Looking to make bacon but want to avoid the grease splattered stove top mess that comes with cooking it in a skillet? Then pass over the traditional method of cooking bacon in a pan on the stove and go straight to cooking your bacon in the oven! If you’ve never done it before then these easy instructions will show you how easy it is to cook bacon in an oven.
Cooking bacon on the stove means lots of messy grease splatter. No matter how many tricks I’ve tried to cut it down the grease it still goes everywhere.
That’s the one huge advantage with oven bacon…. No stove top mess to clean!
Bonus points for not having to hover over the skillet to keep the bacon from quickly going from deliciously crispy to having burnt edges. I can’t be the only one that has had this happen. One moment you are a minute or two away from bacon perfection. You turn away for a moment only to look back and discover that the bacon is now over done.
Cooking bacon in the oven is the best way to make a large batch of crispy bacon that is perfectly cooked without the grease mess.
While oven baking is a great method for cooking bacon there are times when you will still want to use a skillet:
- If you are only cooking a slice or two of bacon then a skillet will be the easier method of cooking.
- If you are cooking the bacon for a recipe in which you will be cooking other ingredients in the bacon grease then cooking it in a skillet will be the way to go.
Follow these easy tips and make yourself some delicious bacon!
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make sure that one of your oven racks in placed right in the middle of the oven.
Line a high rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. If making more than one pound of bacon use at least two baking sheets.
If using a rack then place it on the baking sheet. Place bacon on the rack in a single later.
If you are not using a rack then place the bacon directly on the foil in a single layer.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes for thin to medium thick bacon slices and 20 to 25 minutes for thick bacon slices.
Check after 15 minutes to see if they are cooked to your level of crispness. If not, then cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from oven once they are even crisp. Place in a single later on paper towels for the excess fat to be absorbed.
How Long Does It Take To Cook Bacon In The Oven at 375?
Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes for thin to medium thick bacon slices and 15 to 20 minutes for thick bacon slices.
Check after 10 to 15 minutes to see if they are cooked to your level of crispness (depending upon the thickness of the bacon). If not, then cook for an additional 5 minutes and recheck.
Tips For Cooking Bacon In The Oven
The best type of sheet pan to use for oven bacon is one that has a rim. A high rim is better as it will help prevent any bacon grease from dripping into the oven.
Start by lining the baking sheet with foil. You don’t have to but it will help make clean up sooooo much easier.
You can use a baking rack but you don’t have to. I’ve done it both ways. The one difference I’ve noticed is the edges of the bacon cooked on the rack are a bit crisper than those that are cooked directly on the sheet pan. I use this method when I’m going to freeze the bacon for things such as adding to salad. In this case I am not reheating the bacon or adding it to a recipe that is being cooked so I want the edges a bit crunchier.
If I’m going to use the bacon as soon as it’s cooked or if I’m planning on pulling it from the freezer to add into another dish to provide flavor then I just save myself even more clean up by cooking the bacon directly on the sheet pan.
To flip or not to flip…..that is the question.
The answer is you can if you want to but you don’t have to. No need to flip if you use a baking rack as they are evenly cooking from both sides. When cooking directly on the sheet pan sometimes I flip and sometimes I don’t. I let the bacon lead the way. If there are some pieces that are not getting as crisp as the others then I might flip them.
Love bacon in the oven? Then try twisted bacon (see the picture below). Just when you thought bacon couldn’t get any better….
Advantages Of Cooking Bacon In The Oven
- Cooking bacon in the oven results in evenly cooked bacon since the heat is coming from all sides and not just the bottom.
- It requires less effort and saves time. You don’t have to hover over a skillet to prevent a half dozen strips of bacon from burning. Most ovens can fit two sheets pans in at one time. This means that you can easily cook up to two pounds of bacon at once and without a lot of watching to prevent overcooking. With the time you are saving no having to watch the bacon you can prepare other food to go with your bacon.
- There’s less mess involved (no grease splatter) which also means less time is needed to clean up when you’re done cooking.
What Temperature To Cook Bacon In The Oven
The best temperature to cook bacon is is 400F. Baking at 350F to 375F leaves the bacon a bit on the chewy side. Baking at a slightly higher temperature of 425F cooks the bacon too quickly and the edges end up starting to burn by the time that the center is cooked. 400F seems to be the perfect temperature. It cooks fast enough to be crisp yet slow to prevent it from burning.
