Is Subway Bacon Precooked? Get the Facts Before Your Next Sub

Ordering a sandwich at Subway is all about customizing it to your preferences. You get to choose every ingredient from the bread to veggies to sauces and condiments. But when it comes to the meats and bacon, many customers wonder – is Subway bacon precooked?

This is an important question if you want to know how fresh and safe your food is Let’s take a closer look at how Subway prepares its bacon.

An Overview of Subway’s Bacon

Subway offers several bacon options on its sandwiches and breakfast menu These include

• Hickory Smoked Bacon
• Bacon Strips
• Canadian Bacon

No matter which bacon you prefer, all of Subway’s bacon arrives at stores precooked and prepaked. It is then simply reheated in the store ovens before being added to your sandwich.

So the answer is yes, Subway bacon is precooked before it reaches the store. Employees don’t cook raw bacon slices on-site.

Why Precooking Makes Sense

There are some clear benefits to Subway precooking all its bacon in centralized supply facilities:

• Food safety – Precooking bacon to a safe internal temperature removes the risk of undercooked pork and pathogens. This prevents foodborne illness.

• Consistency – Cooking bacon in large batches enables consistent doneness, texture, and flavor. This maintains quality across all stores.

• Efficiency – Employees don’t have to spend time cooking raw bacon in-store. Precooked bacon can simply be quickly reheated.

• Shelf life – Precooked and packaged bacon lasts longer than raw bacon. This enables shipping to distant Subway locations.

So for a fast food chain like Subway with thousands of locations, having precooked standardized bacon just makes operational sense.

How Subway Bacon is Reheated

While precooked, Subway bacon isn’t served immediately out of the package. Here is how employees reheat the bacon right before serving:

• Bacon slices are placed on parchment paper on a metal baking tray.

• The tray goes into a turbo chef oven for about 1 minute until hot and sizzling.

• Using tongs, the reheated bacon is transferred directly to your sandwich.

So while not cooked completely from raw on the spot, the bacon still gets a quick final heating to make it hot and crisp before serving.

How Fresh Does Subway Bacon Stay?

Since the bacon arrives precooked, many customers rightly wonder how long Subway stores keep and reuse it. To maintain both quality and food safety standards, Subway follows careful bacon handling protocols:

• Bacon is kept refrigerated in sealed packages until opening.

• Once opened, bacon trays are dated and used within 4 days before being discarded.

• Workspaces and utensils are sanitized frequently to prevent cross-contamination.

So while not used completely fresh, Subway does go through bacon relatively quickly within a matter of days to provide better tasting and safer bacon.

Ordering Tips for Getting the Best Bacon

To get bacon at its best from Subway, here are some useful ordering tips:

• Request it extra crispy – Since precooked bacon can reheat soggy, asking for it extra crispy helps ensure it turns out crunchy.

• Get extra bacon – Don’t be shy about asking for extra bacon slices to really get that smoky, meaty flavor in every bite.

• Specify double toasted – Having your sandwich double toasted makes the bacon extra warm and crisp.

• Avoid peak hours – If possible, avoid ordering subs with bacon during the big lunch and dinner rushes when the bacon is more likely to sit under heat lamps.

Nutrition Information on Subway Bacon

If you’re watching your sodium, fat, or calories, here is the nutrition breakdown for Subway’s bacon:

• Hickory Smoked Bacon – 70 calories, 5g fat (2g saturated), 380mg sodium per 2 slices

• Bacon Strips – 60 calories, 5g fat (2g saturated), 170mg sodium per 2 strips

• Canadian Bacon – 20 calories, 1.5g fat (0.5g saturated), 250mg sodium per slice

So while not the leanest choice, loading up your sub with bacon won’t completely break your diet either.

Healthier Low-Bacon Options at Subway

If you’re limiting bacon for health reasons, Subway has plenty of tasty alternatives:

• Veggie Delite – Get all the flavor with just veggies, cheese, and condiments – no bacon needed.

• Rotisserie Chicken – Sliced chicken breast is a leaner protein choice.

• Turkey and Ham – Try more low-fat sandwich meats instead of bacon.

• Salads – Build a salad and add bacon bits sparingly for just a touch of smoky flavor.

Final Thoughts on Subway’s Precooked Bacon

While Subway doesn’t cook its bacon completely from scratch in-store, the precooking process allows for food safety, speed, and consistency across all locations. Employees still quickly reheat the bacon right before serving for a hot, crispy addition to your made-to-order sandwich.

Understanding that Subway bacon arrives precooked can help you adjust your expectations and order it in a way that ensures you get the crispiest, bacony-est sub possible! So don’t be afraid to ask for it extra crispy or double toasted.

With some slight ordering tweaks and bacon-conscious menu picks, you can still fully customize and enjoy your Subway sandwich – precooked bacon and all.