There was a time that I despised cooking bacon; I avoided it at all costs… When I cooked it on the stovetop, there was the spatter of hot bacon grease which made a mess and of course inevitably, the hot grease would spit up at me, which is never enjoyable.
Then I tried cooking it in the microwave, it was a struggle… always undercooked or overcooked and no matter how many layers of paper towel I embedded the bacon between, the microwave was always a mess of bacon grease when the cooking was done.
Then one day I went to my dear friend Debbie’s for dinner, she was making a Caesar salad I watched as she prepared the bacon.
She laid the strips of bacon out on a broiler pan – a broiler pan; yes that’s what that thing is called in case you were wondering…
I frankly did not know what a broiler pan was, prior to that evening; I just thought it was this odd slotted thing that came with ovens.
Anyway, as I was saying… she laid the strips of bacon onto the broiler pan and simply put it in the oven. No spattering mess, no bacon grease, no burns to speak of.
The bacon fat drains through the slots in the broiler pan and it collects in the bottom sheet. When the bacon looks done, simply pull it out of the oven and lay the bacon onto a few sheets of paper towel, it’s that easy.
The bacon comes out perfectly every time and it doesn’t curl up and misshape, it looks as fabulous as it tastes.
This was life changing! Bacon is no longer my enemy; I happily add bacon to my Caesar salad, my perogies my baked potatoes or whatever meal my husband figures he can somehow incorporate bacon into (the man LOVES his bacon).
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Lay bacon on the broiler pan, season with some freshly cracked black pepper
- Put it on the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it
- Remove bacon from pan, immediately transfer to a plate layered with paper towel, cover bacon with another layer of paper towel and gently press down, this helps to remove any lingering bacon grease, serve immediately
The end result is bacon perfection… bake your bacon, who would of thought.
Do you cook your bacon in the oven? I am the only person on the planet that is new to this method?
I’m a self proclaimed recipe maven, wine enthusiast and above all a loving wife. To learn more about me please visit my about page or, follow me on twitter. If you have a question, comment or suggestions feel free to contact me. Thanks for stopping by.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: erinbrowne
March 26, 2010 at 7:55 AM
Smart idea! I’ve always used a pan (though I haven’t cooked bacon in about 6 years) and hated the mess. I bet those slots on the broiler pan are a devil to clean, though!
Erin B of Brownie Bites´s last blog ..Weekend at the Cabin
AWESOME!!! I love all your cooking tips. I have never heard of baking bacon in the oven but I will definitely try this next time. I’m with Erin, though — isn’t the broiler pan a major pain to clean??
Kathleen Quiring´s last blog ..Why You Shouldn’t Marry Early (Or Ever)
Twitter: Mrs_Shannon_O
March 26, 2010 at 11:47 AM
The broiler pan is not at all hard to clean; the trick is to clean it right away.
I literally use my oven mitts to put the pan right in the sick and start cleaning it right then, use use the scrubber side of my sponge, and as long as the grease is hot it comes right off.
If you let the pan cool, it does get a little trickier.
Well: there’s useful bacon-related tip #2, then! Thanks, Shannon!
Kathleen Quiring´s last blog ..Why You Shouldn’t Marry Early (Or Ever)
There’s a way to avoid having to clean the broiler pan: put the bacon on a flat and thin meatloaf, cook 20-30 min., and then give the meat loaf to the dog, or if the dog prefers Chateau Briand, put the bacon between two steaks and burn the steaks in the broiler — the steaks will be ruined for human consumption but still edible, and the bacon will be perfect. However, it is necessary to have the King’s fire department standing by and they need to be fed also (but they’re neat and will clean all the dishes)
Twitter: Mrs_Shannon_O
March 28, 2010 at 7:59 PM
LOL!
I bet all of the solutions listed above will create the best bacon known to man, woman and child…
Shannon taught me this trick personally. Since I don’t have a broiler pan, I use a couple of cooling racks for cookies. I put a piece of parchement paper on the bottom of the cookie sheet, and that makes for a slightly less messy clean up.
As a vegetarian, it was a way I could make bacon for my sweetie without all the mess!
Twitter: Mrs_Shannon_O
March 28, 2010 at 8:01 PM
I love that, then you can just throw the parchement paper out… another great option.
This is brilliant! I *hate* cooking bacon – it’s always so painful. I am definitely going to try this next time – thank you!
Oh my gosh! That is awesomely brilliant. I hate frying bacon and this sounds so much better. Does baking bacon smell up your whole house the same way frying does?
Jes Cady´s last blog ..The Vacation That Wasn’t