Baking Bacon in the Oven on a Rack

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

5 from 3 votes

Print

Baking Bacon

Cooking bacon on a rack in the oven is much easier than frying it in a pan. This method raises the meat in the pan so the strips aren't loaded with grease.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 20 slices

Calories 84 kcal

Author Lisa | Low Carb Yum

Ingredients

• 1 package bacon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Set cooling racks on top of jelly roll pans and spray lightly with non-stick spray.
3. Line bacon on cooling racks. Be careful not to overlap the bacon.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes.
5. Transfer cooked slices to paper towels to absorb excess grease.
6. For easier cleanup, line pans with aluminum foil and put bacon directly on the foil.

Nutrition Facts

Baking Bacon

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 84 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6g 9%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 18mg 6%

Sodium 384mg 16%

Potassium 94mg 3%

Protein 6g 12%

Iron 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.