Bacon is one of the oldest cured meats in history, and it was first introduced in 1500 BC when the Chinese began salting pork belly. Today, most people can agree that eating a strip or two of crispy and smoky bacon is one of life’s greatest pleasures. However, cooking bacon while standing over a hot stove while watching out for popping bacon grease is not a very pleasant thing to do. That’s why in this article, we are here to show you a way that you can have the best of both worlds. A hassle-free, hands-free technique for cooking perfectly crispy bacon in the oven.
Why Cook Bacon in the Oven?
Here the advantages of cooking bacon in the oven instead of frying them in a pan:
- It allows you to cook a big batch of bacon – Sure there’s something nostalgic about cooking bacon in a cast iron skillet and it’s okay if you’re cooking bacon just for yourself. But if you have to cook a pound or more of bacon for your Saturday brunch or some special occasion, it is best if you opt to cook your bacon in the oven. Cooking it in the allows you to fit a pound of medium-thick bacon on a single baking sheet and if you need to cook more, you can put two baking sheets at once.
- It cooks bacon evenly – Cooking your bacon in the oven leaves you with no soggy pieces. It gives you nice, crispy, and evenly cooked bacon all the time.
- You don’t need to flip your bacon in the oven – Cooking bacon in the oven is easy and there is no monitoring or flipping involved. All you have to do is lay your bacon on a baking sheet, put it in the oven and set the timer. You can leave it there to cook or watch it as it gradually becomes golden, crispy, and irresistible.
- Oven cooked bacon is more crispy – Cooking bacon in the oven gives you a deep and evenly crispiness without the risk of burning your bacon.
- You don’t have to deal with splattering oil – You won’t ever have to deal with painful oil splatters ever again if you cook your bacon in the oven.
It is best to use a rack when you’re cooking bacon in the oven. An oven bacon rack is just like an oven-safe cooling rack we use for cooling cookies. This rack lets all the bacon fats drip down so the fat can easily separate from the bacon to give you a nice and crispy result.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
The first thing you have to know when cooking bacon in the oven is what type of bacon you should cook. There are several types and sizes that are available in the market such as hickory smoked bacon, uncured, applewood, and cured bacon.
Now that we got that covered, you can follow these recipes in cooking your bacon in the oven:
- This recipe shows you the different outcome when you cook bacon in the oven on a cooling rack and a baking sheet. It also shows you the steps on how to cook on both of them.
- This is a simple recipe if you want a fast and uncomplicated way of cooking bacon in the oven. If you are looking for an easy-to-follow recipe, we suggest that you follow this one.
- If you are cooking for several people, then this recipe is the right one for you because it shows you how to cook larger quantities of bacon in the oven. This recipe gives you the steps on how to cook larger amounts of bacon in the oven with a crispy and flavorful outcome.
Now that we laid down all the advantages as well as a few tips and tricks of cooking your bacon in the oven, it’s time for you to try it and get a healthier, crispier, and flavorful bacon every breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Trust us, after you let your friends and family taste your oven-cooked bacon, they will be asking for it every time they visit you in your house.