
I love bacon. I mean I really love it. Good American bacon - the crunchy kind, not that flabby stuff you get in other countries. At the risk of offending entire religions and regions, I think much of the unrest in the world is because too many people don't know the joy of bacon. Almost no one who has tasted bacon would willingly blow themselves up or start shooting at someone else. Bacon is worth living for.
But, it can be a real challenge to cook bacon well. Frying it is a mess. Microwaving has inconsistent results. Plus, neither scales well to the large amounts of bacon needed for a big brunch (or just me on a Sunday morning.) The secret is to bake the bacon in the oven.
Result: piles of perfectly cooked bacon for your dining pleasure.
Here are the cool bits about this recipe:
I've read a variation of this recipe that recommends putting a wire rack in the cookie sheet to keep the bacon out of the fat. I tried it. The results aren't any better, the bacon sticks to the rack, and the rack is a mess to clean up. Stick to the simple solution above.
While I'm at it, I'll put in a plug for Niman Ranch bacon. This is the real deal. Thick cut, smoky, and meaty, this stuff is made from happy, pesticide-free, free range pigs that lead productive, satisfying lives and died in the prime of their tastiness for you and me. Oh man, this stuff is good as is everything from Niman Ranch. Go get some today (Trader Joe's carries the stuff as do other good stores.)
Mmm, salty, rich, crunchy, and meaty. What's not to love?
Posted by Tony at August 11, 2006 08:39 PM | TrackBackI agree-- the oven is the way to go. And if you sprinkle brown sugar on the bacon before baking you get a lovely caramelized sugary coating. A sweet (and sticky) counterpoint to the salty crunch. Yum.
Posted by: Connie at August 11, 2006 09:22 PMSugar too. Mmm. Connie, I think I love you...
Posted by: Tony at August 11, 2006 09:44 PMWhile I'll give you points on the oven, this burnt to a crisp bacon thing has to stop. Really. It's truly savage. You don't cook any other meat to a crisp right? Why? It tastes better. Exactly. We've moved past the caveman, smouldering, charred piece of meat cooking techniques. Come forward with us. For the love of God.
Posted by: chooky at August 12, 2006 07:51 AMChooky,your people over-cook every other piece of meat, so where's the moral high-ground? Besides, I'm not sure we should take food advice from a people who's culinary highlights include runny eggs with jam, black (blood) pudding, and canned baked beans for breakfast.
Posted by: Tony at August 12, 2006 09:14 AMHey Tony;
This message is strictly a personal one, posted on your website. It's Irene and Alberta. We are both living in the Chicago area now (in fact, I'm at Berta's, and we googled you, and there you are), and since 20 years have passed, we decided to find out how you're doing. If you want to catch up, you can email us at Irene's email...reading some of your stuff, it makes us remember what we all had in common, and what a good time we had.
Posted by: Irene and Alberta at August 12, 2006 12:14 PMHey! I never mentioned the British. Don't go there with me. You're the one with a 007 fetish. Don't deny it. You think James Bond eats burnt bacon? No. That guy knows how to drink his martinis and cook his bacon. Although Q would be all over you oven cooking approach.
Posted by: chooky at August 12, 2006 04:25 PMOMG Tony, this is awesome. I have a bacon press I use to try and keep the wiggly little slivers of pork goodness flat and crispy and minimze the fatty oil filled pockets... but I can only cook five strips of bacon at a time. Unacceptable!
Next weekend, I'm making bacon in the oven. I'm a little worried about the grease removal process to a frying pan, but we'll see how it goes. Usually I fry eggs 'basted' style in the leftover bacon grease. The yellows stay nicely soft for toast dipping, the whites are cooked and not slimy on top, and there is no risk of yolk breakage from clumsy flipping. Large and relatively quick quantities of perfect bacon is worth the risk though - I'll just make sure the egg poaching pan is ready to go in case I need a plan B for the chicken's contribution to breakfast.
mmmmmm. everythings better with bacon... but you've got to lay off the folks who eat baked beans with their breakfast. With all the culinary train wrecks to make fun of in the UK (spotted dick? brown sauce? the baked beans actually aren't that bad. (yeah, it's one of the better British habits I've imported along with PG Tips and HobNobs).
