Baking bacon results in perfectly cooked bacon, every time! Everybody loves bacon, right? Let me show you how to make PERFECT bacon every time – you’ll never make it another way again! How to Bake Bacon for the most perfect bacon you’ve ever seen! Step by step instructions make this so easy – restaurant quality bacon is just an oven away 🙂
Baking Bacon: A How To Guide to Making Perfect Bacon Every Time!
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Baking Bacon
Making perfect bacon is easier than you might think. I used to forgo making bacon because the gigantic mess it made just wasn’t worth the amazing taste. A few years ago I learned about baking bacon and it has changed my life forever.
Why should you bake your bacon?
- Baked bacon does not curl – you get nice straight bacon pieces every time.
- Cooks evenly – no white fatty pieces on one end and burnt bacon on the other.
- No splattering of bacon grease all over the place.
- No need to babysit the bacon. You don’t even have to turn it over!
- Tastes delicious.
What you will need to bake bacon:
- Shallow baking sheet
- Foil (heavy-duty preferable)
- Metal Cooling Rack (optional)
- Non-stick cooking spray (optional)
- Paper towels
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven:
- Line the baking sheet with foil. (You will want to use a baking sheet that has enough of a rim that it contains the bacon drippings.)
- If using a metal cooling rack, spray the rack with non-stick cooking spray, and place the rack inside the baking sheet.
- Place the bacon slices in a single layer either directly on the foil or on a rack Make sure not to overlap slices.
- Turn the oven on and set to 400 degrees. Do not wait for the oven to preheat. Go ahead and place the pan in the oven.
- Cook the bacon for 12-17 minutes. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your bacon, and how long it takes for you oven to come to temperature. Start checking your bacon around 10 minutes to ensure your bacon doesn’t burn. (Nothing worse than burnt bacon!)
- When the bacon is golden brown, the bacon is done.
- Once the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, remove immediately and place on paper towels to soak up the bacon grease.
- Eat and enjoy!
Tips for Perfect Baked Bacon
- The oven should be cold when you put the bacon in – do not preheat.
- Make sure you are watching the bacon closely during the last few minutes of baking to ensure that the bacon doesn’t burn.
- Remove the bacon from the rack or baking sheet right after removing from oven. The bacon will continue cooking as long as it is left in the pan or bacon fat.
- It is easy to flavor up the bacon. Try black pepper or brown sugar sprinkled on the top before baking – it will give your bacon a whole new flavor.
- Want to freeze your bacon? Under-cook your bacon by a couple of minutes , let it cool and then place it in Ziploc bag. To reheat, pull out a couple of slices and cook in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds.
How To Bake Bacon
Baking Bacon: A How-To Guide to Making Perfect Bacon Every Time
Ingredients
- 8 oz bacon
- Shallow baking sheet
- Foil heavy-duty preferable
- Metal Cooling Rack optional
- Non-stick cooking spray optional
- Paper towels
Instructions
- Line the baking sheet with foil. (You will want to use a baking sheet that has enough of a rim that it contains the bacon drippings.)
- If using a metal cooling rack, spray the rack with non-stick cooking spray, and place the rack inside the baking sheet.
- Place the bacon slices in a single layer either directly on the foil or on a rack Make sure not to overlap slices.
- Turn the oven on and set to 400 degrees. Do not wait for the oven to preheat. Go ahead and place the pan in the oven.
- Cook the bacon for 12-17 minutes. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your bacon, and how long it takes for you oven to come to temperature. Start checking your bacon around 10 minutes to ensure your bacon doesn’t burn. (Nothing worse than burnt bacon!)
- When the bacon is golden brown, the bacon is done.
- Once the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, remove immediately and place on paper towels to soak up the bacon grease.
- Eat and enjoy!
Nutrition
Some yummy bacon recipes:
Cheesy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Breakfast Burrito Bonanza – A Freezer Meal Idea
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
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Susan says
I did bake bacon in the oven a few times using the broiler pans that came with my oven. I really liked the even cooking, flat pieces, and quantity that you could cook at one time. Even with the vent fan on high speed, the smoke alarm kept going off and we had to open the windows and outside doors to air out the kitchen. So I’m back to frying on the stove top, but now cut the entire rasher of bacon in half so there are no long pieces with ends that don’t fit flat in the pan. Cooking more slowly at a lower heat creates less curling and popping. I’d still prefer to bake it if there were a way to solve the smoke issue.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I have never had an issues with smoke – so strange! I would guess that your bacon grease is spattering about the oven maybe? If you have the bacon raised like I do and the grease contained in the baking sheet or pan, I think that would help.
