Cooking bacon doesn’t have to be filled with splashes and splatters – this Easy Oven Bacon recipe cooks a whole pound of bacon to perfection in the oven!
Why the HECK Should I Cook Bacon in the Oven?
What’s the deal with Easy Oven Bacon? Why would anybody do this? There are many things that I consider myself to be good at but cooking bacon is something that I usually leave up to my husband. I am just not good at it. I seem to overcook it if I try, whether it is in a frying pan or the microwave. Also, I hate bacon grease splattering on me and if I cook bacon in the microwave it ends up petrified!
Cooking bacon in the oven is SO convenient!
If you’re just doing a few slices of bacon, bring on the frying pan! But when you’re cooking for a crowd, this makes perfect sense. My favorite reason – no standing over a splattery pan trying to monitor everything at once while trying to be a great hostess.
Another reason… a lot of the recipes that I share here call for cooked bacon. My recipe for Bacon Cheddar Baked Potato Skins, for example. DELICIOUS with oven bacon! Of course you can buy precooked bacon in the grocery store store but it is expensive and it doesn’t really taste the same.
Simple solution – make your own easy oven bacon!
Can I Cook a Whole Pound of Bacon at Once?
Yes! I have never been successful at cooking the whole pound on one baking sheet though. I have found it is better to have two. If you overlap the bacon, it can take longer for it to cook and also, chances are good that it will all stick together and make a sheet of bacon. By spreading it out over two baking sheets, it cooks evenly and the pieces stay individual!
Do I Have to Flip the Bacon Slices as they Cook in the Oven?
Nope. I do like to rotate the baking sheets when I am doing two at once. My oven is older and the heat doesn’t seem to be very even on the best of days. I found that switching the top sheet to the bottom halfway through gives me the best results. But the bacon slices themselves, they come out great without getting flipped.
How to Make Easy Oven Bacon
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. While the oven is heating, take a pound of bacon and lay out the pieces evenly on oven proof cooling racks, leaving spaces between. Set the racks on top of baking trays.
If you aren’t going to save the bacon grease for another use, you can line the baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. It makes for an easier clean up.
I almost always make this a pound at a time, no matter what the reason so a single baking sheet doesn’t really work for me. If you are making less and you can make it fit onto one, absolutely do so. I spread the bacon evenly over two metal cooling racks on two baking sheets with the slices are barely touching each other. Both go into the oven at the same time.
After the bacon has been in the oven for 10 minutes, rotate the trays from top to bottom and cook for another 10 minutes, checking the cook on the bacon. Depending on how you like your bacon, or your plans for it’s use, it may be done at this point.
My family likes bacon a little more cooked than less, so I rotate the trays once more and do another 4 minutes. 24 minutes total. It is not super crispy but it is nicely cooked and the majority of the grease has all dripped off into the bottom baking trays so it is not greasy.
I just pat it with some paper towels and it is ready to use. It is easy and delicious and I cooked it without being splattered by any bacon grease.
It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. Enjoy!
Other Tasty & easy Recipes You May Like
Bacon Cheddar Baked Potato Skins – Game day smack or weeknight dinner! Delicious and so easy!
Bite Sized Sausage Rolls – the BEST bite sized sausage rolls that I have ever tasted. Yum.
Quick and Easy Bruschetta – restaurant quality Bruschetta is hiding in the ingredients in your refrigerator!
Southwest Egg Rolls – Delicious in the deep fryer OR the Air Fryer and so easy to make.
Party Pretzel Bites – these delicious little bites are addictive!
Easy Oven Bacon
Equipment
- 2 Baking Sheets
- 2 Cooling Racks
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium-thick sliced bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set the racks in the middle.
- Place a cooling rack onto each baking sheet and lay the bacon slices out evenly in a single layer so that they are barely touching each other.
- Once the oven has preheated, place the baking sheets into the oven.
- Cook for ten minutes then rotate the trays and cook for another ten minutes.
- Check the cook of the bacon. If you want it a little crispier, rotate the trays again and cook for up to an additional 4 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and pat with paper towels to remove any excess grease.
- Use immediately or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Enjoy!
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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