Oven-Fried Bacon…the only way I will make bacon in the future. Perfectly cooked, crispy bacon, without all the mess and cleanup – so simple to make!
I don’t make bacon often because of the mess it makes all over me, my stove and walls. After visiting my sister in Alaska, I no longer dread making bacon. She, like many others, cooks her bacon in the oven and has been making it this way for over 20 years.
As of today, I no longer fear and dread the mess of making bacon. When we have our next Sunday brunch, I promise to have a plate full of perfect crispy bacon on the table.
***ALWAYS BE VERY CAREFUL WITH BACON GREASE – REMOVE SLOWLY AND USE LONG OVEN MITTS TO COVER HANDS AND ARMS WHEN PULLING OUT OF OVEN ***
Oven-Fried Bacon – How To Make Perfect Bacon in the Oven
- *Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place oven rack in center of oven. Lay slices of bacon side-by-side in a single layer in a pan with a lip- jelly roll pan, roasting pan, cookie sheet. If you are cooking a lot of bacon, it’s okay for the bacon slices to slightly over lap (see second above). For easier clean-up, you can line your pan with foil.
- Cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and then check your bacon. If cooking thin slices of bacon, check sooner, between 10 to 12 minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your bacon and how crispy you like it. If necessary and for even cooking, you may need to flip your bacon once using tongs- this depends on the thickness of the bacon.
- Once bacon is golden brown and has reached desired crispness, remove with tongs and place on platter lined with paper towel. Enjoy!
***ALWAYS BE VERY CAREFUL WITH BACON GREASE – REMOVE SLOWLY AND USE LONG OVEN MITTS TO COVER HANDS AND ARMS WHEN PULLING OUT OF OVEN ***
- *Some methods for cooking bacon in the oven say NOT to preheat the oven, others say to preheat the oven. My sister has tried both methods over the years and prefers to preheat.
- Be sure to keep an eye on your bacon while cooking. Once it starts to brown, it can go from crispy to burned fast.
- For a quicker clean-up, you can line your baking pan.
- If you are cooking thin slices of bacon, check your bacon sooner, between 10 to 12 minutes. You will most likely not need to flip the bacon.
**Many people have left comments on Facebook stating for even less mess, reduce your oven temp to 350 degrees F. I reduced the temperature as recommended while staying in cabin rental over the holidays – there was zero mess. Zero. The bacon took a little longer to cook, but turned out perfect. At home I cook bacon at 400 degrees. without any issues. Each oven cooks differently, If you notice a lot of splatter, try reducing your oven temp.
Sharing at Weekend Potluck.
Anonymous
Try rinsing your bacon in cool water before baking to resist shrinkage size
Anonymous
I use a foil lined cookie sheet, cook halfway, flip and drizzle with honey. Cook until desired doneness!
Teresa Adams
I have cooked my bacon in the oven ever since I saw it on Rachael Ray. I use a cooling rack places in a jelly roll sheet. The grease drains and it is perfect. Thin bacon however will stick. I buy 3 lbs at one time and cook it all and place in a baggie, then just reheat it when needed.
Anonymous
I bake mine but flour it first..best bacon ever
Becky
Thank you for this – I am about to try this method for the first time and your post was very helpful in answering some questions I had about different aspects of the process.
Mavis
We also do our bacon on the barbeque. Make a pan to fit your barbeque by folding tinfoil like a cookie sheet. Make sure to leave a lip around the edge to collect the grease and not let it spill onto the grill. Place bacon on tinfoil. Cook at 350-375 with the lid down until it is done to your liking. Usually 10 to 15 mins. Turn off the barbeque, remove the bacon and drain on paper towel. Then just let the grease cool and rollup the tinfoil and discard.All the mess and smell stayed outside!
Anonymous
I cook bacon like this too very often, I line my cookie sheet whit foil and then cover the bacon with parchment paper and there is no splatter and I do use a gas oven. I like the fact that I can cook the entire pound of bacon at once instead of a few at a time.
