Cooking bacon in the oven is one of my favorite kitchen hacks. It's an easy way to make crispy bacon that doesn't take up stovetop space, there's no dealing with grease splatters, and using aluminum foil makes cleanup a breeze. Once you try this recipe, you'll never make bacon on the stove again!
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This method of cooking bacon is so simple that it's hard to even call it an official "recipe". Working in various foodservice roles, I discovered this game-changing way to make perfect bacon every time!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No-mess - Avoid grease splatter coming from a hot skillet full of bacon fat cooking away on the stovetop. After cooking the bacon, allow the grease to cool, roll the foil up in a ball and throw in the trash making cleanup so easy!
- Make a little or a lot - Make a few slices, a whole pound, or multiple pans of bacon using this method. This recipe is great to free up stove space for a hearty breakfast, or making a big batch to use for meal prep.
- Perfect bacon every time - Cooking long strips of bacon in a round pan just never has made the most sense to me. Cooking it on a sheet pan ensures the pieces cook evenly and keep their shape resulting in perfect slices of bacon to enjoy.
Ingredient Notes
This recipe only requires one ingredient: bacon! Bacon is made of cured and typically smoked pork belly. Regular or thick-cut can be used, thickness will just affect the cooking time. Using the timing listed as a guide, but follow your nose and check on the bacon throughout cooking.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. If using regular foil it doesn't matter which side faces up. The difference in finish is just a result of production. Specific "non-stick" foil has a dull side that has a non-stick coating applied to it.
Step 2: Lay bacon slices onto sheet pan so they are not touching. They can be closer to each other, but should not be overlapping. The bacon will shrink as it cooks. More than one pan may be needed depending how much you need to make.
Step 3: Place sheet pan on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 12-20 minutes until bacon is done. Timing will vary depending on thickness of bacon and your oven which is why the cooking time range is so broad. Start checking the bacon at 12 minutes and keep baking until dark golden and crispy.
If doing multiple pans, rotate them about halfway through to ensure even cooking.
Step 4: Remove from the oven and place bacon slices on paper towels to remove excess grease.
Serving Tips
Serve bacon as part of a breakfast or brunch spread or in a variety of recipes such as BLT's, clubhouse sandwiches, crumbled in salads, or virtually anything that requires bacon slices!
Storage Tips
If bacon isn't used right away, allow it cool completely before placing in an airtight container and storing in the refrigerator. Cooked bacon will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.
Cooked bacon can also be frozen by placing cooled, cooked slices on a slice of parchment or wax paper on a sheet pan. Place in freezer for 2 hours until completely frozen. Transfer frozen slices to a freezer bag. Cooked bacon can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Perfect for meal prep!
FAQ
No need to flip it! It will come out evenly cooked on the aluminum foil. This is one of my favorite things about making bacon this way!
There shouldn't be any splatter when making the bacon in the oven. Just be sure to use a sheet pan with sides. Once the bacon is done, allow the grease to cool on the aluminum foil, roll it up into a ball and throw it away. SO easy!
Making bacon in the oven allows the bacon to cook at an even heat while cooking in its own fat. All pieces are done at the same time and you minimize the chances of burning parts of the bacon.
Turkey bacon can be cooked in a similar way, but will need to be flipped on the pan about halfway through cooking because of the lower fat content.
Other Recipes You'll Love
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How to Cook Bacon in the Oven (With Aluminum Foil)
Ingredients
- 1 # bacon or however much you need to cook!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
- Lay bacon slices onto sheet pan so they are not touching. More than one pan may be needed.
- Place sheet pan on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 12-20 minutes until bacon is done. If doing multiple pans, rotate them about halfway through cooking.
- Remove from the oven and place bacon slices on paper towels to remove excess grease.
Notes
- Timing will vary depending on thickness of bacon and your oven which is why the cooking time range is so broad. Start checking the bacon at 12 minutes and keep baking until dark golden and crispy.
David says
So much better than making in a skillet. Will be making it this way from now on.
Carl Noechel says
I don’t like the smell of stale bacon that lingers in the house so I use the Weber gas grill. Take a long piece of foil and double it over to sheet pan size. Fold up the edges about a half inch and pinch the corners to keep the grease contained. Place the bacon as per above. Use a cutting board under the foil to move it from the house to the grill. Put the foil pan on the grill before turning it on to medium. Turn bacon every 4 minutes. 15-18 minutes till done. Turn off grill, leave foil to cool, place paper towels you used to drain the bacon on the grease. Let it all cool, fold it up and put it right into the garbage, or into a sealed plastic bag until garbage day.