Cooking Bacon in the oven results in evenly cooked crispy bacon strips and less bacon grease all over your kitchen counters and stove top. Whether you prefer thick cut bacon, extra crispy bacon, turkey bacon or any other type of bacon, baking bacon in the oven is the easiest way, and best way to guarantee less mess and perfect bacon every single time!
Oven Baked Bacon
I learned how to cook bacon in the oven in culinary school and it was a game changer. Although I am a bacon lover, just the thought of cooking bacon in a hot skillet was such a chore.
The idea of getting splattered with hot bacon grease, the uneven level of crispiness (or chewiness) due to hot spots on the frying pan, plus having to clean up such mess, was just too much hassle for a few bacon slices.
After so many years working in restaurants and many batches of perfectly cooked bacon under my belt, I can confidently say that wether you like chewy bacon or prefer the extra crispy slices, the absolute best, hassle free cooking method is oven-cooked bacon.
Is Oven Baked Bacon Better?
No matter what kind of bacon you are cooking, the thickness of the bacon or whether you are making big batches or just a few bacon pieces, the best method is the oven.
- Hands- Off Cooking: The entire cooking process is done in the oven, without your help! Place bacon in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined sheet pan (with or without a wire rack), place it in a hot oven and cook it to your desired doneness.
- Perfectly Even Cooked Bacon Every Time: The oven heat circulates around the strips of bacon, cooking them evenly every single time.
- Less Mess – No Mess: Easy cleanup is always a big plus for me. Fried bacon splatters extra grease on your stove, kitchen counters – and even on you! Cooking bacon in the oven means perfect crispy bacon without all that mess. Excess grease be gone!
- Small Batch and Big Batch Cooking: This is exactly how restaurants cook a lot of bacon at once! Whether you are cooking a few slices of bacon or a big batch of bacon to feed a crowd, this is the way to go. You can also cook a few baking trays at once!
What Do You Need to Cook Bacon in the Oven?
Since the only thing you need is bacon, we are listing the kitchen equipment and tools needed to make the process even easier.
- Bacon: There are different types of bacon you can find at your local grocery store, butcher shop or farm stand and pretty much all types produce great results. Good quality center cut bacon and thick-cut bacon are usually my go to products but thin bacon bakes perfectly too and I use it often for salads or to wrap meats.
Tools and Equipment
- Small or Large Rimmed Baking Sheet: Depending on how much bacon you’ll be baking. I mostly used a half sheet pan.
- Aluminum foil: Although parchment paper can be used to line the baking tray, tin foil is the way to go. If you have heavy duty aluminum foil even better. After the excess bacon fat cools and sets, all you have to do is lift the whole thing off for easy clean up.
- Oven-Safe Cooling Rack / Cooking Rack (optional): The rack should fit on top of a rimmed baking sheet. I will share with you 2 oven-baked bacon methods that deliver the same amazing results, one doesn’t use a wire rack.
- Kitchen Tongs: My absolute favorite kitchen tool. I use tongs to transfer the cooked bacon from the baking sheet to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Paper Towels and a Plate: A few sheets of paper towels set on a plate to drain any excess fat from the crisp bacon slices.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven? (Foolproof Only 4 Steps)
Method 1 (Preferred Method)- Lay Bacon Directly on the Baking Sheet
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Lay the bacon slices on the prepared baking sheet, making sure they don’t overlap.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the bacon reaches your desired level of crispiness. Exact time will depend on your oven and the thickness of the bacon. Check the recipe card below for timing.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes. Using kitchen tongs, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any extra grease.
Method 2 – Lay Bacon on a Wire Rack and Place Rack on a Baking Sheet
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place a wire rack on the lined baking sheet.
- Lay the bacon slices on the wire rack, making sure they don’t overlap. Follow same instructions as above.
Oven-Baked Bacon FAQ
Should I Place the Bacon on a Wire Rack When Baking it in the Oven?
Although I am sharing two ways to bake bacon in the oven, one without a wire rack and one using one, I truly believe that using a wire rack is completely unnecessary. There aren’t any major benefits when using a rack and one big disadvantage, you’ll end up with one more item to clean up!
Here are the reasons why I prefer cooking bacon straight on a baking sheet without a wire rack:
- The difference between the two methods is really non-existent! Both methods work well. Why use an extra item?
- Although bacon that lays directly on a baking sheet cooks in its own fat, this method doesn’t produce greasier bacon. You can read more about that here.
- The bacon fat actually cooks the bacon more evenly preventing chewy or dried up spots.
- Easier clean up! Toss the foil and wash your baking sheet with hot water and a little dish soap. No need to scrub between the wire grid!
What Temperature is Bacon Baked At?
The best temperature to cook bacon in the oven is at 400º Fahrenheit.
How Long to Cook Bacon in the Oven at 400º F.?
How long bacon should be cooked in the oven will vary depending on the thickness of your bacon and your desire crispiness. Keep in mind that after you remove the bacon from the oven, it will continue to crisp up a bit.
- Thin-Cut Bacon: Baked in a 400ºF oven, thinner bacon cooks faster and it usually takes about 12-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on thin bacon as it can burn quickly.
- Regular Cut Bacon – Medium-Cut Bacon: Baked in a 400ºF oven, it usually takes about 16 to 20 minutes for regular bacon to cook. Always check about after 10-12 minutes to get a better estimate on the baking time.
