Have you ever cooked bacon in the oven? We’ve done it for years now. It’s a total time saver. And hello, who doesn’t love the smell of bacon?!
Baking bacon is just fun to say, but it also creates delicious, crispy goodness. Here’s how to get perfect bacon everytime:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil {if you want really crispy bacon, use your broiling pan, and only line the drip pan with foil for easier clean-up}.
- Arrange bacon on the baking sheet. It can be super close together, just make sure it’s not overlapping, or it won’t cook evenly.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. {I recommend checking it after 10 minutes, though, because pretty much every package of bacon I’ve ever bought is cut differently, i.e. thicker or thinner, which will effect overall cooking time.}
- When desired level of crispiness is achieved, pull it out of the oven and place the the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Resist the urge to pop it all into your mouth and then cool it simultaneously by gulping ice water.
Easy, delicious bacon.
~Mavis
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Lori McK says
Do you flip it over or leave it the same for the whole time? Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t flip it at all. 🙂
mia says
I always bake my bacon but I sandwich it between cooling racks so it stays very straight and so the fat drips off of it into the baking pan and it’s not so greasy.
Wynne says
I use a cooling rack, too (just one)–I think it’s crispier if some fat can drain away, but I could be wrong on that one.
Mia says
I do the same thing! I keeps it super straight and gets really crispy! I don’t like soggy bacon.
Mavis says
Soggy bacon is the worst!
Susan says
I do it all the time. It beats standing over a hot pan splattering you any day. After its done baking I add the bacon fat to a jar I keep in the refrigerator to use as an extra flavor added to certain foods.
Vicki says
I bake my bacon, too, and I baste it for added yumminess: Mix 1/4 c. maple syrup with about 1/4 tsp. of ground pepper, 1/4 c. brown sugar, 2 tbsp. wine or cider vinegar and a dash of cayenne. Let bacon bake for about 6 minutes, then start basting it every minute or two until all the basting liquid is used. Continue baking until bacon is very sticky and brown, but watch carefully, because the difference between brown and burned is only a minute or so. My granddaughters call this sticky bacon, and they always request it when I stay with them.
Sarah F says
I have dine this but the bacon splatters everywhere in the oven and is a pain to clean. I had a self cleaning type and it doesn’t work on this nasty mess. I went back to my griddle with dollar store splatter screens. Do you have a suggestion on how to make it less messy in the oven?
Mavis Butterfield says
I make sure to use a large cookie sheet with a good 1 -2 lip around the edges.
Barbee says
I solved the spatter problem by cooking the bacon in a roasting pan.
When I’m craving a lower fat product, I place a small wedge of foil under the edge of the pan to allow the drippings to pool along one edge. (Again, I use a taller edged pan and don’t tilt too much, so it won’t spill. That would be bad.)
Michelle says
I just use a jelly roll pan and parchment paper. Works great for me!
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I cook mine in the over too but I place the bacon on a wire cooling rack and place that on top of a baking sheet. Then the bacon doesn’t sit in the grease. I much prefer it to flat on the baking sheet.
I also sometimes place a bit of brown sugar on top of the bacon before baking. People pretty much thing you are the most amazing person ever after they taste it- ha.
KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile
Barbee says
PPC,
That made me smile. I will do the brown sugar trick but to be honest I’m too lazy to clean that rack.
You’re not the only one to use the rack trick but golly-what a pain.
P.S. Mavis, Any rack cleaning tips would be timely. 🙂
Lisa says
I do this but I don’t preheat the oven. I put the bacon in the cold oven then follow your directions exactly. I don’t know why, but it keeps it from curling for me. The bacon (no matter how thin) stays perfectly flat.
Wynne says
I love all the extra bacon flavoring ideas. Our favorite is grinding on lots of black pepper before baking–mmm, pepper bacon.
karen says
I do this also, only difference is I line my cookie sheets with parchment paper ( don’t like cooking with aluminum for many reasons ) and put it in cool oven. Works great.
lorraine says
You can cook it on your barbecue too.
Chris says
I’ve been doing this for years! My son’s nickname is BaconBoy – he could have it with every meal. I wish I had his metabolism:) I only use half-sheet pans; they hold all the grease. I have tried cooking it many ways – just on the pan, on the pan lined with non-stick foil, on a wire rack sprayed with cooking spray, on parchment. At the end of the day, plain pan works for me. It’s just easier and clean up is not that bad after saving all that liquid gold!
Michelle says
I love making three or four packages of bacon in the oven (one batch at a time ) and then freezing in a gallon zip lock and pulling out what I need for BLT sandwiches/something quick. Really nice when it is too hot outside to turn on the oven.
Mavis Butterfield says
BLT’s are the best!!!