Best for: A warm, ridiculous, wonderful sandwich — the King’s favorite, griddled golden.
The record says Elvis Presley loved this sandwich with his whole heart: peanut butter, banana, and bacon on white bread, griddled in butter until the peanut butter ran. It was his standing order and his homemade favorite at Graceland, the sandwich that followed him into legend — a Memphis boy’s idea of the perfect meal, built from four things every Southern kitchen already had. Folks have been arguing about it ever since; nobody who makes it argues for long.
Our grilled take keeps the faith: crisp bacon, banana caramelized right in the pan drippings, and a heavy hand with the peanut butter. Eat it warm, standing at the counter, the way it deserves.
Grill: Stovetop griddle or cast-iron skillet (the King’s sandwich is a griddle affair). Equipment: Griddle or large skillet, spatula. Course: Sandwich.
Ingredients
Total: 20 minutes
- 6 slices bacon
- 4 slices soft white bread
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced lengthwise into planks
- 3 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional, for the banana)
Directions
Crisp the bacon. Cook the bacon in the skillet or on the griddle until crisp, about 6 minutes. Lift it out to a paper towel and pour off all but a thin film of the drippings — that film is flavor money.
Caramelize the bananas. Lay the banana planks in the hot drippings and cook about 1 minute per side, until golden and glossy at the edges. If you’re using the honey, drizzle it over in the last few seconds.
Build like you mean it. Spread peanut butter generously on all four slices of bread — edge to edge, no skimping. Layer bacon and banana planks on two slices and cap them with the other two.
Butter the outside. Butter the top and bottom of each sandwich thoroughly. A griddled sandwich is only as good as its butter coverage.
Griddle to gold. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes per side, pressing gently with the spatula, until the bread is deep golden and crisp and the peanut butter has gone soft and melty at the edges.
Rest one minute, then commit. Let the sandwiches sit a single minute — the filling is lava — then slice on the diagonal and eat warm, with a cold glass of milk standing by.
Grilling tip: Medium heat, not high. Peanut butter needs a minute to melt into the banana, and bread rushed over high heat burns before the middle goes gooey.
