Cooking Bacon in the Oven?

[PA Baker]

I've always cooked my bacon in a frying pan but remember my great grandma baking it in the oven on a cookie sheet. It would come out wonderfully crisp, like I like it. How would I go about doing this? I envision an oven full of bacon grease!

 

[stinemates]

Cover a baking sheet with foil and bake at 350-375(cant remember) until crisp. From what I remember, if you get the temperature right the oil won't be jumping out of the pan.

 

[Andy M.]

Alton Brown says to lay the bacon on a rack in a cookie sheet and put it into a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 400F and the bacon will be done when the oven reaches temp.

That doesn't work for me. The bacon is still mostly raw.

If you do this and just let it go a little longer, you'll be fine.

 

[StirBlue]

I do not have an electric oven with the broiler unit so I use a toaster oven and broil 4-5 slices at a time. It does have to be placed on a wire rack as was mentioned (otherwise it will sog). I place the cooking tray that came with the toaster under the wire rack. I put alum foil or damp cloth, etc over the door when I pull the wire rack out to catch any grease that is sizzling off the bacon. The bacon is crispy. You may have to dump the grease tray between batches depending on the thickness of your bacon.

Can someone confirm this: A broiler unit puts out 1200 degrees of heat whereas an oven is usually max'd at 550 degrees. (I have no idea how hot my toaster oven is on broil; it just works because it's a smaller oven). I don't think you can get an oven hot enough to bake bacon to a crisp.

 

[Andy M.]

You certainly can get crisp bacon by baking it. I've done it a number of times.

 

[GB]

I don't think you can get an oven hot enough to bake bacon to a crisp.

Most restaurants cook their bacon in the oven.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Good

I do this all the time. Bake the bacon in the oven. Seems the grease doesn't stay in the bacon as much as in frying pan. Maybe same difference, however, the grease I get from baking in the oven is quite a lot. But one thing for sure it is crisp. My neighbors always tell me bacon isn't any good for me. I do think the smell annoys them. Makes them hungry?

 

[QSis]

I cook the whole pound in the oven all at once, by using the aforementioned "foiling two cooking sheets, then laying cake racks on top of the sheets and laying on the slices of bacon" method. Bake at 350 and check on them in a half hour to see if they are done enough.

I like to leave most of it a little underdone, so when I nuke a few slices for a BLT, it won't be OVERdone.

I SO love bacon.

Lee

 

[StirBlue]

The bacon that I made in the oven was crisp but it was greasy. The bacon that I make in the toaster oven is crisp and dry. My crispy bacon is not slinky.

 

[Constance]

My aunt always did that when she had a lot of bacon to cook. She used the broiler pan, but Altons idea of a rack on a baking sheet would accomplish the same thing.

 

[auntdot]

Cooking a lb or two, use the oven. It works great.

In the Kitchen, who are your neighbors, vegans?

Most folks think there is nothing better than the smell of cooking bacon.

 

[StirBlue]

lb or 2 lbs..............no, I'm just cooking 4 slices.

 

[VeraBlue]

When you have to make bacon by the case, it's impractical to cook it on a grill or stove top. We bake it all the time. Preheat the oven, it's important to have a hot oven, just like you'd have a hot pan. You could even heat the baking sheet in the oven, as well...

At work, the bacon comes in sheets, layed out on parchment. We bake it right on the parchment, on the pan. The parchment helps absorb some of the grease. You can or cannot do this step, it's up to you. Lay the slices out, side by side. Don't be afraid to overlap them, remember, they'll shrink. You don't have to flip them as you would in a frying pan, either. My convection oven usually finishes them in about 10 minutes. How you like it will determine the time. Check after 8 minutes.

 

[VeraBlue]

Cover a baking sheet with foil and bake at 350-375(cant remember) until crisp. From what I remember, if you get the temperature right the oil won't be jumping out of the pan.

If you cover the bacon, it will steam....

 

[candelbc]

I prefer to always bake my bacon. I just following the directions on the package.

I also prefer to use a "Jerky" tray to allow the grease to drip down properly. It's basically a Stainless Steel Cookie Cooling rack that you put in the oven..

Kinda like this: Cabela's 3-Tier Oven Jerky Tray

 

[skilletlicker]

I've never cooked bacon in the oven and have a question about it. Doesn't it force you to clean the oven a lot more often?

To me, the worst chore in the kitchen, maybe in the house, is cleaning the oven.

 

[stinemates]

If you cover the bacon, it will steam....

I think you misread or I mistyped..

I cover the baking pan (for easier cleanup) with foil and put the bacon on TOP.

Never tried the rack, though, will have to!

 

[VeraBlue]

ah, yes, I thought you meant cover the bacon...so sorry.

 

[VeraBlue]

I've never cooked bacon in the oven and have a question about it. Doesn't it force you to clean the oven a lot more often?

To me, the worst chore in the kitchen, maybe in the house, is cleaning the oven.

What is "cleaning the oven"??

Actually, it doesn't splatter overmuch. You've got a big space and one small pan in there for little more than 15 minutes. Not nearly as bad as a leg of lamb or a duck!

 

[StirBlue]

Why are restaurants not using precooked bacon?