How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

Benefits of Cooking Bacon in the Oven

1. It cooks evenly, so you don't have to worry about burning or undercooking it. Bacon cooked in the oven will also lay flat, so you'll have nice straight strips.
2. No Flipping necessary! Cooking bacon in the oven is virtually hands-free! There's no need to flip the bacon!
3. Cook more bacon at once – This is great if you're cooking for a crowd! When you cook bacon in the oven, you can cook more pieces instead of filling up the frying pan and doing several batches.
4. Less mess and Less Clean up – when you cook bacon in the oven, there's less splatter of grease and you won't have to worry about it messing up your countertops or the top of your stove. I found there is little to no splatter of grease left behind on the inside of the oven when cooking bacon this way!
5. Let's you multitask – While cooking bacon, you're most likely also cooking something else at the same time, right? Well, when you cook bacon in the oven, you free up the top of your stove so that you can cook other things at the same time! Make your eggs or pancakes while the bacon does its thing in the oven! This is a great way to get everything done so much quicker and more efficiently!

What kinds of bacon can be cooked in the oven?

Any kind of bacon can be cooked in the oven! Thin bacon, thick cut bacon, turkey bacon, and others will all work just great when cooked in the oven!

Keep in mind though, that if you're using thick cut bacon, you'll likely need to increase the cooking time.

Should I use a Wire Rack?

I have made oven baked bacon with a wire rack and without and have found very little difference in the results. Cooking bacon on a wire rack over a baking sheet will produce the same level of crispiness as when using a parchment/foil lined sheet. Some have said that using a wire rack will result in more even cooking, but personally I find they cook just as evenly when using just parchment on the sheet pan.

The one major difference that I did notice however, was that when using a wire rack you're going to have some extra cleaning to do to. Baking bacon in the oven should be a short cut and clean up should be as simple as possible, so to avoid any extra cleaning, you might want to skip the wire rack.

With or without the wire rack, you're going to have some deliciously crisp bacon, so it's up to you!

Tips for Perfectly Crispy Bacon from the Oven

1. Before cooking bacon in the oven, make sure the oven is fully preheated.
2. Make sure the bacon is not overlapping on the baking pan as this will cause them to be less crisp. It's best they're arranged in a single layer and not overlapping.
3. If you need to give you bacon a little more time in the oven to reach the right crispness, no worries! Just be sure to watch closely so they don't become overcooked. Keep in mind that once you remove the bacon from the metal rack and place them on paper towels, they'll get crispier!

Should you flip bacon in the oven?

It's not necessary to flip bacon when it's cooked in the oven!

If however, you're cooking a lot of bacon strips close together/touching you may need to adjust them. If this is the case, about half way through cooking, using tongs, move each strip over a little so they some more space between them. This is only necessary though, if you started with a really crowded baking sheet.

If you're cooking a very large batch of bacon, in order to avoid overcrowding, it would be best to use two baking sheets instead of one.

Variations – Adding Extra Flavours to Your Bacon

When making bacon in the oven, you also have a lot of room for adding extra flavours! Simply sprinkle some of the ingredients (or combinations of) on top of your bacon before it cooks and enjoy!

• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Honey
• Paprika (smoked or regular)
• Chipotle powder
• Hot sauce; like Sriracha
• Garlic (roasted is really nice!)
• Thai sweet chili sauce

I'll be adding to the list above as I try new flavours!

Be sure to let me know your favourite flavour additions in the comments section at the bottom of the page!

Tips for an Easy Clean up after cooking Bacon in the oven

Cooking bacon slices in the oven is already much less messy than when cooking in a pan on your stove top, but here are a few tips to make sure the cleanup is as quick and painless as possible.

1. Before cooking, make sure to line your rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper to make cleanup a breeze.
2. Once the baking sheet is cool enough to handle, take the parchment paper/aluminum foil and crumble it up into a little packet with all the leftover grease and throw it away.
3. After tossing the parchment paper/foil, wipe down your baking sheet with a paper towel to gather any excess grease, then toss.
4. Soak the baking sheet in soapy water if there is any bacon grease left behind.

How to Store Bacon After it's Cooked

After cooking your bacon in the oven, you will want to store it in a cool, dry place. You can place it in an airtight container, ziploc bag or wrap it in plastic wrap. When you are ready to eat it, you can reheat it in the oven or microwave. If you find that your bacon is not as crisp as you would like, you can place it under the broiler for a few minutes.

How long is cooked bacon good for?

When stored in an airtight container, cooked bacon should be stored in the fridge and is typically good for 3-4 days. You can freeze cooked bacon for up to 2 months.

Save the Bacon Grease

After cooking your bacon, you'll have some leftover bacon grease. Instead of throwing it away, here are a few ways to save it and use it!

• Storing it in a jar in the fridge will keep it fresh for a few weeks.
• Freezing it in small batches will keep it fresh for several months.
• Adding it to recipes that could use a little extra flavor, like scrambled eggs or roasted vegetables.
  • There are countless ways you can use bacon grease in cooking. Any time you need a little oil or butter, you can use bacon grease instead! It'll add a nice bacon-y flavour to whatever you're cooking!