Bakin’ Bacon

Have you tried baking your bacon yet? I’m sure by now you’ve seen a chef on Food Network do it, if you haven’t tried yourself. I remember watching the Barefoot Contessa layer it across a rack fitted into a baking sheet years ago. In one of my favorite cookbooks, Seriously Delish by Jessica Merchant, she has a whole paragraph in her introduction titled “Bake Yo’ Bacon”. Let me be the first to say, I am quick to stand by the old school method of frying it up in a pan. And now that I’ve said that let me also say, you are going to love baking it in the oven.

The first time I tasted “baked” bacon was at a brunch party. The hostess had cut the bacon pieces in half lengthwise and baked them into a chewy crispy combination of perfection. The first time I tried doing it myself, I was responsible for bring 5 pounds of cooked bacon to a breakfast bar themed menu for my son’s school party. I didn’t have time to stand in front of the stove and get dressed before having to make and serve my bacon obligation. And that was it, I gave it a try. And then it was: “why haven’t I done this sooner?”

So here is my first entertaining tip: If you need to make a surplus of bacon for a crowd, or your stove top is loaded with pots and pans and you still need to make that bacon, or your just not in the mood to stand in front of a burner because you’d rather be sitting down and drinking your coffee… Bake it!

Barefoot Contessa suggests placing it on a rack first, Jessica Merchant suggests lining your baking sheet with aluminum foil. I just jam it on there… a method for everyone. The rest of the instructions are about the same. Preheat the oven to 375° and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon. And save your fat! Pour it into a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. (Great for biscuits, cornbread…)

51 comments

  2. I love baking my bacon.. less fuss, less mess…but here lately…we have been putting in the smoker on sundays when we do all of our lunches for the week…SO AMAZING on the smoker or grill 🙂

  4. I’ve heard of people doing this! Yours looks fantastic. They also don’t seem to crimp up as much, right? Great idea to save the fat, too. Bacon fat just makes the world go round.

  5. I really like this method! I don’t worry about the bacon spattering (which burns and stains clothing) or the greasy clean up. I love preparing the rest of the breakfast while its in the oven. For small batches, it is fun to fry, especially now that my grandkids like their eggs fried in the bacon fat. But not to worry Sadie, I use bacon with no hormones or preservatives and organic eggs. Thanks for all influence over the years to buy organic, though slow to change, dad and I are now believers!!

  6. Oh yes, baking bacon is the best, and absolutely keep that fat ! I learnt that from growing up, my mother always kept the bacon fat – okay, she also did fry the bacon, but I have a thing about fat splattering everywhere ! Great post Sadie 🙂

  9. A must try for me, Im one of those tired women who stands up every Sunday a Fry’s Bacon. I have never tried this! I do cook in the Microwave if I only have a few strips to cook, but for the Family, Im Standing Girl! This Sunday I may just grab a chair and let the Oven do my work, Thanks for the post, 🙂

  10. Reblogged this on Low Carb Simple and commented:
    Compliments of Sadies Nest. Great idea! I know aot of you may have been doing this but I was not one of you, Re-blogging to see if there are others like myself. Hugs to All, Enjoy!

  11. I like the Bubba approach to bacon… You can fry, you can bake, you can wrap it around a steak, you can wrap it around fish… It’s bacon and bacon makes it better.

  12. I live in probably the only country (Italy) where we don’t have bacon XD I mean, we have SO MANY meat thingies, some close to it, but not real common bacon strips. I will never surrender and will continue looking, and when I’ll find it I’ll BAKE IT!

  14. I just LOVE baking my bacon! And it does make the most lovely clear bacon grease if you put it on a rack first. My hubby likes to grill bacon, it’s awesome that way too! What took you so long??? LOL. 😀

  15. Yummy! Everything tastes better with bacon and/or cheese! Baking is my favorite way to cook it… bacon stays flat, saves room on top of the stove, and no splattering grease on cooktops and arms!

  17. This is such a great tip, Sadie! I’m so excited to try it! 😉 I also love baking hard-boiled eggs in a muffin tin. Hey! Easy eggs and bacon in the oven — this makes me happy! 😀

  18. Yep. I bake it every morning when I fix my son breakfast. My girlfriend gave me the tip last year. That allows me to get his lunch fixed and the rest of his breakfast on the table before I wake him up. Love baking bacon.

  19. I love baked bacon!! I’ve heard that it works best starting it in a cold oven, so I never make more than one pan. Does it work just as well if the oven is already preheated?

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