How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

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.

Besides, all the stains and mess that was left after would not only ruin any stylish new kitchen but would also be at the same time hard to clean up. No matter what kind of home remedy one would be trying to use, it would render ineffective. Needless to say, it would be a waste of time and energy. Actually, those who have been to commercial kitchens would know this. I have worked commercially so I know. However, it wouldn’t be my job then, probably a commercial kitchen cleaning Rosenburg, TX or some other similar service would handle the deep cleaning. Nonetheless, I found the whole process kind of clumsy and outdated.

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.

Is your oven ready for bacon?

While ovens are generally not used when making bacon, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. As long as your oven is in good working condition (if it isn’t, you might want to call in some Appliance Repair Services), it can bake some crispy bacon!

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. Although, by having a fire blanket in your kitchen, you are preparing for if the worst was to happen. Whether you are cooking in the UK, in the US, or wherever you are in the world, fire safety is incredibly important in a kitchen. Having an extinguisher or blanket to hand is a smart idea.

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.

Storing

• 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.

FAQ