How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

Learn how to cook bacon in the oven that is perfectly crispy, without any grease splatter while standing over the stove! Cooking bacon in the oven is so easy, with almost no clean-up. Cook the bacon on a wire rack to make it less greasy, or on a piece of aluminum foil to make it extra crispy!

There are so many reasons cooking bacon in the oven is the best method ever!

First, you can make big batches at once. I’m talking a full pound of bacon, all done at the same time! If you cook bacon in the skillet, you can only cook so many slices at a time without overcrowding the pan. 

Also, by baking in the oven the bacon is exposed to consistent and even heat, which gives that perfect crispy finish all around!

And last, but certainly not least, no mess! That’s right, no oil splattered counters like you can get with the stovetop method. By baking on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet there are no messy dishes! Who doesn’t like easy clean up?  

Nothing but perfectly crispy bacon every time!

Ingredients

• Bacon – That’s it! Simply choose your favorite kind.

You can use classic bacon, or choose a flavor. The options you will see at your store usually include applewood, cherrywood, hickory smoked or pecan wood.

This guide is for standard cut bacon. If you use thick cut bacon, you will need to increase the cooking time. I recommend 23 minutes cooked directly on the foil, or 30 minutes, cooked on a wire rack.

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Instructions

Everyone has a different preference on how chewy or crispy they like their bacon. The bacon pictured above on the left was cooked for 15 minutes at 400°F and the bacon pictured on the right was cooked for 20 minutes at 400°F. The perfect level of crispy bacon for me is cooked directly on the foil for 18 minutes.

Follow the instructions below, but feel free to adjust the cooking time to your desired level of crispiness, or chewiness.

1. Set up the pan.
   • Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
   • Arrange the bacon slices directly on the foil in a single layer so the strips are not overlapping.
   • You can also put the bacon on a wire rack if you want it to be less greasy, but it will also be less crispy.
2. Cook the bacon.
   • Put the bacon in a 400°F preheated oven.
   • The bacon will be perfectly crispy directly on a sheet of aluminum foil after 18 minutes.
   • If you are using a rack, increase the cooking time to 25 minutes for the perfect crunch.
   • Baking times may vary depending on the thickness of your bacon, as well as your oven performance. Start keeping an eye on it about 15 minutes in to avoid burning, and remove from the oven once it reaches your desired level of crispiness.
3. Cool slightly and serve!
   • Use tongs to transfer the strips of bacon to a paper towel lined plate or cooling rack to drain off excess grease.
   • Cool to the touch, then serve.

Tips and tricks

• Always use a rimmed baking sheet in order to keep the grease from splattering in your oven.
• Foil is ideal for lining the pan for easy cleanup, as you can fold up the sides of the foil to keep the grease in the foil, and off the baking sheet.
• Parchment paper may also be used to line the pan, but it won’t contain the bacon grease.
• You do not need to flip the bacon while it is baking if you are using aluminum foil, or a rack.
• Cooking the bacon directly on the foil allows for the crispiest texture and minimal cleanup. Whereas the wire rack will result in less greasy bacon, but also less crispy. The wire rack can also be difficult to clean after cooking the bacon.
• As the bacon cools, it will continue to crisp up a little bit. Take this into consideration when removing it from the oven.

How to save bacon grease

Keeping the extra bacon grease on hand is great for cooking. You can use it in place of oil or butter when you’re making eggs, veggies, hash browns and more!

1. While the bacon fat is still liquid, carefully pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a sturdy glass container, such as a mason jar. This is another benefit to using foil, you can easily form a little pour spout by folding the ends of the foil together.
2. Cover the container and place the bacon grease, sealed in your refrigerator, to use any time!

Storing and freezing cooked bacon

If you don’t plan on eating all of your oven baked bacon at once, save some for later. It’s great for meal prep to add to soups, salads, sandwiches, bowls, and more!

• Let the bacon cool down all the way.
• Seal it in an airtight container.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• You can also freeze cooked bacon for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.

Recipes with bacon

Now that you’ve found your new favorite way to cook bacon, you need plenty of ways to eat it up! Here are some of my favorite bacon recipes.

• Bacon Maple Muffins with Brown Sugar Crumble
• Sweet Potato Skins with Sage Pesto and Bacon
• Green Beans with Bacon, Pecans & Blue Cheese (pictured above)
• Chipotle Bacon Guacamole
• Bacon Tomato Avocado Pasta Salad
• Nutella Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Bacon Tomato Avocado Grilled Cheese

And don’t miss this recipe for how to make delicious Candied Bacon 4 ways for the ultimate sweet and salty snack!

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