Learn how to cook bacon in the oven which is a total kitchen game changer. Using just a rimmed baking sheet and bacon, you’ll be able to batch cook bacon so you can eat it, store it or use it for all of your low carb meals.
I’m definitely one of those people who jumped on the bacon craze when it happened. Well, honestly I feel like the craze never left.
There is just something about the salty crispy dense cured meat that keeps everyone wanting more. It helps that it goes with any meal and even has started to creep into the sweeter side of recipes.
Cooking bacon always seemed like a chore to me. For me, if it wasn’t cooked in a pan then it wasn’t ever going to be the right texture. But taking out the pan and waiting for it to heat up plus all the splatter that could potentially burn you never made a good argument.
Can you bake bacon?
YES! And it is glorious. There are different types of thickness of bacon and heats you can do this at, but it is possible to get crispy bacon in the oven.
One Simple Oven Cooked Bacon Secret:
Once I figured this out, it changed everything!
The trick is to put your bacon on a rimmed baking sheet COLD and put it in a COLD oven. The pre-heating process of the oven begins AFTER you put your bacon in the oven which is contrary to so many cooking tips.
For whatever reason, cold cooking allows the bacon to stay straight and not curl up while baking which is valuable if you care about the bacon aesthetics or are using it to make certain recipes.
Make sure your oven rack is in the center!
How to Cook Bacon on a Rimmed Baking Sheet:
You’ll need a rimmed baking sheet for oven cooked bacon so that you don’t lose all the fat all over the oven and potentially start a fire.
My favorite baking sheets and baking pans of all time are by the brand USA Pans. They are commercial grade and have held up really well in my personal chef adventures.
You can place aluminum foil or parchment paper on the rimmed baking sheet so that you do not have to clean as much grease off of the pan.
I usually just cook with the bacon flat on the pan, but you can also use a non-stick cooling rack that is oven safe for oven bacon.
You can usually get 8-9 strips of bacon on the pan depending on it’s size and length.
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What temperature should I bake bacon?
It depends on how thick your bacon is:
- 350 Degrees: for thin-medium strips of bacon
- 375 Degrees: for thick cut bacon
No matter what the thickness of your bacon is, it is important to always check your bacon every 5 minutes as oven temperatures vary.
How long do I cook bacon in the oven?
I always start with 15 minutes at 350 degrees with any type of bacon and keep checking every 5 minutes until desired outcome is reached:
- 15 minutes: almost crispy, great for reheating in half the time
- 16-20 minutes: very crispy, almost burnt
How can I store oven cooked bacon?
- When your bacon comes out of the oven, use tongs to add each piece to a plate or pan lined with paper towels to absorb any excess bacon grease.
- Once pan is cooled, you can pour the bacon fat into a glass jar and re-use for cooking! Great especially if you buy high quality bacon because you are getting a high quality cooking fat out of it!
- To store your bacon, use a glass storage container or ziploc bag and places layers of strips between paper towels. This will ensure that the bacon strips won’t stick to each other or break.
- To reheat, simply add to a hot skillet, air fryer or microwave between 2 paper towels on a microwave safe dish.
- Bacon can be stored in the fridge for one week.
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven
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Prep Time: 1 minute -
Cook Time: 15 minutes
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Total Time: 16 minutes
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Yield: 8 strips of baking -
Category: breakfast, protein, meat -
Method: baking, oven baked -
Cuisine: american
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Pin RecipeDescription
Learn how to cook bacon in the oven which is a total kitchen game changer. Using just a rimmed baking sheet and bacon, you’ll be able to batch cook bacon so you can eat it, store it or use it for all of your low carb meals.
Ingredients
- 8-10 strips of bacon
Instructions
- On a rimmed baking sheet, place bacon strips next to each other. Do not overlap.
- Aluminum foil or parchment paper can be used to line the rimmed baking sheet.
- Place in a cold oven then set the temperature to 350 and the cook time to 15 minutes.
- Check every 5 minutes until desired level of cooked bacon is reached.
- Place on paper towels to drain excess bacon grease.
- Store in glass container or ziploc bag with paper towels between the strips of bacon.
- Will stay good for 1 week.
- Reheat on skillet, air fryer or microwave.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 strips
- Calories: 86
- Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Protein: 6
Keywords: crispy bacon in the oven, bacon in the oven temp, oven baking recipe, baked bacon recipe, can you bake bacon, bacon cooked, how to bake bacon in the oven, oven cooked bacon
