If you've never tried beef bacon, you should! It's fabulous. Fatty and flavorful, it's an excellent alternative to pork bacon. Cooking it is easy. You can pan-fry it, but since I make an entire package at a time, I find it easiest to bake it in the oven.
I tried beef bacon for the first time a few months ago in a restaurant. I was immediately hooked! It wasn't as crispy as oven bacon, but it was incredibly flavorful. Back home, I discovered I could buy this bacon at Whole Foods Market and immediately started experimenting. The recipe below is my preferred way of cooking this rich and flavorful bacon.
Ingredients
You'll only need one ingredient to make this recipe - an 8-ounce package of smoked uncured beef bacon. I use the Wellshire Farms brand:
Once you open the package, you should get about 8 slices, some wider and some narrower, but all of them cut very thin:
Variations
As with any other type of bacon, you can sprinkle it with seasonings before cooking it. This works exceptionally well with oven-baking.
Good options include garlic powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, and dried thyme. My personal favorite? A sprinkle of smoked paprika. I love the smoky flavor it adds.
Instructions
There are three main methods for cooking this bacon: broiling, pan-frying, and oven-baking. Let's elaborate.
Broiling
Arrange the slices on a foil-lined, broiler-safe, rimmed baking sheet. Set the oven to broil on high (500°F) and position a rack 6 inches below the heating element (not directly below). Broil the bacon until browned, about 7 minutes. Keep a close eye on it so that it doesn't burn.
Pan-Frying
This is suitable if you're making half a package, as the whole package won't fit into one skillet. But you could always use two skillets or a double-burner griddle. Place the slices in a large cold skillet. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until browned, turning often, for a total of about 10 minutes.
Oven-Baking
This is my preferred method. Here's an overview of the steps. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below.
Place the bacon slices on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
Bake them in a 400°F oven until they are browned. This should take 15-20 minutes. In my oven, it takes 20 minutes.
Place the bacon briefly on paper towels, then serve.
Expert Tips
- Regardless of the preparation method, you should place the cooked bacon strips on paper towels to absorb extra grease and stop the cooking process.
- You can strain the rendered fat, save it in an airtight container in the fridge, and use it for cooking. The rendered fat is tallow, perfect in many recipes or just for frying eggs. I like to use it in this fluffy scrambled eggs recipe.
Recipe FAQs
This bacon comes from the belly of the cow, the part also used to make pastrami. It's perfect for bacon because it's well-marbled and has a great beefy flavor that the smoking process highlights.
It's a matter of personal taste, but to me, it's at least as good. It's not as crispy, but it's very rich and has a wonderful beefy flavor and lots of beautiful marbling.
No. Unlike pork bacon, which you can microwave into crispy perfection (check out this recipe for microwave bacon), this bacon should be pan-fried, broiled, or oven-baked. It needs to be browned, and the microwave can't do that.
Serving Suggestions
This delicious bacon is an obvious choice for breakfast or brunch. I like to serve it with fried eggs, as seen in the photos on this page. It's not too difficult to time cooking the eggs to the last 5 minutes the bacon needs to spend in the oven.
I sometimes pair it with keto biscuits, breakfast tomatoes, breakfast mushrooms, or egg muffins.
You can also use this bacon in many recipes that call for pork bacon, such as Cobb salad, lettuce sandwich, and avocado chicken salad.
Another option is to turn it into lunch by adding a veggie such as tomatoes or boiled green beans, as shown in the photos below:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They're delicious cold (yes, seriously), and you can also reheat them very briefly in the microwave, covered in a paper towel. Start with a few seconds for every two slices and see if you need to add more. The reheated slices will be chewy but still very tasty.
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Recipe Card
Oven-Baked Beef Bacon
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces beef bacon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. It's okay if they touch each other, but they should not be stacked.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake the bacon strips until well browned, for 15-20 minutes. Be careful when removing the pan from the oven - its bottom will have quite a bit of hot rendered fat.
- Using tongs, remove the strips to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can strain the rendered fat, save it in an airtight container in the fridge, and use it for cooking.
- The nutrition info was taken from the Wellshire Farms package.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. They're actually delicious cold (yes, seriously), and you can also reheat them very briefly in the microwave, covered in a paper towel. Start with just a few seconds for every two slices and see if you need to add more. The reheated slices will be chewy but still very tasty.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Ruth says
Have used this method several times, always good. Finding a way to bake and freeze for quick breakfast prep was quite helpful. Thanks!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Ruth!