cooked together. Also the roll.... either toasted in that bacon grease butter mixture or on a panini press.

thank you for blessing me with not only the recipe (i normally don't do them) Thank you for the chill music your earmeltingly smooth voice. Everything about your videos makes me happy! Thank you so much!

Im surprised you've never done grape jelly on a breakfast sandwich as a fellow Texan. My family's been eating them with jelly of some kind all my life.

I have lived my whole life, 40 years, in NYC (Brooklyn). I don't understand the bacon, egg, and cheese thing that's attributed to us. First off, they make it in many other cities. It's just a classic American combination. Also, I don't know anyone who says baconeggandcheese (as one word), the way people seem to think we say it. I promise you we say it the same anyone else would. Also, who uses a fork for a sandwich?

I’m from Califas but I lived in New York in 2012 for my junior in high school and when I came back to Cali, all I talked about was bacon egg and cheeses!! They are so boooooooomb!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Okay, I lived in the west village for 20 years, and Long island before that. So my knowledge of BEC is pretty intense. A couple of things. First, the thing that separates a NY BEC is the hard roll. hard on the outside (but not dry!), soft on the inside. It has to contain the sandwich. They aren't usually toasted. BUT BEC"s don't use scrambled eggs. traditionally its a fried egg with the yolk broken. And if they do scramble the egg, it is all done on the griddle. they aren't whisking it.

The way Joshua respects the culture and tradition behind the foods he recreates must be noticed an praised.

Gosh I love how he’s the only RU-vidr chef that isn’t using a million dollars worth of food every time but it always looks so good

As a lifelong Ny'er... Bacon egg and Cheese, Pizza, and Bagels are our specialty. NY sandwiches as a whole are fantastic! I feel so spoiled. lol

My Absolute Favorite Breakfast Sandwich of all time!

Yes to staying true to the NY BEC. A bacon egg and cheese HAS to have yellow American. People try to do too much with cheddar, Gouda, etc. ITS NOT THE SAME. Can’t forget the ginger ale or orange juice on the side 😩.

I highly agree with the pressed croissant sandwich. Brings me back to my college days where my dorm had a convenience store/cafe that had premade sandwiches they would press. The best was the turkey club croissant and the flatness is weird but imho the proper way to do a croissant sandwich as you were not going to get much airyness from the croissant so you might as well go hard on the flaky crispiness.

paying homage to a classic, thanks josh 😮‍💨

I grew up in upstate NY, probably like about 35-40 minutes away from NYC and i remember my childhood deli serving these bad boys! It makes me super proud that I’m a NY native!

Traditional or regular finds in every bodega are Baconeggandcheese (salt pepper ketchup is always optional never feel like you have to do such monstrocity to your food but please enjoy how you please) also a little something most high schoolers kinda of made official/unofficial is Bagel w/ cream cheese and bacon or another more common one bagel w/ cream cheese and jelly

Hi, fast food employee here. I'm the main grill person at a Wendy's. Our bacon is precut by a machine before we get the truck, laid out on parchment paper sheets, sometimes it misses some or the cut is too big and we end up with as big as 1/4 in thick slices in the pack. Whenever I find them I put them aside and cook them in a dish to take home, or make my boyfriend baconator fries I've made stuffed tomatoes, tater tots, tostadas, ect., it's all much better without the paper thin bacon lol

Yes! There was a point in my life where the BEC was pretty much the only breakfast I had. Something about those battle-worn griddles just seem to add a whole different level of flavors that can't be done at home. I miss NY and all the fantastic food I grew up eating.

Oh my gosh. That looks sooo good!!!

New Yorker that moved to LA here and I must say, im impressed with this video. NY looks good on Josh!!

Spending mornings in nyc, I agree, that breakfast sandwich is the only thing that would convince me to move in. But now I can make it wherever I go

now that I think about it, the one time I was in NYC, the bodega breakfast sandwich was basically the only good part of it for me

As a New Yorker, I’d need to taste this first before I give my blessing 😂 Edit: also the food is the only reason I want to live in NY because Lord knows it ain’t the taxes and traffic

NYC pro tip: go to a true bagel shop for your bacon egg and cheese if you can, and dont do salt-pepper-ketchup. Instead, add a cream cheese on top for even more flavor. I love my BEC on an everything bagel with jalapeño cream cheese :D

I have to feed 13 people breakfast on Saturday just before they head out to continue their road trip. They're getting these. Wrapped in foil and all. (oh, I'm buying the Kaiser rolls. ) Thanks for the reminder, Josh.

