Baked Bacon – How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

Just Turn on the Oven.
You'll Be Bakin' Bacon Too!

How to cook bacon in the oven, easy and unattended, especially good for crispy bacon for BLTs, especially good for cooking bacon for a crowd. That said? This is how we cook breakfast bacon nearly every day!

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "For me it's the only way to cook bacon now." ~ Michaela
• "... it was amazing! The bacon came out evenly crisp, and not greasy." ~ Gudrun
• "I have used this technique for years and it's never failed me." ~ Alex
• "... it works very well, good tasting bacon without all the fat." ~ Ross
• Add yours, just leave a comment!

BEST RECIPES!

• Baked Bacon Made the Big List!
• Kitchen Parade’s Best-Ever “Most Useful” Recipes, just one select recipe per year since 2002

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Dad Talk. With Bacon.

Every once in awhile, the phone will ring early. It's my dad. "I'm sitting down with a cup of tea," he'll start. "And I'm cooking bacon."

This is Father Code for "I'm feeling like a good visit." You see, in the other room, he's letting the bacon cook away on the stove, unattended, just softly spitting in a skillet on low. Who else smells the bacon cooking, just thinking about it?!

My dad, he's patient when it comes to bacon.

Not me. I want bacon to cook perfectly, without attention, quickly. With this technique for cooking bacon in the oven – bakin' bacon, yes?! – Jess Thomson from HogWash cooked bacon in just 15 minutes so I couldn't wait to try.

But wait. That first time, in my oven, it took 45 minutes to cook the bacon crispy enough for bacon, lettuce & tomato sandwiches. (Less time would have been better for pancakes, say.)

Still, the technique is so easy, so easy to clean up – and cooks the bacon entirely without attention – so this is my "new favorite way" to cook bacon, especially a whole pound of thick-sliced bacon all at once, way too much for a skillet.

Given the time differences that Jess, I and others are experiencing with oven-baked bacon, I'd recommend watching checking the oven often until you get a feel for your oven, your own bacon. So it's not always fast, but it does work beautifully for cooking bacon for a crowd and requires zero attention from an impatient cook.

TIMING UPDATE Consistently, it takes 35 - 45 minutes for thick-cut bacon to cook using this technique. Home-cured or butcher-cured bacon does seem to cook some faster than commercial bacon although I can't for the life of me think why.

Perfect Crispy Bacon for BLTs

Baked Bacon works especially well for people who prefer crispy bacon. (BLTs, anyone? Don't forget the Homemade Mayonnaise for BLTs!)

But soft, barely-cooked bacon bakes beautifully too, just take it out of the oven when it reaches your preferred doneness.

Bacon Know-How

BACON FREEZES! We're kinda-sorta famous for "PopPop's Bacon" in these parts, at least according to twin grandsons. That means we tend to stock up for impromptu Sunday pancakes or another bacon occasion. When we buy good bacon, we buy a bunch in one or two pound packages and freeze all but one package. We do buy good but pricey bacon (our favorite is the "savory" bacon at Whole Foods) but also like the Wright-brand thick-cut bacon sold at Walmart and Sam's Club. St. Louisans, we also like the apple-smoked thick-cut bacon from Hanlen's Market on Manchester Road just west of Lindbergh.

INSTANT PORTION CONTROL! We've also learned to cut bacon strips in half, lengthwise. People get the idea that they're enjoying a whole piece of bacon when actually it's half. Instant portion control!

BACON MEAL PREP Don't hesitate to cook an extra strip or two. It's a welcome addition to tomorrow's omelets, supper's free-form salad, etc. Extra bacon never goes to waste!

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BAKED BACON

How to cook perfect bacon in the oven

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Time-to-table: 20 - 50 minutes

• Bacon strips, separated into strips.

Set oven to 400F/200C.

~either~ RACK & BAKING SHEET Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a baking rack or a grill rack over the sheet, for easier cleanup, spray the rack with cooking spray. Arrange bacon slices across the rack. Let the bacon cook in the oven until it reaches your preferred crispiness, 15 - 45 minutes.

~or~ CAST IRON GRIDDLE While the oven heats, gently warm the griddle on the stove. Arrange the bacon on the griddle on either the "grill" side (better for collecting bacon fat but harder to clean) or the "smooth" side (easier to clean but keeps more bacon fat), without overlapping. Let the bacon cook in the oven until it reaches the preferred crispiness, 15 - 30 minutes.

ALANNA's TIPS Foil underneath isn't required but does make for easy clean-up. Without it, even a good non-stick baking sheet takes some scrubbing to clean off some sticky spots. Avoid overlapping the slices since the overlapped places don't cook as well. The bacon does shrink a little so if you're willing to re-arrange a bit midway through the cooking process, some overlap is okay. If you like, experiment with sprinkling the bacon with brown sugar or spices before baking. I some times sprinkle Spanish paprika, the smoky paprika called pimenton, on some slices: gorgeous. Be extra careful removing the tray from the oven. That bacon grease burns! Since you'll ask: There is zero splatter! Don't throw away the bacon grease! While it's still in liquid form, pour it into a glass jar to store in the fridge, where it will keep for a couple of months. Just add to the jar every time you cook more bacon, then use it any time you want extra flavor in soups, stews, sautéing vegetables, grilling sandwiches, even "buttering" casserole dishes. It won't go to waste! My favorite cook (aka The Man With the Hands and the household's primary bacon cook) cooks bacon in the oven too. He prefers a double-sided cast iron griddle like this one. It's less convenient to collect the bacon grease but the bacon turns out beautifully and he likes the "instant seasoning" of bakin' bacon.

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More Favorite Breakfast Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more breakfast recipes ~

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Bring on the Bacon, Baby!

~ Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots `~
~ BLT Pasta Salad ~
~ Chicken Cider Stew ~
~ more recipes with bacon ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Broccoli, Bacon & Raisin Salad with Cheddar ~
~ Classic Seven-Layer Salad ~
~ Homemade Cobb Salad ~
~ more vegetables with bacon ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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