For perfectly crispy results, set the oven temperature to 400°F and bake the bacon for 20 minutes in the middle of the oven. I haven’t pan-fried bacon in years! Perhaps it makes sense to pan-fry it if you only need a few slices. But for anything more than that, the oven is the best and easiest method. When prepared this way, the bacon cooks evenly and comes out perfect - not too chewy or crispy.
Instructions
Bacon Alternatives
If you can find pork belly slices at the store, those are also wonderful when baked. They make a great alternative to bacon. They take longer since they are quite thick, and you need to season them well. But they are absolutely delicious! Pork jowl is another tasty alternative. I bake it in a slow oven, then broil it briefly to crisp up the fat. Another good option, if you can find it (or order online), is duck bacon. I bake it too, and while it’s not as fatty or crispy as pork bacon, it’s meaty and flavorful. And finally, beef bacon is so good. It comes from the belly of the cow, also used to make pastrami. This cut is well-marbled and has a great beefy flavor that the smoking process highlights.
Recipe Card
I like to use medium-thickness slices. Not too thick and not too thin. If you use any other thickness, you’ll need to slightly adjust the cooking time. Note that some bacon packages contain 12 ounces. If you use one of these packages, you’ll need to use two sheet pans. Tasty options include freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. You can also use a pinch of cayenne if you like spicy food. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and fit it with a wire rack. Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the wire rack. Pull the pan out of the oven. Use tongs to transfer the bacon slices to a plate, then serve. If you use wire racks, there’s no need to place the bacon on paper towels to drain it. If you don’t use racks, place the bacon on paper towels for a couple of minutes.
Use a rimmed baking sheet
When cooking bacon in the oven, you should always use a rimmed baking sheet to prevent grease from dripping onto the oven floor and potentially causing a grease fire.
Prevent grease splatters
In my experience, the bacon shouldn’t splatter too badly. But if preventing splatters is important to you, a simple method is to loosely cover it while it cooks with a sheet of parchment paper. If you like your bacon chewy, I suggest you start checking it after 15 minutes in the oven: For somewhat crispy bacon, start checking after 20 minutes: And for very crispy bacon, start checking after 25 minutes: Remember that oven temperatures vary, so the time it takes to achieve your desired results in your oven might differ from these guidelines. What you do with the grease left in the pan is up to you. You can simply mop it with paper towels and throw them in the trash. If you’d like to use the grease (it’s delicious), strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a glass jar. Then seal it and keep it in the fridge for later use. It can stay in the fridge for up to three months. You can use it in any savory recipe that requires fat for cooking. It’s especially good when cooking eggs, so I often use it when making soft-scrambled eggs or an egg white omelet. Other recipes where you can successfully use bacon fat instead of oil or butter include fried hard-boiled eggs and spinach and eggs scramble. One of my favorite breakfasts is a plate of crispy bacon, fried eggs, and berries: Oven bacon can also be used in lunch and dinner recipes, such as:
Lettuce sandwich Cobb salad Avocado chicken salad Broccoli salad Bacon deviled eggs
You can also eat the leftovers cold. Seriously, cold leftover bacon is delicious. Kind of like eating cold deli meat, but even better because it’s bacon.
