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I prefer to cook bacon in the oven. It’s so much easier than on the stove or in the microwave. They are all done at the same time and you can do the whole package at once, I often do 2 trays using convection mode.
Use a heavy-duty baking sheet that has sides. Line with aluminum foil or parchment paper and bake in a 400° oven for 10 to 30 minutes depending on thickness and or until desired crispiness has been achieved. You do not need to preheat the oven, the bacon can go in while it’s heating up. Lay the bacon out in a single layer on your baking sheet. If you overlap them they will stick together. They do shrink quite a bit so it’s okay if they are touching, just not overlapping too much.
I start checking on the bacon around 10 minutes in, thin bacon will take less time to cook. You also might want to pour off some of the grease if it’s getting too deep, you don’t want the bacon completely submerged. You can flip the bacon over halfway through cooking but it’s not necessary to do so. This pack of bacon was pretty fatty so it shrunk a lot, which is fine when you are using it in recipes, like Baked Cabbage and Bacon or Broccoli Salad.
Once the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, remove it immediately and place it on paper towels to soak up the bacon grease.
I also save the bacon grease to use as a replacement for butter or shortening in other recipes. You can store your bacon grease in a cool dark place to prevent it from going bad, it also stores well in the freezer or refrigerator. If you don’t want to save the grease just allow it to solidify a little on the aluminum foil, then crumple the foil around it and toss it in the trash.
Oven Baked Bacon
Equipment
- Sided baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 package bacon
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°, you don't need to preheat. Line a sided baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Lay the bacon on the sheet side by side. A little overlapping is fine as they will shrink.
- Cook the bacon for 10-30 minutes. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your bacon, and how long it takes for your oven to come to temperature. Start checking your bacon at around 10 minutes to ensure your bacon doesn’t burn.
- Once the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, remove it immediately and place it on paper towels to soak up the bacon grease.
