Oven Bacon Recipe

You'll simply need 8 ounces of bacon to make this recipe. That's typically one package:

I like to use medium-thickness slices. Not too thick and not too thin. If you use any other thickness, you'll need to slightly adjust the cooking time.

Note that some bacon packages contain 12 ounces. If you use one of these packages, you'll need to use two sheet pans.

You can sprinkle the bacon slices with spices before baking them. But that's completely optional.

Tasty options include freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. You can also use a pinch of cayenne if you like spicy food.

Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and fit it with a wire rack.

Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the wire rack.

Place the pan in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Pull the pan out of the oven. Use tongs to transfer the bacon slices to a plate, then serve.

If you use wire racks, there's no need to place the bacon on paper towels to drain it. If you don't use racks, place the bacon on paper towels for a couple of minutes.

A wire rack is helpful

I like my bacon crispy, so I arrange it on stainless steel wire racks. The wire racks can be washed in the dishwasher, so cleanup is easy. But they're not mandatory. You can simply line your pan with foil or parchment paper and arrange the bacon slices directly on them.

Use a rimmed baking sheet

When cooking bacon in the oven, you should always use a rimmed baking sheet to prevent grease from dripping onto the oven floor and potentially causing a grease fire.

Prevent grease splatters

In my experience, the bacon shouldn't splatter too badly. But if preventing splatters is important to you, a simple method is to loosely cover it while it cooks with a sheet of parchment paper.

If you like your bacon chewy, I suggest you start checking it after 15 minutes in the oven. For somewhat crispy bacon, start checking after 20 minutes. And for very crispy bacon, start checking after 25 minutes.

Remember that oven temperatures vary, so the time it takes to achieve your desired results in your oven might differ from these guidelines.

Here's a visual guide to different levels of bacon doneness:

When you're done cooking, there will be lots of grease in the bottom of your pan. Please don't pour it down the drain; it will clog your sink!

What you do with the grease left in the pan is up to you. You can simply mop it with paper towels and throw them in the trash.

If you'd like to use the grease (it's delicious), strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a glass jar. Then seal it and keep it in the fridge for later use. It can stay in the fridge for up to three months.

You can use it in any savory recipe that requires fat for cooking. It's especially good when cooking eggs, so I often use it when making soft-scrambled eggs or an egg white omelet.

Other recipes where you can successfully use bacon fat instead of oil or butter include fried hard-boiled eggs and spinach and eggs scramble.

Most of us serve bacon for breakfast with eggs. It goes particularly well with fluffy scrambled eggs, and you can cook the bacon first, then use the rendered fat to cook the eggs.

Oven bacon can also be used in lunch and dinner recipes, such as:

• Lettuce sandwich
• Cobb salad
• Avocado chicken salad
• Broccoli salad
• Bacon deviled eggs

You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for about 4 days. Reheat them, covered in a paper towel, in the microwave at 50% power.

You can also eat the leftovers cold. Seriously, cold leftover bacon is delicious. Kind of like eating cold deli meat, but even better because it's bacon.