How You're Making PB&J Completely Wrong (Seriously)

pb & j
Dan Gentile/Thrillist
Dan Gentile/Thrillist

Everyone has their own way of making a PB&J, but not everyone runs one of the 21 best sandwich shops in America. To find out how a pro crafts the simplest of all sandwiches, we asked John Bates from Noble Sandwich Co., known for genre-bending creations like duck pastrami, to share some between-the-bread expertise. Read on for his recipe, which includes gratuitous quantities of PB and J, plus a sprinkle of a super-secret ingredient that you definitely have in your kitchen (okay fine: it's sea salt).

peanut butter jelly
Dan Gentile/Thrillist

The Perfect PB&J Recipe

Total Time: 2 minutes
Yield: 1 massive sandwich

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1/4 cup your favorite organic peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup the best-looking organic mixed berry jam at your grocery store
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 ½-inch slices of quality white bread from a local baker (brioche or challah)
DIRECTIONS:
  • Choose your favorite organic peanut butter (or almond, which the chef prefers). It's best if you can grind it yourself at the store.
  • Refrigerate the jam for at least 2 hours, as you want it to be nice and cold.
  • Spoon the peanut butter evenly on the bread. Spread it right up to the edge.
  • Sprinkle the sea salt on top of the peanut butter.
  • Spoon the berry jam onto the peanut butter. With the back of the spoon, evenly spread the jam across the sandwich to the edge.
  • Top it off and eat immediately. You don't want the bread going stale as it sits out.
pb & j
Dan Gentile/Thrillist

Dan Gentile is a staff writer on Thrillist's National Food and Drink team. His perfect peanut butter and jelly will always feature crunchy peanut butter. Follow him to hilarious JIFs at @Dannosphere.