The best way to cook bacon is to make it in the oven! It keeps the strips flat and you can easily collect the bacon grease afterwards—win win!
What do you do if you’re making bacon for a crowd and you don’t want to spatter grease on your pretty frock?
You bake bacon in the oven!
I first learned of this technique from Cook’s Illustrated and the initial batch I baked was revelatory. Oven-baked bacon crisps up beautifully, stays flat, AND you can easily collect a nice container of bacon fat that you can keep in the fridge for cooking. I love twofers.
Time to make Bacon from the Oven!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of bacon (U.S. Wellness Meats sells Whole30-approved bacon)
Equipment:
- rimmed baking sheet
- stainless steel wire rack
- heavy duty foil (optional)
Method:
Preheat oven to 400ºF with the rack situated right smack in the middle of the oven.
Grab your bacon…
…and line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil if using. Place a stainless steel cooling rack on the lined tray…
…and put the bacon in a single layer on the rack.
Pop the tray in the oven and cook for 10-20 minutes (thicker bacon requires longer cooking time).
Rotate the tray halfway through the cooking process and keep a close eye on the bacon near the end of the cooking time to make sure it doesn’t burn. You can smell if your bacon is ready, so trust your schnauze.
Line a plate with a few sheets of paper towel. Place the crispy bacon on the paper towels to drain.
Tilt the pan to carefully pour the bacon grease into a jar or glass container.
You can keep bacon grease in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week. If you strain out the bacon bits, it will last longer in the fridge!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Bacon From The Oven
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF with the rack situated right smack in the middle of the oven.
- Grab your bacon and line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil if using. Place a stainless steel cooling rack on the lined tray and put the bacon in a single layer on the rack.
- Pop the tray in the oven and cook for 10-20 minutes (thicker bacon requires longer cooking time).
- Rotate the tray halfway through the cooking process and keep a close eye on the bacon near the end of the cooking time to make sure it doesn’t burn. You can smell if your bacon is ready, so trust your schnauze.
- Line a plate with a few sheets of paper towel. Place the crispy bacon on the paper towels to drain.
- Tilt the pan to carefully pour the bacon grease into a jar or glass container. You can keep bacon grease in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week. If you strain out the bacon bits, it will last longer in the fridge!
Carrie R says
Perfect every time. Leftover bacon grease for cooking is collected neatly. Sometimes we add honey and red pepper flakes to make restaurant style Millionaire’s Bacon!
Jill says
This is the only way I make bacon now. It’s perfect every time, completely hands off, comes out super crispy, and much less messy than pan frying!
Gail says
My husband and I like to sprinkle our bacon with garlic powder.
Try it, you’ll like it!