As a Canadian, there’s a reason why NYC is MY ALL TIME FAVE FOOD CITY ❤❤❤

That Bodega looked about as boujie those homemade kaiser rolls... we call them "corner stores" here and they suck at breakfast food. Ppl mostly go to them for wraps(potheads), loosies and steak subs. A lot of them started selling fried chicken too but I haven't tried any. I never understood ketchup on eggs but I see it a LOT. It makes me sick thinking about it

Man....had I known a baconeggncheese was only universal in NY, I would've been more prepared when I moved to Dallas. First time I asked for one at a breakfast shop the dude asked me all kinda questions like how many eggs, how much bacon, what kind of cheese....when he asked what kind of bread I said a rool...he was like I got hot dog and hamburger rolls....I said No, a Kaiser rolls.....he whipped out his iphone to look it up....I said forget it, just give me texas toast. When I went back to NY to visit the firstthing I ate was a baconeggncheesesaltpepperketchup. I'm going to find out how to send his video to every sammich shop in Dallas and HOPEFULLY someone will watch it, bc I"m not doing all that early in the morning. BTW, food in Dallas sucks. Don't let anyone tell you different. Also, you forgot to mention the best ones are made in small bodegas where the cook barely speaks english and refers to everyone MY FRRRRENNN!!!!!

Nice:D What I'd like to see is Your touch to traditional Polish cuisine, like bigos, pierogi or żurek (and many others). It would be awesome to watch;]

lifelong native new yorker here. instead of scrambling the eggs, try cooking them over easy or maybe over medium. nothing better than when the yolk drips. looks amazing tho

Midwest boi here who travels to NY for work a few times a year. There are a few things I look forward to each and every time: bodega sammies, bagels with cream cheese, and legit Japanese food. And sitting at Battery Park.

When I clicked into a ‘bacon egg and cheese’ video, this is not what I anticipated. I’m an Aussie, we like things simple. A bacon egg and cheese roll is best done on a bbq the morning after a party where everyone is hungover. Your bread rolls come from Coles or Woolies, eggs kept whole and cooked to the chef’s preference, bacon cooked the same, served on hand split rolls with butter and your choice of cheese, topped with salt, pepper, tomato and or bbq sauce. Easy

You gotta make a pork roll egg and cheese one day. Jersey does breakfast sandwiches like no other

This looks absolutely incredible! Definitely need to give it a try! 😍🙌🏻🤤

You Josh taught me how to cook. I impress all the ladies with everything you teach us. Thank you.

“Don’t forget the bev” lmfao love it!

Grape jelly is something that honestly works better with breakfast sausage than bacon, flavor-wise.

We have sandwiches here made of bacon, brie and cranberry sauce (Mayo optional) so I can totally see why the grape jam one would be good

I hate how you can't see the full video and still get noticed by josh lmao

I remember ordering them at a place near Lex. The cook called it "a baconenegg id a roll with a sly". 😊

Joshua: "..and don't forget the bev" In my head: *NEVA NEVA NEVA*

As someone from New York, but not the city, this is vaguely familiar to me in the form of Stewart's breakfast sandwiches. Those don't come with any condiments though and you have to add your own. Lol I wouldn't exactly call them "good" either but they're decent if you're in a hurry!

can you make a kfc zinger box (aussie kfc menu item)

When the video started and he was like we're going to a Bodega and learning how to do it the right way. That immediately made me think Ocky was gonna appear in the video lol

Eating a BEC with a fork is wild

I’m finally going to New York after waiting to go since I was 6. Can’t wait

GA boi here. it's rare that you get a proper BEC "sandwich" because it's always served in either a croissant or biscuit unless you get one from wendy's. but BECs are still a homecooked breakfast staple, especially for the non-ATL folks out in the sticks. i like mine on sliced wheat with mayo, texas pete or salsa, and pepperjack or pimento cheese. yeah, the bread gets soggy but if you portion it right, it only gets the center soggy and the rest of the dry bread helps keep the sandwich together without the use of a paper wrap. that with sweet tea w/ lemon or good coffee, omg... also BECs only taste good with jelly/jam if it's on a buttermilk biscuit imo.

get your bacon at a butcher, not a meat cutter at the supermarket. you'll be glad you did the taste difference is incredible.

