Bacon has become an increasingly popular topping for sandwiches and burgers over the years. From fast food joints to upscale restaurants, it seems like everyone wants to add a little bacon to their meals.

One of the most popular places to get a bacon topped sandwich is Subway. As the largest fast food chain in the world, Subway sells a lot of sandwiches loaded with bacon every single day. But have you ever wondered exactly what Subway’s bacon is made of?

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the controversial Subway bacon We’ll cover everything from how it’s made, the ingredients, nutrition facts, and whether it’s actually healthy or not.

Here’s a sneak peek at what we’ll be covering

• How Subway Bacon is Made
• Subway Bacon Ingredients
• Nutritional Value and Calories
• The Controversy Over Appearance and Safety
• Is Subway Bacon Healthy?
• How Subway Cooks Their Bacon
• Customization Options
• Alternatives to Subway’s Bacon

By the end of this article, you’ll be a Subway bacon expert and know exactly what you’re ordering the next time you visit your local Subway. Let’s dive in!

How Subway Bacon is Made

All of Subway’s ingredients arrive at stores pre-cooked and frozen. This includes their bacon, which comes pre-cooked and frozen in batches.

Subway uses real pork belly for their bacon. It’s cured with water, salt, sugar, smoke flavor, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite before being cooked.

The curing process is important for adding flavor and preserving the bacon. Here’s a quick rundown of what each curing ingredient does:

• Water and salt are used to cure the pork belly.

• Sugar counteracts the harshness of the salt and adds sweetness.

• Smoke flavor, as the name implies, gives the bacon a smoky taste.

• Sodium phosphate helps the bacon retain moisture and enhances the flavor.

• Sodium erythorbate keeps the color uniform and speeds up the curing process.

• Sodium nitrite prevents bacteria growth and botulism.

Once cured, the pork bellies are smoked, cooked, and sliced into the bacon strips we all know and love. Then they’re packaged up and shipped frozen to Subway locations.

Subway Bacon Ingredients

Now let’s take a closer look at the nutrition facts and ingredients list on a package of Subway bacon:

• Serving size – 2 slices (28g)
• Calories – 45
• Fat – 4g
• Protein – 3g
• Sodium – 190mg

Ingredients: Pork cured with water, salt, sugar, smoke flavoring, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.

While the ingredients list may seem long and complex, these are all typical curing agents used when making bacon. There are no weird chemicals or additives in Subway’s bacon.

The nutrition info shows that two slices of Subway bacon contain 45 calories and 4g of fat. There are no carbs or sugar.

This is pretty standard nutritional value for bacon. Two slices of most bacon brands contain around 40-50 calories and 4-5g of fat.

Nutritional Value and Calories

Now let’s take a closer look at how Subway bacon stacks up against the recommended daily values for nutrients:

• Fat: 4g = 6% daily value
• Saturated Fat: 1.5g = 8% DV
• Cholesterol: 15mg = 5% DV
• Sodium: 190mg = 8% DV

As you can see, two slices of Subway bacon contain less than 10% of the recommended daily intake for these nutrients based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet.

Of course, your personal recommended values may be higher or lower depending on your specific calorie needs. But in general, Subway’s bacon isn’t too high in anything compared to the average diet.

When it comes to calories, Subway’s Bacon, Egg, and Cheese breakfast sandwich on an English muffin with no margarine contains:

• 330 calories
• 18g fat
• 13g protein

For comparison, here are the nutrition facts for some other popular fast food breakfast sandwiches:

• McDonald’s Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit – 460 calories, 28g fat
• Dunkin’ Donuts Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a Bagel – 350 calories, 18g fat
• Starbucks Bacon, Sausage, Egg Wrap – 300 calories, 16g fat

As you can see, Subway’s version is lower in calories and fat compared to most competitors. The lower calorie count is thanks in part to the English muffin, which is a lighter option than biscuits.

The Controversy Over Appearance and Safety

If you’ve ever ordered a Subway sandwich with bacon, you may have noticed that the bacon looks a bit unappetizing. It’s typically limp, pale, and lacks the crispy texture you expect from bacon.

This has led some customers to accuse Subway of selling raw or undercooked bacon on their sandwiches. However, this is just a misunderstanding caused by Subway’s storage and heating methods.

As mentioned earlier, the bacon arrives at stores already pre-cooked and frozen. It’s then thawed and held in a warming tray until a sandwich is ordered.

The combination of being vacuum sealed and sitting in a warmer causes the bacon to lose its appetizing appearance. However, even though it may look uncooked, Subway’s bacon is fully safe to eat.