Set your oven racks to the middle shelf. This will also help with even cooking. Too high or too low and you run the risk of burning the bacon on one side while the other side is under cooked because it will be exposed to more heat from above or below (depending upon where the oven burner is located).
How Long Should The Bacon Cook In The Oven?
Depending upon how thick your bacon is cut will affect how long to cook it. Thinner slices cook in about 15 to 20 minutes minutes. Thicker slices can take 20 to 25 minutes. This is if you are cooking it at 400F.
If you are unsure how long to cook it start by checking the bacon after it has been in the oven for 15 minutes. Not crisp enough? Check in another 5 minutes.
How To Store Leftover Bacon
Most people would think….store bacon? Who has leftovers?
If you use the oven method then you can easily cook more than one package of bacon at once. I am able to get 2 pounds of bacon to fit on my baking sheets and they both fit on the oven rack. Because of this I plan for leftovers when I cook bacon. Why not cook once and eat twice or even three times!
- Refrigerator: place your cooked bacon in your choice of container or a storage bag. Make sure to use it within 7 to 10 days.
- Freezer: place your cooked bacon in a freezer bag. It will keep for up to 6 months if well sealed.
How To Freeze Cooked Bacon
Cooked bacon can easily be frozen. You will be amazed at home much time you will save on future recipes when you don’t have to stop and prepare bacon for it.
To freeze your bacon for easy use simply begin by placing your cooked bacon on some paper towel so the excess fat is absorbed.
Next lay out a layer of paper towels or paper naps. Place the bacon on it in a single layer. Don’t over lap them. The idea is to keep them in a single layer so they don’t freeze into one giant bacon mass. This will allow you to remove as many strips of bacon as you need.
Want one strip to put on a sandwich? You can unroll and remove just one.
Need a few strips for a recipe? Unroll and use as many as you need.
However if you don’t keep them separated then they will all freeze together making it more difficult to take whatever number of strips you might need.
Begin rolling up the paper towel with the bacon in it.
Once it’s rolled up place it inside of a gallon sized freezer bag. Don’t overload the paper towels with cooked bacon strips. You want them to be in a single layer because it makes it easier to remove what you need.
Repeat the process until all the bacon is rolled up in paper towels/napkins.
FREEZER TIP: Don’t forget to mark the date on the bag and write Bacon or cooked bacon so you know exactly what is inside of the bag. It’s easy to forget what’s inside the freezer bags.
Frozen bacon can be reheated in the microwave to use on sandwiches or in salad. It can also be chopped while frozen and added directly into recipes as needed.
How To Store Bacon Fat
Don’t toss out all that delicious bacon fat! It can be used to cook other foods in it to add flavor.
If you are using butter or even vegetable oil to cook or sauté onions, vegetables, egg, burgers or other items then try using the bacon fat. It will add the delicious bacon flavor to whatever you are cooking.
Once you have removed the bacon from you baking sheets it’s time to pour the bacon fat into a glass jar or a heat safe container so it can be saved. You can pour the melted fat through a sieve to remove any bits of bacon that are left or just pour directly into the jar. The heavier bits of bacon material will settle to the bottom while the fat cools and solidifies.
Once the bacon fat has cooled slightly cover the jar or container and store it in the refrigerator. You can always pour new bacon fat on top of the old but personally I like to use up each container rather than top it with new fat. Since I use it for cooking I tend to go through what I am storing in the refrigerator by the time I need to whip up another batch of cooked bacon. You will love being able to add that smoky bacon flavor to other foods.
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How To Cook Bacon In An Oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound Bacon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F. Make sure that one of your oven racks in placed right in the middle of the oven.
- Line a high rimmed baking sheet with foil. If making more than one pound of bacon use at least two baking sheets. If using a rack then place it on the baking sheet. Place bacon on the rack in a single later. If you are not using a rack then place the bacon directly on the foil in a single layer.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes for thin to medium thick bacon slices and 20 to 25 minutes for thick bacon slices.
- Check after 15 minutes to see if they are cooked to your level of crispness. If not, then cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven once they are even crisp. Place in a single later on paper towels for the excess fat to be absorbed.
Nutrition
Here are some of my favorite ways to use cooked bacon in other recipes:
Add some bacon to your Keto Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
If you are looking for other low-carb/keto recipe ideas, be sure to check out our growing Recipe Index full of low-carb/keto recipes!
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