That first minute was golden My fave RU-vid chef

The extremely respectful take on the bec Hats off to Josh

The jelly vs ketchup gotta be a south vs north thing you were blowing my mind talking about ketchup over grape jelly

Bacon 🥓, eggs 🥚, cheese 🧀, bread 🍞, salt 🧂, pepper , butter 🧈, ketchup 🍅 . I can't believe nobody 😪 ever thought of this before. Finally humanity can move forward 🙌 🙏 into the future 🙌 🙏

He is correct I live in Buffalo ,NY and yes Poland Spring water is everywhere outside of the city also its just everywhere in NY state.

Spicy jalapeño and raspberry jam is what I put on my bacon egg and cheese sandwiches I make at home and boyyyyyyyyy is it good.

I’ve never done grape jelly on a BEC, but as a kid I’d always do a plain bagel with cream cheese, grape jelly, and bacon. When I’m feeling nostalgic I’ll make one but with an everything bagel now.

Oh wow, it seems like you're in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Glad to see you visiting NYC.

I appreciate the respect that you gave the legendary BECSPK

porkroll egg and cheese, salt pepper ketchup on a raisin bagel..... its a must try

Made the rolls last night and the sandwiches this am, total success!

The wise Brian David Gilbert once said that a breakfast sandwich has to be symbiotic, meaning the sandwich would be even better if all the ingredients are prepared in the same pan or flattop.

Thought true NYC was about either the bagels and lox or the pizza. A bec of any kind can be made all over the country.

OMG that Poland Spring comment got me 😂

Poland spring water is SUPREME. I have moved, and miss Poland spring water every damn day

I love bacon and egg sandwiches when I just got out of the psychiatric hospital in 2019 I developed a really bad sore throat I bought a bacon and egg sandwich from the bodega in Canarsie and my throat was so sore it was hard to swallow

“Ohhhh he bought emmm what the fuck” has me absolutely rolling

I haven't even watched this video, I've only seen the title.... YES. YES. YES & of course, YES.

I live in New Jersey and love a Pork Roll, egg, and cheese. He’s also right about the Poland springs stuff. I also want to mention the product is pork roll, the creator is taylor that’s why they call it taylor ham, even tho it is pork roll.

Jelly BEC has been my go to since childhood

Bacon egg and cheese is elevated immensely by adding vinegar and avocado. Also if you put something heavy on your bacon (like a cast iron pan) it will taste the same but flatten down well and make your sando more compact and easier to eat. And never add jam (jelly for you dirty yankees), if you need sweetness tomato or sweet chilli products are the way to go, jam is for the weak. You can also mix it up a bit by using different cheeses, something with some sharpness to it helps balance the sweet from the avocado+ketchup/chilli

You need to make the greatest of all breakfast sandwiches in all of creation, the Pork Roll Egg and Cheese.

We ask for baconeggandcheese on croissants in NYC. Pick them things up right from box, they got em chillin right in front the cold cut display.

As a native New Yorker, No❤️, the whole point of a Bacon Egg and Cheese is that you don’t make it your self. It’s convenient and it’s simple, and its different at different bodegas, some use regular bacon some use beef by default. Its almost like McDonalds, it is what it is and doesn’t need to be more or different.

You should try making some different European food like Baltic, try making Lithuanian cepelinai

I have something similar every morning, but I use a store bought "Everything" bagel, and I add sausage (yes, bacon and sausage) and a couple slabs of Merka cheese atop the egg, which I cook in an egg ring, just until jellid. Sriracha also makes an appearance. I'm pressed for time, but I need the calories (about 650-700, my job is a bit physical) and I also brew a pot of stout coffee, for me & my beloved wife, who teaches college & gets to sleep in a bit longer than me. Life is good. PS: I use a griddle pan, on the stove top for the meat & eggs. The Bagel, I toast in a run of the mill, counter-top toaster. frequently add Jalapenoes, pickles, or whatever else floats my tractor.

As an Australian I'm not going to lie I'd prefer a bacon and egg roll the Aussie way. With a sunny side up or two eggs on it so the yolk covers everything!

You got the Poland spring and the BEC, the only thing you're missing is a pint of Stewart's ice cream and you're officially a NYer

Jersey girl here. While the sp & ketchup is the de facto version, the grape jelly version also slaps. I eat both interchangeably. Also works for Taylor Ham.