Bakin’ Bacon

| 5 Comments

Do you bake your bacon?

Some people have never heard of this, some people it’s the only way they know. I was one of the former until about 6 months ago. Since then I’ve spent a lot of time trying to perfect this. It never worked. I tried making it on two kinds of racks, on a lined baking sheet, on a not lined baking sheet, high temperature, low temperature, broiler, starting with the oven high and turning it low and not turning the oven on until after the bacon is in. All sorts. It’s not rocket science, more than making this post informative for people wanting to bake their bacon, I’m hoping someone will give me additional tips.

Here’s what I hope to achieve by baking the bacon instead of pan frying:
1. Does not require attention more than making sure the house doesn’t burn down while cooking allowing me to do other things (or nothing).
2. Gets the whole pack done in one batch.
3. Does not pop scalding grease into my eye or onto my forearms, or splatter onto the one shirt I may own that isn’t already permanently stained.
4. Easy cleanup. Doesn’t leave the oven a mess or ruin my cookie sheets.
5. Crisp bacon.

I know from frying bacon that cooking time and crispness can vary even within the same brand. We like our bacon crisp and I can’t seem to manage getting the baked bacon crisp with any regularity. I usually try a new baked bacon method and then pan fry it until it’s crispy. Or, as in the picture below, I put half in the oven while I fry half.

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The news is that I got close this week. I use larger cookie sheets with edges, I lined them with foil, one sheet underneath across the long ways, and then two pieces across the short distance for full double layer coverage. I’m going to work on that though. That seems like a waste of foil just to be lazy about cleanup. But only one layer, or even two sheets lengthwise always gives me a layer of drippings underneath the foil, the double layer didn’t at all. I just let the pans cool and then balled the foil and threw it out.

I preheat the convection oven to 375 degrees. I used Farmland Uncured bacon and spaced the strips out on two cookie sheets.

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Put both sheets in the oven and cooked for about 25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Not too bad, still not perfect. Not that that would keep me from eating it.

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Any suggestions?

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5 Comments

  1. I have tried baking bacon on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. It worked, they were crispy. But my cooling racks don’t fit very well on top of the cookie sheets dripping fat all over the oven. It is very nice to have it all done at one time!

    With your method you said you rotate. Do you flip each strip as well?

    • No. I wouldn’t do it if I had to flip the strips. I just rotated the baking sheets… or just take out the bottom one and leave the top one in a bit longer. I’ve tried the cooling rack on cookie sheet method too and it was a MESS also and didn’t get it any crispier than not using the cooling rack.

  2. Hey Jenny!
    It’s your Mom’s old friend from way back before you were born!! That emphasizes the “old” part!!
    We love bacon and I had all the same issues as you. My daughter finally asked why I wasn’t
    cooking my bacon in the microwave?? I now do and it is the greatest!!

    I use a paper plate (throwaway), put a sheet of paper towel ( again), place however many pieces of bacon across the paper towel that will fit on the paper towel. The paper towel usually goes past the edge of the plate but bacon can also. Then I place a second sheet of paper towel on top to cover bacon. Then micro wave “about” a minute for each bacon strip on high.
    I have to check during and make sure it doesn’t get too done. Like all cooking time, it can change for many reasons. Note that if it looks close you might want to take it out. It does seem to crisp up and cook slightly after removed from the micro.
    Pull the paper towel off, when bacon cools a bit, pull bacon off of paper towel, throw away towel and plate!! Quick, easy, and no mess!! <3

  3. Trying this this weekend!!!! Never heard of it before!!

  4. Pingback: Peach Pizza | Two Clever Moms

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