Description
This simple and foolproof recipe shows you how to bake bacon in the oven to achieve perfectly crispy, evenly cooked slices without the mess of frying. Baking bacon allows the fat to render out evenly and produces deliciously crispy bacon with minimal effort and cleanup.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Any kind of bacon, enough to lay out on a sheet pan in a single layer
- Sheet pan
- Aluminum foil (optional, for easier cleanup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature ensures the bacon cooks evenly and crisps properly.
- Prepare the pan: Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, or leave it unlined if you don’t mind washing the pan afterward.
- Arrange the bacon: Lay out the bacon strips in a single layer on the pan. No need to grease the pan since bacon produces its own fat.
- Position the strips: Arrange the strips as close as possible without overlapping. You may place 1 or 2 perpendicular strips at the bottom to maximize space.
- Bake the bacon: Place the pan on the middle rack and bake for about 10 minutes if using regular cut bacon. For thick-cut bacon, bake for 12-14 minutes. Check the bacon after 10 minutes and continue baking until it reaches the desired crispiness. Test by removing a strip carefully.
- Drain the bacon: Once done, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess grease.
- Enjoy the extras: It’s best to bake a full pan. Save leftover strips for snacking or store in the fridge for the next day’s breakfast.
- Save the bacon grease: Funnel the rendered bacon grease into a mason jar and refrigerate. Use it for cooking later, such as in pancake recipes. It keeps for several weeks in the fridge.
Notes
- Using aluminum foil simplifies cleanup but is optional.
- Cooking times vary depending on bacon thickness and oven accuracy.
- For crispier bacon, bake longer but watch carefully to avoid burning.
- Stored bacon grease adds rich flavor to many recipes and keeps well refrigerated.
- Baked bacon cooks more evenly and with less splatter compared to stove frying.
