Everyone in my family loves bacon, so sometimes I need big batches for family gatherings. Whether making a little or a lot, Oven-Roasted Bacon cuts down on the mess and frees your stovetop up for other breakfast goodies.
With Bacon Boy and the Bacon Princess among the offspring, bacon is an absolute requirement at family breakfast gatherings around here. For our last family brunch I made two and a half pounds of it. We could have eaten more, but hey, I have to draw the line somewhere.
Growing up, there was one way to make bacon: in a frying pan on the stove top. Its need for incessant tending is quite inconvenient when you’re trying to get a range of other dishes together, and occasionally it’s dangerous, especially in hot weather when more skin is exposed and vulnerable to spattering fat. Ouch! And the mess … the whole stovetop, the counters and cupboards next to it and the floor can get greasy.
Oven-Roasted Bacon
So it was a revelation of the highest order to me some ten years ago when I found a technique for oven roasting bacon in one of Ina Garten’s cookbooks (you can see her method here). This may be old news to you, but I’d wager that the first time you heard about it, you felt the same frisson of excitement that I did. No constant monitoring, clean up is easy—just let the bacon fat solidify, then fold up the parchment and discard it, or scrape off the solidified fat to save it—and you can still have your bacon as soft or crispy as you like.
Just line a sheet pan with parchment paper or tin foil, optionally set metal racks on it, lay on the bacon and roast it until done to your liking. For years I used the racks, but I didn’t have enough for big batches and they didn’t fit my sheet pans properly. Frankly, they were awkward and a bit of a pain. Lately, I’ve simply been laying the bacon directly on the parchment paper and roasting away.
I did a test last week using both methods for comparison purposes. I have to say, I preferred the direct-parchment-version, and not just because it was easier come clean up time — it cooked faster to a crispy yet still pliable texture. Experiment complete, I enjoyed breakfast for dinner.
If you’re already familiar with this method of cooking bacon, this post may be a bit of a yawn for you. But if you haven’t tried it, do! Sometimes a simple change in technique makes a huge difference.
Let’s Roast Some Bacon
Roasting bacon in the oven cuts down on the splattered grease mess, makes more room available on the stovetop, and is a fast way to prepare big batches. It keeps both the cook and the bacon lovers in your life happy!
- desired quantity of the side or streaky bacon of your choice
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Pre-heat the oven to 400 ℉ and line as many baking trays as you need with parchment paper or foil.
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Place the bacon strips on the prepared tray. If you're making a lot they can be very close together or even touching since the bacon shrinks as it cooks. Place in the pre-heated oven and roast for 15 minutes for well-done but still pliable bacon. My family likes their bacon super -rispy so I leave it in a few minutes longer for them. Since ovens and tastes vary, use trial and error to achieve just the texture you prefer.
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Once cooked, remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate or tray, and top with more paper towel to absorb excess fat before serving.
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Set the baking tray aside to cool until the bacon fat has solidified. Then you can fold up and discard the parchment paper. If you want to save the bacon fat, scrape it off and store.
If you’re cooking the bacon at the same time as another dish that requires a slightly lower temperature, just leave it in longer. I’ve made it at 375 ℉ before and it turned out fine; I haven’t made it at a lower temperature.
First Published 2015 05 09
Updated 2022 10 22
glad you are back . and what a great idea . this is how I will cook my bacon now…..
Thank you Suzanne. Let me know how you like this method once you’ve tried it!
Hi, Marlene. Wondering, does the bacon splatter up the oven much?
Hi Jennifer — I haven’t had any issues with that, such as smoking the next time the oven heats up or even a bacon smell. For instance, the next thing I baked after this batch of bacon was peanut butter cookies, and I didn’t notice anything ‘bacony’ when I put them into the oven.
I’ll try it next time. We don’t eat a lot of bacon, but when we do, we enjoy every bite!
I usually only make it when the fam is coming over, although this is an easy way to make just a few strips at a time for myself once in a while. Let me know how you like this method!
Oh I am hungry as I read this Marlene! I hadn’t thought of cooking bacon directly on parchment paper, I admit, so will definitely try this next time, thanks for the great tip! We don’t eat it a lot but it is nice to have when the kids are all home and we have a ‘full English’ 🙂
I love the thought of a full English breakfast, Sherri, although I don’t think I’ve ever had the full deal, with the grilled tomatoes (right?) and all the other accompaniments. Although I don’t make bacon all that often either, silly as it sounds, this method has made a huge difference for me! Everyone is fine with it except for my son, who says it tastes different prepared this way, but I think he’s just giving me a hard time, lol. I did tell he he was welcome to pan fry his own, but he’s still devouring this version when he’s over!
Haha..yes, I’m sure your son much prefers the bacon cooked by his mum, tasting ‘different’ or not, lol! And yes, that’s right, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, bacon and sausage and egg, fried or scrambled. Not forgetting the toast too of course, and sometimes fried bread and black pudding, but neither of those I like. I’ll be doing one of these this weekend as my middle boy is home. I’ll think of you when I cook the bacon Marlene, so thanks again! I hope you have a lovely weekend and that you are getting to grips with all the unpacking and enjoying your lovely new home.
I’ve never had a full English. I can see why it’s called ‘full’ because you definitely won’t want to eat for a while after all that! We used to have black pudding (Mom called it blood sausage) when I was a kid, and I really like it. Haven’t had it years and years. Enjoy your visit with your son, who by now must be very well-fed indeed!
Ah yes, I’ve heard it called blood sausage too. I’m not too keen myself, but I get it for the others, and yes, my son definitely goes home well fed, thanks Marlene 🙂
I don’t know how I missed this post. I saw the bacon when I hit the homepage and I couldn’t look away Marlene. I just couldn’t look away. It was like first attraction LOL. Did I tell you I love this post 😉
Haha, ok, I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you really like bacon! There’s just something about it … I’m hitting up the market in a while and I just may need to pick up some more!
hi Marlene! I tried another method in Mexico that my Mom had told me about, but I was very hesitant to try. But it worked great & tasted great too. I microwaved our bacon between sheets of paper towel. No frying pan, no bacon fat spatter all over the stove! I can actually cook the whole package of bacon & put it in the fridge for when I get that hankering for a toasted tomato, bacon & cheese sandwich with mayo but don’t have the time to fry the bacon!?! Basically less mess & fuss the better for me in the kitchen. Give it a try – you might like it. Anne ♥
Thanks for sharing this method, Anne! I’m sure many of my readers will appreciate it. As for me, I gave up using a microwave a few years ago and don’t miss it. It cleared up a big chunk of real estate in the kitchen. So, I just cook/reheat things using the stove/oven. Like you, I like to cook up a batch of bacon so I have some on hand in the fridge for when the fancy strikes. Thanks for sharing!
I love bacon and love to mix it with other ingredients. I hope u post more about bacon recipes
I see from your site that you’re a true bacon lover! You have lots of company. And yes, I should use it more in my recipes!
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