Making bacon in the oven is the easiest, neatest and quickest way to cook bacon.
Once I saw this technique and tried it for myself, there was no going back. Years ago I was in line waiting to order at my favorite burger place, you know the kind that you can see into the prep and kitchen areas. I see a staff member walk by with a sheet pan full of cooked bacon. I asked him if he cooked that bacon on that pan and he said yes and proceeded to tell me how to do it.
Wow! It never occurred to me to cook bacon in the oven. That same weekend I tried my own and sure enough it worked like a charm.
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Why make bacon in the oven
There are two reasons I prefer cooking bacon in the oven instead of on the stovetop or microwave.
- There’s no grease splattering all over the stove and me. Making bacon in a skillet is messy!
- You can make a lot of bacon at one time instead of multiple batches. Most bacon strips don’t fit comfortably into a standard size (about 10 inch) skillet. Plus you can only fit 3 or 4 strips at the most.
What type of bacon to use?
Bacon comes in different flavors: maple, brown sugar, hickory smoked and the list goes on. It also comes in various thicknesses; common ones include thin sliced, regular or thick sliced bacon.
The thickness of the bacon will affect the cooking time. Thin slices will crisp up faster than thick slices. Keep the thickness in mind when gauging the cooking time for your oven bacon. Personally, I like using regular cut. With thin slices I find too much of it cooks away, and thick slices are too chewy for my taste. Regular sliced is just right!
How to make bacon in the oven
You will need:
- 8-10 ounces Bacon, regular sliced
- Parchment Paper
- Large Sheet Pan (12X17)
- Plate or Platter
- Paper Towels
Preheat the oven to 375°F
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the bacon from sticking to the pan as the fat melts and it starts to crisp. A half sheet pan (12X17) will fit approximately 8-10 slices depending on their size.
Arrange the bacon on the baking sheet. Do not overlap to ensure the edges cook evenly and crisp up nicely. Give each strip its own space.
Cook the bacon on the center rack for 20-25 minutes, or until it’s cooked and crispy.
The cooking time we offer here is a range. We cooked the bacon for 23 minutes. But, all ovens are different. Here are a few tips to ensure your bacon is just the way you like it.
- If your oven has a hot spot – Rotate the pan 180° (back to front, front to back) after 10 minutes or so. My oven has a hot spot in the back, so rotating bacon, pizzas and casseroles, like this creamy chicken and rice, is a must to get a nice even topping.
- Open the oven as few times as possible. Every time the oven is opened the temperature drops, so the food will take longer to cook and will throw your timing off. Use the oven light or a flashlight (shine it through the glass) to check on the food without opening the oven.
- Check the bacon after 15 minutes to gauge the remaining cooking time. You don’t want it to go too far, so check it early to make sure sure it doesn’t.
When the bacon is cooked, remove it from the oven and place the strips on a pan or plate lined with a paper towel to drain some of the grease.
That’s it for the oven bacon. Use it on sandwiches like this crispy chicken BLT, to dress up a baked potato, these baked potato slices or to garnish delicious soups like this creamy butternut squash soup.
Oven Bacon
Ingredients
- 8-10 ounces Bacon regular sliced
Instructions
- You will also need: parchment paper, large sheet pan (12X17), plate or platter and paper towels
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the bacon on the baking sheet without overlapping.
- Cook the bacon on the center rack for 20-25 minutes, or until it’s cooked and crispy (check it after the first 15 minutes to gauge the remaining cooking time).
- When the bacon is cooked, remove it from the oven and place the strips on a pan or plate lined with a paper towel to drain some of the grease.
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