Recipes / Fast Food / The Egg McMuffin, made right

The Egg McMuffin, made right

You've had the original a hundred times. This is what it should have been: real butter, good egg, proper back bacon, and thirty seconds more patience.

Published May 14, 2026 · 3 min read · Braffess Kitchen

Prep
4 min
Cook
8 min
Serves
1
Level
Easy
The Egg McMuffin, made right - USA breakfast recipe

Method

01

Toast the muffin.

Split the English muffin and toast both halves cut-side down in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 minutes until golden. Remove and butter generously while hot.

Note. Toasting cut-side down in a dry pan gives a crisper surface than a toaster. The butter melts into the warm crumb.
02

Cook the bacon.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, cook the back bacon for 2 minutes per side until lightly coloured and slightly caramelised at the edges. Remove and set aside.

03

Fry the egg in a ring.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Lightly butter a metal ring mould or round pastry cutter (about 9cm diameter) and place it in the pan. Crack the egg into the ring. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 3–4 minutes until the white is fully set and the yolk is still runny.

Note. Run a knife around the inside of the ring before lifting it off to get clean edges.
04

Add the cheese and assemble.

Lay the cheese slice on top of the cooked egg while still in the pan. Re-cover for 30 seconds to melt. Stack on the bottom muffin half: bacon, then cheese-topped egg. Cap with the top half. Press gently and eat immediately.

A note. The egg ring trick is the key. A metal pastry cutter or the lid ring from a Mason jar works perfectly. Without it you just have a fried egg sandwich — which is also fine, but not the point.

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