Crispy Oven Baked Bacon
Cooking bacon in the oven is so easy, and you will consistently get crispy and delicious bacon every time. The first time I tried this, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been doing this all along. We don’t have a microwave, so I would always dread making bacon over the stove. The best part of this method is you don’t have to stand over your stove getting bacon grease splattered on you. Woohoo!!
If you need the bacon grease to cook your protein or veggies in, you can still use this method, but you will not yield as much grease then if you would cook it over the stove.
Preheat your oven to 400, line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, in a single layer, line the bacon on the sheet in a row. Depending on the length of your bacon and the width of your baking sheet, you may be able to fit more bacon on the sides. Just do not overcrowd the sheet, as you do not want the bacon touching.
Cooking times will vary depending on your oven, but I find 20 minutes produces the crispiest bacon. I like to flip the bacon halfway through. If the bacon isn’t crispy at 20 minutes, cook it a little longer. I would check it every minute as you don’t want it to burn. Once you are happy with the crispiness, remove from the oven. Place the bacon on a paper sheet lined plate to soak up the bacon grease.
Thawing Frozen Bacon
If your bacon is frozen, you will need to defrost it first. The safest way to do this is in the refrigerator, but you will need to plan for this. If you don’t have time to wait, you can defrost bacon in cold water. Or, if you have a microwave, you can defrost that way as well.
- To defrost in the refrigerator, keep it in its original packaging, or a sealed bag, and place it in the fridge overnight or for at least 10 – 12 hours.
- To defrost in cold water, keep it in its original packaging, or place the bacon in a sealed bag and submerge in cold water. My preference is to keep the bacon in its original packaging, and also put it in a sealed bag for extra protection from bacteria. I am a safety girl. ? You will need to change out the water every 30 minutes. Flip the package every 5 – 10 minutes. I find it typically takes about 30 minutes to thaw completely.
- You can also defrost in the microwave, I haven’t personally tried this, but your microwave should have a defrost setting. Follow the guidelines for your microwave. I have heard this is the least favorite way to defrost bacon, as it starts to cook the bacon and might make it a little rubbery, which could affect the crispness when cooking.
Once thawed, you want to cook the bacon immediately. Any hanging out at room temperature will start the bacteria growth, and nobody wants that.
You can find more helpful tips regarding thawing and cooking bacon safely on the USDA website. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat/bacon-and-food-safety
Crispy Baked Bacon
Cooking bacon in the oven will produce crispy and delicious bacon every time.
Ingredients
- 8 - 10 Pieces of Bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil
- Place the bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Flip the bacon at the 10 minute mark.
- Once removed from oven, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
Notes
Every oven is different and cooking times will vary. To reduce the risk of burning your bacon, if at the 10 minute mark it's already looking like it's cooked through, you may want to check it every couple minutes to ensure it doesn't burn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 484mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 10g
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy using online calculators. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.