Anonymous
Make the bacon crispy, drain well on paper towels, place between layers of new paper towels on a hard surface and roll over it repeatedly with a rolling pin ===== perfect bacon bits for salad, baked potatoes etc. (store bits in a jar in the refrigerator)
Anonymous
I use throw away aluminum no splatter broiler pans. They have small holes and absorb the grease as it melts. They are hard to find. I have found them in Giant stores.
Anonymous
Another option. That we do is line with foil shiny side up… place bacon then top with foil shiny side down… limits splash and adds reflective covector style
Anonymous
I've baked my bacon for years and actually prefer it that way. I use a broiler pan so the grease drops to the bottem and can be moved to a container to use later (cookies come to mind). Also only use thick sliced bacon as the thin packaged stuff sticks miserably. I also start with a cold oven and cook at 400.
Janice
I am curious about the cookie mention in relation to the bacon grease. ?? Do you use it in cookies?
Mrs. Blair
Ginger snaps
Anonymous
If you have a butcher shop in your town,you can have them slice your bacin to the thickness desired. I get mine cut thin but it's not as thin as you get in the stores pre-packaged.I have also found I get doyble the number of slices for less $ also.
Anonymous
I put a cooling rack right inside a cookie sheet that’s lined with foil. Lay the bacon on the cooling rack to keep it out of the grease..idk if that’s any healthier or not, but it makes me feel a tad bit better about it lol
Anonymous
Dust the bacon with brown sugar and cook in oven on 350 until brown and crispy! Delicious…Kids love it!
Shelly Bonscott
I switched to oven baking years ago, but never thought to line the pan with tin foil-BRILLIANT! However, I do cover my bacon with tin foil (haha that sounds funny) so it doesn't splatter, baking at 425-450 (I'm impatient when it comes to my bacon getting in my tummy!)
asasasaassas
I have done it this way for a while. The only difference is that I have a convection oven and I use convection to cook the bacon as it speeds up the process.
Barbara Jensen
Always in the oven….I use the broiler pan…grease drops down…perfect every time!
Anonymous
BEST BACON IN THE WORLD!! Love it and we would never go back to the other way!! David
Anonymous
I line my pan with Parchment paper. when bacon is done I pour the bacon fat into a mason jar and use the fat for cooking or popping popcorn. so goooood
Robin Wright
Oh my gosh!😄
Anonymous
O my goodness, I wish you had not told me bout that popcorn trick!
marysweetlittlebluebird
unknown – try reducing your oven to 350 degrees and baking on the middle rack of oven, and maybe use a roasting pan like the one above in my post. Hopefully that will reduce the splatter. It will take longer to cook but you'll still get the same result – perfect bacon!
Unknown
I have trouble now that I am cooking with gas setting off the smoke detectors and the bacon is not burning. Its just splatters burning?
Anonymous
I dust the bacon with a light dusting of flour. The bacon won't curl or shrink up.
Marsha Baker
Oh how I do love this recipe….I've made this a few times…always use a cold oven, but have never overlapped the bacon a bit…that's a great idea. Thanks for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck. Love your recipes! =D
Anonymous
I cook my bacon this way all the time. I put the slices on a cookie sheet with foil crumpled then spread back out on a sided cookie sheet..baked the way the above says …them drained on paper towels and frozen. That way you can take out what you need. microwave for 20 seconds or so and eat…M
Katherine White
The only way to cook bacon…We have a cookie sheet lined with foil with a cookie rack inside so it drains the fat off…We cook a lot with bacon fat, the flavor is so good…
Unknown
I cook bacon in the oven too. I line the pan with aluminum foil and go up the sides with it. When done let grease cool and then just roll foil up and throw away. If your careful you won't have to wash the pans.
Jackie Buchanan
I agree that baking bacon is the way to go. I recently discovered a way to make it even better. I bought a silicone baking mat that has a waffle surface. My bacon is markedly better. I think the mat allows air to circulate underneath the bacon and cook it more evenly, as well as draining the grease away from the bacon. Amazon sells them.