- Thick-Cut Bacon: Baked in a 400ºF oven, it usually takes about 20-25 minutes for thick bacon to cook.
Do you Flip Bacon in the Oven?
To be completely honest, I never flip the bacon while it bakes. I usually rotate the pan halfway through, just to ensure even cooking as I know my oven has a hot spot on one side.
What is Bacon Anyway?
Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork, prepared from several different cuts of meat, typically from the pork belly or from back cuts. There are many types of bacon available from uncured to cured, to applewood and hickory smoked.
Making Ahead, Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Can I Bake Bacon Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! You can store cooked bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it within 5 days.
How to Store Cooked Bacon?
To store cooked bacon, first cool the bacon completely and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze Baked Bacon?
Yes! To freeze cooked bacon, cool it completely first and then, store the slices in a freezer-safe resealable bag pushing out as much excess air as possible before sealing it.Freeze for up to 3 months. I like to place the cooked bacon strips between pieces of parchment paper or wax paper so I can easily pull out a few pieces at a time when I need them.
How to Reheat Bacon?
You can reheat bacon in the microwave or in a hot oven. Bacon reheats quickly so keep an eye on it.
What To Do With Bacon Grease? Should You Save It?
If you buy good quality bacon, rendering and saving the bacon grease is a great idea.
How To Render Bacon Grease?
After the bacon is cooked to your desired doneness, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate, then filter out the brown bits from the bacon grease by straining the bacon fat through a fine mesh sieve lined with paper towels. You can also use cheesecloth as well.
How to Store Bacon Grease?
It’s important to use a glass container or can to catch and to store the bacon grease. Plastic won’t be able to stand the heat. You can keep the bacon drippings in a lidded jar in the refrigerator.
What to Do with Bacon Grease?
Bacon grease has a high smoke point which means it can be used to cook foods in a variety of ways. From frying to roasting and stewing. Here are a few ideas about what to do with rendered bacon grease:
- Fry eggs, hash browns and country potatoes.
- Add it to a pot of beans or use it to make the absolute best homemade refried beans
- Use it to cook cook lentils
- Use bacon fat to Sauté Green Beans or Asparagus.
- Make salad dressings or vinaigrettes, roux for gravy and to baste chicken, turkey or other meats.
- Replace some of the butter on your favorite biscuit recipe with bacon grease. The same can be done to cornbread and savory scone recipes.
If you’d rather discard the grease, wait a little bit to remove the foil from the sheet pan. When the grease cools off, it is easier to remove and toss without any spills.
Air Fryer Bacon – Cooking bacon in the air fryer, just like oven baked bacon results in perfectly cooked bacon however, in the air fryer you can only cook a few pieces of bacon at a time!
Tips for the Best Oven Baked Bacon Ever!
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Heavy duty aluminum foil was made with baked bacon in mind!! (not really).
- A wire rack is not necessary when cooking bacon in the oven! It only adds to the pile of dirty dishes.
- Although oven-baked bacon is a hands-off cooking method, keep an eye on the bacon. It can go from beautiful golden brown to burnt in very little time.
- Using a wire rack does not make healthier bacon! Bacon cooks in its own fat and releases its fat with or without a rack!
- Draining the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels after is cooked, is a must whether you use a wire rack or not! Don’t skip this step.
- Using high quality bacon is a must! It makes a difference, it usually has less fat and tastes better
- When possible, buy bacon that was made with humanly raised and humanly slaughtered pigs.
Other Recipes for Bacon Lovers:
- Corn Pancakes with Bacon
- Jalapeno Popper Quiche Recipe
- New England Clam Chowder Recipe
- Cajun Shrimp and Grits Recipe
- Homemade Baked Beans
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Oven-Baked Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound good quality bacon
- Thick-cut or regular
Instructions
Method 1 – Preferred Method:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Lay the bacon slices on the prepared baking sheet, making sure they don’t overlap.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake until the bacon reaches your desired level of crispiness, about 12-15 minutes for thin-cut bacon, 16 to 20 minutes for regular-cut or medium-cut bacon and 20-25 minutes for thick-cut bacon. Exact baking time will depend on the thickness of the bacon. Always check about after 10-12 minutes to get a better estimate on the baking time.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes. Using kitchen tongs, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any extra grease.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Method 2
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place a wire rack on the lined baking sheet.
- Lay the bacon slices on the wire rack, making sure they don’t overlap. Follow same instructions as above.
Recipe Notes
- I never flip the bacon while it bakes but I usually rotate the pan halfway through, just to ensure even cooking as I know my oven has a hot spot on one side.
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Heavy duty aluminum foil was made with baked bacon in mind!! (not really).
- A wire rack is not necessary when cooking bacon in the oven! It only adds to the pile of dirty dishes.
- Although oven-baked bacon is a hands-off cooking method, keep an eye on the bacon. It can go from beautiful golden brown to burnt in very little time.
- Using a wire rack does not make healthier bacon! Bacon cooks in its own fat and releases its fat with or without a rack!
- Draining the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels after is cooked, is a must whether you use a wire rack or not! Don’t skip this step.
- When possible, buy bacon that was made with humanly raised and humanly slaughtered pigs.
Leave a Reply