The baking bacon method is much easier than frying it up in a pan. Give it a try and you’ll see that it’s the best way to cook bacon without the mess, too!
Who doesn’t love the delicious taste of freshly criped bacon? Or, adding bacon into recipes like my Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole or even wrapped chicken tenders.
Recently, one of the low carb cookbooks I read suggests cooking bacon in the oven to prevent messy splatters from pan frying. It seemed like such a great way to cook a lot of bacon at once.
I eat a lot of bacon so I was looking for a better way to cook it. And I had never thought of a baking bacon before. But, it sounded like a good idea.
I absolutely hate the mess that results from frying the bacon in a pan. It splatters everywhere and it seems I’m cleaning up grease for years after.
And, I end up spending a long time standing at the cooktop when frying. It’s because the whole package of bacon never fits in one pan. Or, if I try to squeeze too much in, they all get shriveled.
If you have not tried the baking bacon method, you must give it a try. I guarantee you will never fry bacon again! It’s the easiest way to cook bacon and make it look picture perfect.
Last week I tried cooking bacon on a rack in the oven for the first time. It was so simple without a big mess. I did line the pan with foil which helps in cleanup.
Personally, I will never go back to frying bacon in a pan ever again. It’s just so much easier to do in the oven instead. And, the bacon doesn’t get all shriveled up.
The best part is that a whole package of bacon can be cooked at once. And, there’s no need to stand over a cooktop with the exhaust fan going.
How to Bake Bacon
All you have to do when baking bacon is to lay all the strips out on a rack in a rimmed pan. Then, you simply put them in the oven and wait for the timer to beep.
I just use two standard sized rimmed jellyroll pans. Then, I put wire baking cooling racks on top. A full package of bacon fits nicely on the two pans.
The bacon is raised up while cooking so it doesn’t get soaked in grease. What results is nicely crisped strips without fuss. And, you don’t even need to flip the strips.
Easy Cleanup After Cooking Bacon in the Oven
The cleanup after baking bacon is so easy as well. You just have to pour off the grease in the pans and scrub down the racks. Even if using a dishwasher, it’s best to hand wash first.
You will need a good scrubber to wash the rack off. After the initial scrub, I put it everything in the dishwasher because I find it’s the best way to clean the grease off.
To make cleanup even easier, you can line the pans with aluminum foil. Then, when it’s all done, just toss the grease and used foil in the garbage.
It really doesn’t get much easier than this. And, you’ll get super crisp bacon that isn’t all shriveled up. I can’t believe it took me so long to discover this method of cooking bacon.
And, the bacon strips come out pretty flat. To make it even crispier, you’ll want to blot up the grease from each strip of bacon with a paper towel.
A Word of Caution When Making Bacon in the Oven
There is one bit of caution I should mention. The bacon grease may set off your smoke alarm if it smokes in the oven. But, I’ve learned a simple trick for that.
To prevent the grease from smoking when baking bacon, there’s one simple thing to do. Place a pan of water on the lower rack. That seems to do the trick!
Why Baking is the Best Way to Cook Bacon
Once you give this method of cooking bacon in the oven a try, you’ll never go back to pan frying. You may even want to have separate baking racks just to use for bacon.
Since learning this method, I use racks to cook anything wrapped in bacon like this chicken tenders recipe. It’s a great way to bake a lot of things instead of frying.
I love that the bacon isn’t drowning in the grease. And, there’s less splattering mess as well. So, the food comes out nice and crisp on the outside.
You do need to watch out for bacon grease dripping off the sides of the pan. It will make a greasy and sticky mess on the bottom of the oven. But, it’s quick to remove with a self-cleaning oven.
However, it’s best to make sure you have some kind of catch pan underneath if the strips get too close to the edge. The other option is to just keep the bacon away from the edges.
If you’re on a ketogenic diet, you’ll likely be eating lots of bacon. Some people have actually taken it to the extreme. Take a look at what happens when you eat only bacon for a month!
Printable Instructions for Baking Bacon
Baking Bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Set cooling racks on top of jelly roll pans and spray lightly with non-stick spray.
- Line bacon on cooling racks. Be careful not to overlap the bacon.
- Bake for about 20 minutes.
- Transfer cooked slices to paper towels to absorb excess grease.
- For easier cleanup, line pans with aluminum foil and put bacon directly on the foil.
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Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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Sandy says
I have tried twice to bake my bacon and both times my smoke alarms went off and smoke filled my kitchen. I place the pan of water on bottom rack also. Did not help!
I have made sure bacon stays on the rack also. Help what am I doing wrong? Is it better to put it in a cold oven? Lower temp?
Lisa says
Recently, I’ve had the same issue. I think it’s just a problem with the grease coming out while baking as I always put it in a cold oven. I’m not sure if a lower temp would help, but it’s worth a try.
Connie Cordova says
I cook my bacon in the oven like suggested BUT I twist it first (fits 1# easily on the pan/rack) AND I cook it at 300º for about an hour. Actually, I put in the oven when I get up at 0500 (early riser, go figure!) put it in a cold oven heat it to 300º turn it off after an hour and let it sit in the oven until we are ready to eat it. NO smoke ever and our bacon is crispy and delicious…no burned pieces…
Karen Hall says
My husband has been doing this for some time. He did find (on Amazon) a rack which exactly fits the large jelly roll pan. If not using it immediately, you can just slightly undercook it, store in frig in a zip lock bag, and then briefly microwave to complete the cooking. We also save the bacon grease for cooking.
Lisa says
Great tip for reheating later!
Betsy says
To make cleanup even easier, once bacon is cooked and grease is poured out (of course I save the grease for cooking), then I put the rack back into the pan upside down and fill the pan with hot soapy water and let soak for a while.
Lisa says
Great tip!
Lee Ann says
I use the grill pan, rub it down with coconut oil, and bake at 375–time varies due to thickness of bacon…flip once, have no smoke, and clean up is real easy as the coconut oil keeps the bacon from sticking! Plus I have added fat and flavor when I save the bacon grease for cooking!
Bruna C.O. says
I couldn’t agree more!
It’s a lot easyer! We don’t ususally have smoke detectors at houses here in Brazil, so that’s not a problem hahaha !!!
But I haven’t notice smoke in my oven!!
A good tip is to store the grease in the refrigerator, and you can use it to other recipes!
=)
The other day I did a “baconnaise”! I used only bacon grease ant thought the taste was too strong, but my husband and my uncle liked it! I think next time I’ll try with half bacon grease and half coconnut!
Thanks Lisa!
Lisa says
Love the idea of baconnaise! It’s such a great fat to add to other things.
Robyn says
I was concerned about the smoke as well. I bake mine at 375° for 25 minutes. No smoke.
Lisa says
My husband likes his well done so 400°F works best for us.
IDontCook says
Would be a good idea if it didn’t make my oven smoke like a chimney. Yes I put a cookie sheet under the bacon. Yes I covered it in tinfoil for good measure. Yes my smoke alarms went off. Yes I gave up with 6 minutes to go because I had that much smoke coming out. Just fry it for heaven’s sake.
Lisa says
I’ve had my smoke alarm go off a couple times, but it was when the bacon hung over the side and dripped down. I still prefer this method to frying because I can cook a lot more without having to stand and watch while it cooks.