How to cook bacon in the oven. Just turn on the oven, you'll be bakin' bacon too!
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. 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. (Update: Consistently, it takes 35 - 45 minutes for bacon to cook using this technique. Home-cured or butcher-cured bacon does seem to cook some faster, although I can't think why.) So it's not fast, but it does work beautifully for cooking bacon for a crowd and requires zero attention from an impatient cook.
BAKED BACON
Time-to-table: 20 - 50 minutes
Set oven to 400F.
RACK & BAKING SHEET Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a baking rack over the sheet. Arrange bacon slices across the rack. Let the bacon cook until it reaches the preferred crispiness, 15 - 45 minutes.
CAST IRON GRIDDLE While the oven preheats, warm up the griddle. Arrange the bacon on the griddle, without overlapping. Let the bacon cook until it reaches the preferred crispiness, 15 - 30 minutes.
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 sprinkled 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! For St Louisans: This week I cooked bacon from Smokey Ridge Meats which now sells bacon and other cured meats at the Kirkwood Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. It's delicious! So is the apple-smoked thick-cut bacon from Hanlen's Market on Manchester Road, just west of Lindbergh. My favorite cook cooks bacon in the oven too, with a double-sided cast iron skillet like this one. It's less convenient to collect the bacon grease but the bacon is great.
Perfect Crispy Bacon for BLTs
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-Jess (Hogwash)
For me it's the only way to cook bacon now. Just found your site and loving it.
Loved how you started out your article - reminded me of my own dad and how he'll putter around in the kitchen - with much patience. His specialty is making baked beans, and they take hours to soak and bake. My husband and i are fortunate enough to live beside the river next to my parents. We often do 'breakfast suppers' together. Next time i see my dad, i'll be sure to share your 'new' recipe with him. thanks for everything.
NUTRITION FACTS
Servings: 16
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 108
Total Fat: 7.37g
Cholesterol: 27mg
Sodium: 647mg
Total Carbs: 0.88g
Dietary Fiber: --
Protein: 8.39g
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