Oven Baked Bacon is the best method for making perfectly crispy, evenly cooked bacon! No more grease splatters! No more standing over the stove flipping bacon! No more greasy pans! Just perfectly cooked bacon every single time!
Oven Baked Bacon is perfect to use in BLT Pasta Salad, for Turkey Club Wraps, Bacon Ranch Potato Salad, or to serve with Whole Wheat Pancakes or Whole Wheat Waffles.
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Oven Baked Bacon
I grew up watching my mom cooking bacon in a frying pan over the stove, so for years I just thought that was the way bacon was cooked. But frying bacon on the stove made such a mess and the grease that flew up and burned me several times made me NEVER want to cook bacon.
And then I heard about roasting bacon in the oven. In the oven? Would grease splatter all over my oven? Would it get crispy? How long would it take?
I have experimented many times and have found the perfect method for roasting bacon in the oven.
HOW TO BAKE BACON IN THE OVEN
You Need
- rimmed cookie sheet
- aluminum foil
- wire cooling rack
- bacon
Step One: Prepare your Pan
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and place a wire cooling rack on the cooking sheet. **If you do not have an oven safe cooking rack to place on baking sheet, use a broiler pan.
Step Two: Arrange Bacon
- Lay bacon evenly across the baking rack.
Step Three: Bake Bacon
- Roast the bacon for 15-20 minutes. This is approximate based on how crispy you like your bacon, your oven, and how thick your bacon is cooked.
- If using a broiler pan, flip after 10 minutes of cooking. The great thing about using the wire cooling rack is that heat circulates all around the bacon, so you NEVER have to flip it over.
Tips for Roasting Bacon in the Oven
- If you like your bacon less crispy, or are doing this for the first time and don’t want to mess it up, set the timer for 10 minutes and check the bacon. Add more time if necessary.
- If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate your pan half-way through cooking.
Step Four: Drain Bacon on Paper Towels
- Place baked bacon on plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra grease.
How to Discard Bacon Grease
Probably my favorite thing about this oven baked bacon is that all the grease ends up on my foiled lined pan–making clean up a breeze.
But remember NEVER POUR BACON GREASE DOWN SINK DRAIN!! This is a sure fire way to end up with clog at some point, as grease hardens as it cools and I have had up to 1/3 cup of rendered grease from one batch of bacon–that is a lot of grease!!!
The correct method for discarding grease is to carefully pour the grease once it has cooled slightly into a metal can or glass jar. DO NOT use plastic, or the grease will melt the plastic. Once the grease has hardened you can scoop out of glass jar and discard in trash. Or you can store jar under sink and add to it every time you make bacon. Once jar is full, discard entire jar.
You can also use your bacon grease to saute potatoes, make Warm Bacon Dressing, or in BLT pasta salad.
Freezing Cooked Bacon
Freeze your cooked bacon so you can pull out a strip or two for garnishes or to make a quick BLT sandwich.
To freeze, simply layer bacon in between wax paper and freeze in freezer storage bag. The wax paper will keep the bacon strips from all freezing together, so you can pull out just what you need.
Oven Baked Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon **this recipe can be doubled or cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and place a wire cooling rack on the cooking sheet. **If you do not have an oven safe cooking rack to place on baking sheet, use a broiler pan.
- Lay bacon evenly across the baking rack.
- Roast the bacon for 15-20 minutes. If using a broiler pan, flip after 10 minutes of cooking.
- Place baked bacon on plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra grease.
- Allow to cool and serve as desired.
Notes
- If you like your bacon less crispy, or are doing this for the first time and don’t want to mess it up, set the timer for 10 minutes and check the bacon. Add more time if necessary.
- If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate your pan half-way through cooking.
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Kristen Chidsey
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I’ve been cooking my bacon in the oven for years. But I hated the clean-up of the rack. So while I line my pan with foil. I also put foil over the rack and poke holes in it with a fork. This helps with the clean-up of the rack as well. 😉
Oh that is a great tip Rob! Perfect for less clean-up–because those racks can be a mess too!
Working on ships, this is how the cooks always cooked bacon. Like the instruction given here. Thanks..
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I am so glad you approve of this method 🙂
Great tips! You mentioned just a few uses for extra bacon fat. It’s the world’s best grease for pancakes, waffles, french toast, use it for scrambled eggs, even try using it to replace veggie oil or butter next time you make chocolate brownies. Unbelievable!
Sorry for the dups, Kristen. Still learning this site.
Great tips! You mentioned just a few uses for extra bacon fat. It’s the world’s best grease for pancakes, waffles, french toast, use it for scrambled eggs, even try using it to replace veggie oil or butter next time you make chocolate brownies. Unbelievable!
Great tips! You mentioned just a few uses for extra bacon fat, use it for scrambled eggs, or try using it to replace veggie oil or butter next time you make chocolate brownies. Unbelievable!
Bacon grease in brownies–oh what a great idea! Thanks for sharing SkyJ!
One of the only real sins in life is to discard bacon grease!
It should always be saved, kept in a container in the fridge and used to add flavor to otherwise plain and mundane dishes!
Anyone who would throw bacon grease away should simply stop eating real food and chow down on the cardboard and plastic packaging that they have been tossing in the trash.
HAHA!!! I do love to add it to BLT Pasta Salad or make Warm Bacon Dressing.
I’ve been using this method for many years now and it is the best way to get clean, crispy bacon!
One way to amp up the flavor is to brush on some maple syrup and sprinkle fresh cracked pepper on right before putting into the oven.
Love the idea of pepper with the maple. I use maple and cayenne and it is delicious, but black pepper sounds fabulous too!
YES! This is a fabulous method! No grease all over the cook top! It truly is easier!!!
Totally easier! Glad you agree Liz 🙂
Literally the only way I will cook bacon anymore!
Me too!! It is a game changer
Adequate cooling of drippings will prevent the melting of plastic containers.
Very true! I wanted to make it clear NOT to put HOT or even very warm grease in plastic 🙂
DONOTput hot bacon greaase into glasss jar. It will crack. Use an empty can.
Great reminder! A metal can works for hot grease, you do want to be sure to let your grease cool slightly before pouring into a glass jar.
I’ve also been baking bacon for years. I don’t use foil OR a wire rack…I just plop the bacon on the cookie sheet, sit back & relax. Done.
I am so glad to hear it works for you as well! I love to place on rack and use foil for easier clean-up. Plus bacon gets crispier when baked on rack as air circulates evenly 🙂
Doesn’t it make your oven a mess with splash?
I have not found that it does at all! My oven is pretty clean–just be sure to use a deep rimmed pan.
I have been cooking bacon in the oven(on top of aluminum foil) for years. I wouldn’t do it any other way. It’s hassle free and the clean up is far easier than cooking it in a frying pan. However, when I suggest it to other, people act shocked and dismiss me like it’s much more complicated than frying it. I don’t understand peoples hesitation to simply try it. But, to each their own. GREAT ARTICLE!!
I can’t tell you how many people have looked at me crazy too Angela–but it is a GAME CHANGER!!! I hope more people will try and see how great the results are.