This big, bold, and outrageously stacked club sandwich is the king of BBQ sandwiches, packed with layers of juicy grilled chicken, smoky bacon, charred steak, and crispy lettuce, all brought together with Harrisons rich, creamy mayonnaise.
Most sandwiches are built for convenience, too much bread, not enough contrast, and layers that don’t quite work together. The result is usually something that looks impressive but eats flat.
So we did it differently. Working with Jacks Meat Shack, the focus here is on balance, real cooking, and building a sandwich that holds up as well as it looks.
What Actually Makes a Club Sandwich “A Club”?
There’s a common assumption that a club sandwich is just any sandwich with multiple layers. It actually has a bit more structure than that. Traditionally, a club sandwich is made with:
- Three slices of bread
- Layers of meat (usually chicken or turkey)
- Bacon
- Lettuce and tomato
- A creamy element like mayonnaise
It’s often associated with hotel dining and casual American grill-style food, dating back to late 19th-century clubhouses, which is where the name likely comes from.
Over time, it’s evolved into something more flexible. The core idea hasn’t changed, though. It’s about layering flavour and texture in a way that builds with each bite, not overwhelms it.
What sets this version apart is the combination of meats and how they’re cooked. Instead of relying on a single protein, this sandwich uses grilled chicken, seared steak and crispy bacon.
Building Flavour Through Heat
Cooking everything over high heat will build deeper flavour. When the chicken and steak hit the grill, they develop a browned exterior through the Maillard reaction. This creates those deeper, savoury notes that you don’t get from gentler cooking methods.
At the same time, the inside stays juicy.
That contrast between a charred exterior and a softer centre is what gives the sandwich structure. You’re not just stacking ingredients, you’re layering textures that behave differently when you bite into them.
The Role of Each Filling
Every element in this sandwich has a specific function.
Chicken
Seasoned and grilled, the chicken acts as a neutral but flavourful base. It carries seasoning well and absorbs a bit of smoke from the grill, which helps tie it to the rest of the sandwich.
Steak
The steak brings richness and depth. Cooked quickly and rested properly, it adds a more substantial bite and a slightly firmer texture than the chicken.
Bacon
Crispy bacon introduces salt and crunch. It also acts as a bridge between the meats, helping to balance the softer textures with something sharper and more defined.
Cheese
Cheddar adds a mild savoury richness and a bit of melt, which softens the layers slightly and helps everything sit together.
Lettuce & Tomato
These aren’t just there for appearance. Lettuce adds freshness and crunch, while tomato introduces moisture and acidity. Without them, the sandwich would feel too dense.
Red Onion
Thinly sliced, it brings a sharper edge. Just enough bite to lift the richness without overpowering it.
Sauce Combo
Harrisons Mayonnaise provides creaminess and helps bind the layers together. It fills the gaps between ingredients, which makes each bite feel cohesive rather than separate.
Harrisons Mild Mustard adds a different kind of balance. It introduces a gentle acidity and a bit of sharpness, which cuts through the fat from the meat and cheese.
Harrisons BBQ Sauce brings the final layer of flavour. Brushed onto the meat or added into the sandwich, it adds a smoky sweetness that ties everything back to the grill. It also reinforces the caramelised edges from cooking, giving the whole sandwich a deeper, more rounded finish without overpowering the other ingredients.
Download Ultimate BBQ Club Sandwich Recipe
INGREDIENTS (Makes 2 monster sandwiches)
For the Meat:
-
2 chicken breasts, butterflied
-
1 tbsp olive oil
-
1 tbsp smoked paprika
-
1 tsp garlic powder
-
1 tsp salt
-
½ tsp black pepper
-
1 sirloin steak (or ribeye for extra indulgence)
-
1 tsp salt & black pepper
-
1 tbsp butter
-
6 rashers streaky bacon
For the Sandwich:
-
6 slices thick-cut sourdough bread
-
Butter, for toasting
-
4 tbsp Harrisons Mayonnaise
-
1 tbsp Harrisons Mild Mustard sauce
-
2 tbsp Harrisons Barbecue sauce
-
1 beef tomato, sliced
-
½ red onion, thinly sliced
-
4 leaves crunchy lettuce (Romaine or Iceberg)
-
4 slices cheddar cheese
-
Pickles, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
-
Preheat the grill to 200°C and set up for two zone cooking.
-
Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
-
Grill for 5-6 minutes per side over direct heat, until golden and cooked through (internal temp 75°C).
-
Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thickly.
-
Season the steak generously with salt & black pepper.
-
Sear over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side on direct heat, topping with butter in the last minute.
-
Rest for 5 minutes, then slice into strips.
-
Place the streaky bacon on the BBQ and grill until crispy, about 2 minutes per side.
-
Butter one side of each sourdough slice and toast it briefly on the grill, just until golden and crisp.
-
Build the Ultimate Stack by spreading Harrisons Mayonnaise on the first slice of toasted sourdough.
-
Add a layer of crunchy lettuce, thick tomato slices, and crispy bacon.
-
Spread Harrisons Mild Mustard on the second slice of toast.
-
Add the grilled chicken, followed by cheddar cheese and squeeze over the Harrisons Barbecue sauce.
-
Spread Harrisons Mayonnaise on the final slice of toast.
-
Pile on the steak strips, red onion slices, and another drizzle of mayo for extra indulgence.
-
Skewer the sandwich with long cocktail sticks to hold it together.
-
Slice in half and serve with pickles and extra mayo on the side.
The Overlooked Foundation
Bread is often treated as a background ingredient, but here it does a lot of work.
Using thick-cut sourdough gives the sandwich enough structure to hold everything together. Toasting it adds a crisp outer layer, which helps prevent it from becoming soggy once the fillings are added.
There are a couple of things that tend to go wrong with club sandwiches:
“More layers = better sandwich”
Not always. Without balance, more layers just mean more weight. The key is making sure each layer adds something different.
“Any bread will do”
It won’t. Softer bread can collapse under the weight. A sturdier base is essential.
