Bacon Baking – A Quick and Easy Way to Get Crispy Bacon Slices

Bacon sizzling on the stove is a classic breakfast treat, but baking it in the oven can be a smart alternative. It makes for crispy bacon slices that don’t splash you with hot grease, and it’s perfect for big batches!

Cooking bacon in the oven requires a few simple steps. You can use a baking sheet or aluminum foil, but we recommend using a metal cooking rack for even crispiness.

Cooking Time

When you cook bacon on the stove, it splatters and spits all over your stove, counter, and cabinet. Plus, it covers everything in a four-foot radius with a fine mist of grease.

If you want to keep things clean, oven baking is your best bet for hands-free cooking and easy cleanup. It’s also slightly healthier than frying because it lowers the fat content of your bacon.

Depending on the thickness of your bacon, it will take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to bake. Start checking the bacon around 12 minutes to make sure it’s cooked all the way through and to your desired crispness.

When baking multiple pans of bacon, you can switch the placement after 10 minutes to prevent hot spots from burning the bacon. This also helps to evenly distribute the heat and reduce grease buildup.

Parchment Paper

Bacon baking is a quick and easy way to get crispy, greasy bacon slices. Unlike pan frying, there’s no splattering of grease – and your oven stays free of the mess afterward!

To start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Then lay a single layer of 12 ounces of bacon on the pan, making sure that it doesn’t overlap too much.

Bake the bacon for 15 minutes, then check to see if it’s done. If it’s not, pop it back in for another 5 minutes or so to crisp up a little more.

If you’re looking for extra-crispy bacon, try placing it on a wire rack and elevating it. This will give the fat that drips off the bacon a chance to drain, and help it crisp up even more.

Aluminum Foil

When it comes to cooking bacon you have two options – use a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil or bake the strips directly on the rack. Both methods will produce incredibly crispy and crunchy bacon with minimal effort and no splatter of grease.

You can use any oven temperature to cook your bacon, but you will need to adjust the cooking time based on how thick or thin it is. Thinner bacon tends to need longer to cook while thicker slices can be cooked a little faster.

You can also line your grill with aluminum foil to keep hot bacon grease from dripping on the grill and causing a flare-up. However, if you plan to do this, make sure that there is adequate open grate space around the foil so airflow can occur.

Metal Baking Rack

Cooking bacon on a metal baking rack in the oven is a great way to ensure that it’s cooked to perfection. This method cuts down on grease splatters and ensures that each slice of bacon cooks evenly.

It’s also a lot less messy than frying bacon in a pan. Plus, it’s great for preparing large amounts of bacon for meals or brunches.

Using a baking rack that’s not coated with a non-stick material can be a bit trickier, so make sure to check the manufacturer’s specifications before you use it in the oven. If you do find that your rack isn’t oven safe, you can use it in other ways that don’t involve heat.