Beefsteak Vs Heirloom Tomatoes: Which Is Best For A BLT?
There are sandwiches we slap together for a quick lunch, practically standing over the kitchen counter as we wolf them down. Then there are sandwiches that demand the time and attention to detail that Michelangelo gave ceilings. The BLT — bacon, lettuce, and tomato — should always fall in the latter category. Building the perfect BLT means deciding between fresh or toasted bread, whether to add a gamechanger like candied bacon, or upgrade your mayonnaise. And then there are the tomatoes.
Obviously, fresh, flavorful tomatoes are preferred to bland, mealy commodity versions. But when it comes right down to it, which is best: classic beefsteak or trendy heirlooms? Chowhound spoke with Houston chef and "Top Chef" season 21 competitor Michelle Wallace to find out.
Wallace is the owner and founder of B'tween Sandwich Co., specializing in Southern-inflected sandos, biscuits, and slow-smoked meats, so she's very familiar with the strategy of creating the perfect BLT. Given the choice, she told Chowhound which option she would reach for: "I would select the beefsteak tomato."
Beefsteak tomatoes have all the right proportions
For the uninitiated, the beefsteak tomato is a large, firm variety popular in New Jersey and elsewhere. They're one of the largest tomatoes and the flesh is dense, so it's easy to slice into large, steak-like discs. This makes beefsteaks perfect for classic tomato sandwiches, too.
Heirloom tomatoes are not a specific variety. Instead the colorful, sometimes "ugly"-shaped treats refer to naturally pollinated seeds that are carried over season to season such that you're enjoying ripe, seasonal, juicy old-school tomatoes of varying shapes and sizes. The category is poorly regulated, however, so not every example is as rustic and "authentic" as marketed. Juicy is often the key word with heirlooms, and there can be a lot of moisture inside each slice.
For chef Michelle Wallace, beefsteaks make the most sense when it comes to BLTs becase "The size of the tomato makes it perfect for sandwiches and the ratio of flesh to seeds is greater." This means less of the slippery "goo" inside the tomato and less sliding around of slices. Thus the beefsteak is "Saving the sandwich from some of the moisture that comes with fresh tomatoes," says Wallace. Fresh is best, of course — avoiding out of season tomatoes will help ensure they aren't bland and flavorless. However, according to Wallace, there's an even better option if you can find it: "Hitting the jackpot would be finding an heirloom beefsteak tomato," she says.