Shaved Beef ‘n Bacon Clubs with Pepper Jack and Guac

Ingredients

• 12 slices smoky bacon
• 1 pound shaved or very thinly sliced boneless rib eye (from your butcher)
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt plus about 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon pimentón (smoked sweet paprika)
• 1 teaspoon each granulated garlic and granulated onion
• Olive oil, vegetable or canola oil, for drizzling
• Chipotle Tabasco or other hot sauce, to taste
• 8 slices deli-cut Pepper Jack cheese

• 2 serrano or 1 large jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small or 1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
• 2 large or 3 small ripe but still firm avocados
• Juice of 1 lime

• Gem Romaine leaves
• 8 hand-cut slices white bread (I use Amy’s bread), toasted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange bacon on a slotted pan or on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Bake to crispy, about 15 minutes.

Preheat a cast-iron griddle or skillet.

Toss shaved meat with salt, pepper, cumin, pimentón, granulated garlic and onion.

For the guac, combine the chilies and onion with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let stand a few minutes. Combine with tomatoes, avocados and lime juice. Mash to desired consistency.

Dress griddle with a drizzle of oil. Toss meat onto the griddle and cook, chopping as you would a Philly steak, for 3-4 minutes to crisp. Separate steak into 4 mounds and top each mound with some hot sauce and 2 slices of cheese.

Pile meat and melted cheese on toast and top with lettuce, 3 slices of bacon and a mound of guac. Set toast tops in place and cut in half to serve.