Numerous food safety experts have confirmed that Subway’s bacon is pre-cooked to a safe temperature before shipping. The limp, pale look is cosmetic and not a sign of unsafe pork.

In fact, some Subway customers actually prefer getting the non-crispy reheated bacon because it has a softer texture.

The bottom line is that while it may not look super appealing, Subway’s bacon poses no health risks if eaten as-is with no further cooking.

Is Subway Bacon Healthy?

The big debate around Subway’s bacon is whether it can be considered a healthy menu item or not. As we’ve seen from the nutrition facts, two slices are relatively low in calories, fat, and other nutrients.

However, nutritionists point out that even “healthy” bacon is high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium – all things you should limit for heart health.

According to experts, about 50% of the fat in bacon like Subway’s is saturated fat. So while bacon does contain monounsaturated fats with health benefits, they don’t outweigh the negatives of all that saturated fat and sodium.

Looking at one of Subway’s popular bacon sandwiches also shows how it can quickly become an unhealthy meal. For example:

• A footlong Subway Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich contains:
  • 2,160mg sodium (91% DV)
  • 56g fat (86% DV)
  • 1,020 calories

With stats like these, it’s easy to see how adding bacon to an otherwise healthy sandwich quickly turns it into a sodium and fat bomb.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium to 1,500mg per day and saturated fat to 13g per day. So while the bacon itself may not seem too bad, ordering it on a sandwich can cause you to blow way past these recommendations.

Overall, the consensus among most nutrition experts seems to be that Subway’s bacon is best enjoyed occasionally as a treat. Making it a regular part of your diet likely won’t do any favors for your health and waistline.

How Subway Cooks Their Bacon

Since we’ve covered that Subway’s bacon arrives pre-cooked, you may be wondering how they heat it up and prepare it for sandwiches.

The process is actually very simple:

1. Pre-cooked frozen bacon is thawed overnight in the refrigerator.

2. When a sandwich with bacon is ordered, employees place the limp thawed bacon on a paper towel lined tray.

3. The tray is microwaved for several seconds until hot. This quick microwave blast crisps up the bacon.

4. Hot crispy reheated bacon is assembled onto the sandwich along with the other ingredients.

Subway recently updated their bacon cooking method as part of a larger menu revamp.

The new process involves placing the thawed raw bacon directly onto sandwich paper instead of microwaving it on a tray. It’s then assembled into the sandwich and the whole thing is toasted for a few seconds.

This updated method makes the bacon heat up directly on the sandwich, helping it adhere better so it doesn’t fall out. It also gives a more even crispiness throughout the sandwich.

Customization Options

One great thing about Subway is that you can fully customize your sandwiches, including those with bacon.

While Subway only offers one classic pork bacon option, you have tons of ways to change up the flavor:

• Get creative with veggies like lettuce, tomato, spinach, onions, peppers, and olives.

• Switch up the sauces like ranch, honey mustard, chipotle Southwest, sweet onion, and oil & vinegar.

• Add spices and seasonings like oregano, pepper, salt, and chili flakes.

• Top it off with cheese choices like American, Monterey cheddar, or pepper jack.

Subway’s new menu also expanded the bread, meat, and cheese options. So you have even more ways to build a custom bacon sandwich suited to your tastes.

The days of boring bacon subs are over! Take advantage of these add-ons to make your Subway bacon sandwich unique.

Alternatives to Subway’s Bacon

If you’re looking for a break from the classic pork bacon, Subway does offer some alternative options and customizations, including:

• Substitute turkey bacon – while not the healthiest choice, it is lower in fat and calories than regular bacon.

• Try one of Subway’s pre-designed vegetable sandwiches like the Veggie Delite for a meatless option.

• Swap out proteins on any sandwich – go for roasted chicken, tuna, turkey, or ham instead of bacon.

• Order a breakfast sandwich on flatbread or wraps instead of cheesy bread or croissants.

• Try the T.L.C (Tastes Like Chicken) sub made with plant-based fake chicken and vegan cheese and mayo.

While Subway’s menu is still primarily classic meat-based sandwiches, they are expanding vegetarian and vegan offerings for more choice.

The Bottom Line

Nutritionally, two slices of Subway bacon have 45 calories, 4g fat, and 190mg sodium. While not too high in anything, bacon does contain saturated fat and sodium to be mindful of.

When added to sandwiches, the bacon substantially increases the fat, sodium, and calorie count. From a health perspective, Subway’s bacon is probably best enjoyed occasionally rather than daily.

Hopefully this in-depth look demystifies Subway’s infamous bacon and gives you all the details to make an informed decision next sandwich order!