Everything’s better with bacon, but frying a pound of bacon is a pain! It takes a long time, it’s messy, and managing all that grease is awful. While I love eating bacon, I hated making it.
Then I discovered how to cook bacon in the oven. Talk about a game changer!
Cooking bacon in the oven is SO easy! It only takes about 20 minutes…and you can walk away once you close the oven door instead of hover over a hot, spitting skillet. No more little grease burns from hot, popping grease!
And the best part? It’s not messy! By using a cooling rack, a rimmed baking sheet, and some foil, the grease drips off your food and onto foil. When it’s cool, you simply remove the foil and toss it. No more draining a heavy skillet!
Ready to discover how to cook bacon in the oven? Let’s go!
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What Supplies Do I Need?
Bacon – The amount of bacon you can cook at once depends upon the size of your cooling rack and the size of your bacon strips. Sometimes I’m able to arrange a whole pound of bacon on one rack, but most of the time I end up making two batches.
I recommend Bacon Freak for the best tasting bacon you can imagine. Their thick, juicy slices come in so many varieties your head will spin. From traditional hickory smoked to unique flavors like maple cinnamon, they’ve got something for everyone (even a bacon of the month club)!
Cooling Rack – The rack elevates the bacon while it’s being cooked, allowing the grease to drip off into the pan. I like to think that this process is making my bacon healthier (HA!). While that may not be true, it’s definitely nice to not use a whole wad of paper towels to drain the cooked bacon!
I prefer to use the crisscross type of cooling rack to ensure my bacon doesn’t slip through the cracks while it’s cooking. Your cooling rack needs to be smaller than your baking sheet to allow it to fully fit inside. Otherwise you’ll have a big mess on your hands.
Rimmed Baking Sheet – The key word here is rimmed! The purpose of the sheet is to catch the grease for easy clean-up. The edges are needed to hold the grease on the pan. Grease fires are smoky, stinky, and can be difficult to extinguish. If you don’t have a rimmed baking sheet, you’ll definitely need to pick one up if you want to cook bacon in the oven.
Foil – You don’t need anything fancy here. Any type of foil will do, regular or heavy duty. The purpose of the foil is to make clean-up easier. You can also forgo the foil if you don’t mind cleaning the grease out of your baking sheet when you’re done.
How Do I Cook Bacon in the Oven?
- Lay a cooling rack over a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Make sure you use a rimmed baking sheet or you’ll have a huge mess in your oven that is potentially dangerous, too. The foil is a different story. It makes cleaning up a lot easier, so I wholeheartedly recommend using it. That being said, you can go without foil if you’re out or in a hurry. I’ve forgotten to line my pan before, so when that happens I let the grease cool and harden. Then use a rubber scraper to scrape the congealed grease into the trash.
- Lay bacon on the rack. It is best not to overlap the slices, since they have a tendency to stick together as they cook. The overlapped edges will also take a tad longer to cook. If this doesn’t bother you, or if you’re planning to crumble your bacon anyway, feel free to allow the slices to overlap a bit.
- Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 20 minutes. Remember that everyone likes their bacon cooked differently, so your version of crispy bacon may be different than mine. Start checking your bacon at around the12 minute mark to ensure it is cooked to your family’s preferences. Let the bacon cool slightly on the rack before removing to use, serve, or eat!
And that’s it! To clean up, remove the rack and let the bacon grease cool in the baking sheet. When it has solidified, carefully remove the foil and dispose of it. Then wash the rack and baking sheet in hot water as you normally would. Nice and easy!
What Can I Make With My Crispy Cooked Bacon?
- If you’re hungry for breakfast, use bacon in this Easy Meat Lovers’ Frittata
- Bacon is a vital ingredient in Great Grandma’s German Potato Salad
- On keto? Try using your oven-cooked bacon in Loaded Mashed Cauliflower
In the Mood for Breakfast? Try These Recipes!
- Enjoy a taste of fall with this Caramel Apple Dutch Baby
- Short on time? Give Ten Minute Ham and Egg Cups a try
- Top your toast with fresh, Homemade Blueberry Jam
Questions? Comments?
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Fantastic – I had no idea on the best way to deal with bacon in an oven.
Always a mess on my cooktop, generally I microwave it in an Advantium (where I can control much of the cooking parameters (and use lots of paper towels for the grease).
Well good – my day is complete.
Thank you! I’m on keto so I make bacon more than the ordinary person. Doing it this was has been a life changer!