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Eve A says
I just tried this and it’s amazing! A whole package of bacon in only 17 minutes in a regular oven, perfectly crisp and flat, evenly cooked, and now I not only have bacon for breakfast, I have leftover bacon to chop up for dishes during the week. I will NEVER pan-fry my bacon again! Thank you so much!
Joy says
I have always baked my bacon because I am terrified of hot popping oil.. but I have to look up cooking time and temperature each time because I am terribly forgetful! This is how I stumbled upon your wonderful blog and can tell you how glorious my bacon turned out under your instructions!! I used plain foil because I wasn’t sure if my black coated cooling rack could withstand 400 degrees but I bet that would have made it even crispier!
I must have a slow heating oven, though, because it took 17 minutes for it to look fully cooked and another 8 minutes before it was crispy.
Now excuse me while I go eat 8 pounds of bacon…
Nancy says
Not only did this not work (I’ve got a pan full of semi-cooked bacon), but somehow a bit of fat must have splashed from the pan onto the oven because I’m now having to air out my apartment in 30 degree weather so the smoke alarm doesn’t go off.
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Bev D says
Any tips for cooking bacon in a toaster/convection oven? I don’t like using my large oven in summer.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I cook mine in the toaster oven all the time Bev! Just use a quarter sheet pan and follow the instructions and you should be all set 🙂
Kelley P says
This is the only way I cook bacon. The foil is unnecessary as clean up is fairly easy. Also, if you do not preheat the oven, more fat will be rendered out of the bacon. Preheat if you prefer fatty bacon. I usually cook at 400 degrees, but 350 has also worked, just takes a little longer.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks for the tips Kelley!
Karen says
I made bacon in the oven for the first time yesterday and cooked it at 350 as someone suggested for 20 mins. Unless you like your bacon real limpy this will not work. I ended up cooking it another 10 mins. Still not done, another 10 mins still not done. Turned the oven up to 375 and let it cook for another 5 mins and then turned off the oven and let it set for another 10 mins with oven off. Finally is was done. We like our bacon crispy so if you are wanting crispy bacon plan on cooking it much longer than suggested. Just my opinion and experience. Once it was done it was great and I will make it in the oven again and just plan on double the time suggested..
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Hi Karen! I suggest next time try following the recipe and instructions I provided. I think you’ll find 400 degrees IS the right temp – not 350 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Denise says
Where have you been all my life with this advice? I’ve been frying bacon with mixed results for longer than I care to admit (longer than you’ve been cooking, I’m sure). I tried this tonight, and even though I forgot about it and left it in a little too long, it wasn’t burned- just crunchy. Still, perfect for the bacon cheeseburger pizza I used it on! Thanks so much!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Awesome Denise! So glad you gave this technique a try. It’s my favorite way to cook bacon 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Marti says
How Cute…the idea of left over bacon…haha!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Doesn’t happen too often does it 🙂
Jennifer says
Note: Burnt bacon is still bacon. 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Well of course it is 🙂
Laura says
Trish,
I’m a little behind times here! Came across your perfect bacon recipe last night and tried it out tonite!
Oh my gosh, never will I fry bacon again. Mine took a little longer to bake but it was picture perfect.
Thanks so much for sharing this method. No more mess, splatter, burns, & no more burned bacon.
Just love this!
Thanks
Tammy Zeller says
My daughter is scared to death of making bacon, This is awesome. I am giving this to her so she can finally make bacon at the age of 25. She can cook like a pro but will not add bacon to anything! Thanks.
dawn says
I always use a broiler pan so the grease drips off. After it cools the grease scrapes out easily, but the foil would make it even easier. I always use the low broil setting and it comes out crispy. I did know about starting out with a cold oven; I will have to try it. Thanks.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I really love baking bacon – it is so much easier than frying. I’m going to try the low broil setting {if I have that – I’ll have to check :)} next time. Thanks Dawn!