An easy step-by-step guide on how to cook bacon in the oven. Less mess and better bacon!
Skip the Mess: Bake Your Bacon!
For years I tried to cook bacon either in a frying pan or the microwave. What a holy greasy mess! But, I learned a well-known secret a while back: Bake it! I promise you’ll have perfect bacon every time without the cleanup!
The first step to cooking bacon the no-fail way is to line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
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Next, place a metal cooling rack like this one on top of the baking sheet. Line the bacon up side by side, making sure the pieces do not overlap.
Pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Timing will really depend on the bacon but it will likely fall into this range. Just keep an eye on it.
After it’s done baking, remove it from the oven and place the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any extra grease.
Congratulations! You have just succeeded in cooking bacon the easiest and least messy way possible!
Where to get uncured bacon:
We highly recommend using uncured bacon anytime you choose to make it.
Uncured bacon is preferable simply because it is left in a more natural, green state than cured bacon and so tastes more like the pork belly itself. Cured bacon is made by adding artificial nitrates, usually sodium nitrite, into the regular salt and brine mixture.
You can almost always find uncured bacon in the health department at your grocery store. You can also snag a free package of it from ButcherBox!
ButcherBox Bacon is sourced from slow-growing, minimally processed pigs. Uncured, nitrate-free, and sugar-free, this cut is hugely popular with members. It’s for sure worth checking out how to get your free package along with $10 off your first box.
Recipes to use this no-fail way to cook bacon in:
OK, you now know where to get quality bacon and how to cook it. Time for some recipe ideas!
- Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps
- Avocado Basil Pasta
- Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp and Pineapple Kabobs
- Ultimate Bacon and Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes
- Chopped Bacon and Brussels Salad
- Mini Bacon, Spinach, & Egg Quiches
- Strawberry Fields Spinach Salad
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This less-mess, no-fail way to cook bacon will become the only way you’ll ever prepare it. It’s just so smart to fix it this way!
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon (uncured if possible)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.
- Place a metal rack on top of the baking sheet. Line the bacon up side by side, making sure the pieces do not overlap.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes for thin-cut bacon or 25-30 minutes for thick-cut bacon, depending on your desired doneness. That’s it!
I tried this method and had grease splattered all over the inside of my oven. Does this happen for you?
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve never had that problem to my knowledge. The grease just dripped down through the rack and landed on the rimmed baking sheet (covered in foil).
Try a better quicker oven way!
Lay foil on a cookie sheet and fold up sides to keep fat in.
Lay out 4-6 slices of bacon.
Place in cold oven.
Turn oven to 400 degrees, timer to 15 minutes.
Thin bacon 13-14, thick 16-18. take it out when it is your bacon!
With fork, place bacon on paper towel, pat down & pour fat into bacon fat container!