~Elphie
Posted by: Elphaba at August 13, 2006 11:45 PMHelp me with this, please. I like your hint about baking in the over; however, I'll be cooking for a rather large group. I will need to bake the bacon at my home the night before and the next morning carry the bacon to the breakfast meeting. (There is no cooking equipment there)
We do however have a microwave available. How do I re-heat the bacon after I've baked it the night before?
Really need your answer quickly.--Many thanks.
Posted by: Marcia at December 17, 2006 09:41 PMHelp me with this, please. I like your hint about baking in the over; however, I'll be cooking for a rather large group. I will need to bake the bacon at my home the night before and the next morning carry the bacon to the breakfast meeting. (There is no cooking equipment there)
We do however have a microwave available. How do I re-heat the bacon after I've baked it the night before?
Really need your answer quickly.--Many thanks.
Posted by: Marcia at December 17, 2006 10:57 PMHelp me with this, please. I like your hint about baking in the over; however, I'll be cooking for a rather large group. I will need to bake the bacon at my home the night before and the next morning carry the bacon to the breakfast meeting. (There is no cooking equipment there)
We do however have a microwave available. How do I re-heat the bacon after I've baked it the night before?
Really need your answer quickly.--Many thanks.
Posted by: Marcia at December 18, 2006 09:52 AMSorry, Marcia, I don't have any experience at re-heating bacon; I mean, who has bacon left-over that they need to reheat? :)
All I can suggest is trying it at home first. Bake a sheet of bacon, let it cool, and then try reheating it in the microwave. I suspect it'll be fine.
Good luck!
Posted by: Tony at December 18, 2006 06:36 PMEggs......with.....Jam??? Since when? Who told you that? I think someone is pulling yer leg mate!!! =D
Posted by: Tony at March 19, 2007 06:56 AMMan oh man... I cooked some fresh cut bacon (Not store bought) exactly the way you said and added some brown sugar; it is the best bacon I have ever had... Thank you!
Posted by: Brod78 at March 27, 2007 10:55 PMmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE BACON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that bacon is the best kinda food in the world i would eat it for every meal if it wasnt so fattening
Posted by: nathan murphy at April 16, 2007 09:07 AMHell yeah bacon is so Deliciousness
Posted by: george_baconluver at April 16, 2007 09:10 AMBacon makes me a wonderful person... without bacon i would be an angry person
Posted by: Chelsea Grosch at April 16, 2007 09:16 AMI would have sex with bacon if it was up to me!
Posted by: Noel Dawkins at April 18, 2007 08:54 AMyeah, the oven is the only way to go!
i learned the technique while serving brunch on sundays at a five star hotel, do you really think that they are cooking 500 pieces of bacon on the stove top. of course not, the only way is in sheet pans and the oven!! glad to see this info is being passed out of the restaurant kitchens and to the home Bacon for all! now you can cook 100 slices of bacon at the same time in just a few minutes!!!
I LIKE FOOD!
Posted by: Morgan Murphy at May 11, 2007 02:26 PMBacon should be cooked until the rind has 'crisped' a little - no more than that.
Soggy rind is disgusting, so is crispy bacon meat.
Cook it in a frying pan with no fat added - and most importantly, buy good quality bacon that hasn't been injected with water to bulk it up, otherwise it ends up 'steaming' itself.
Anyone tried 'turkey bacon' - its not as tasty, but its a far healthier option.
Posted by: Turkey Bacon 4 Me at June 27, 2007 06:00 AMBacon oh bacon and eggs bacon and eggs bacon and eggs bacon and eggs bacon and eggs
Posted by: Bacon at July 6, 2007 12:07 PMwhat can i cook with bacon im exsperimenting, i love bacon and everything with it but i have run out of ideas help?
Posted by: Peter Folland at July 17, 2007 12:03 PMI found this page from a Google search. Just made my first batch following your directions precisely and it worked perfectly! Thanks so much!
Posted by: Glendale AZ at September 2, 2007 08:14 AMGlendale: glad it workd for you!
Posted by: Tony at September 2, 2007 12:15 PMYour method worked deliciously. I have always been bad with bacon, accidentally burning it or not getting it crisp enough. I tried the oven method and made BLTs for my husband and he loved. Thanks!
Posted by: Rose at September 24, 2007 04:00 PMRose: Glad to hear this worked. Mmm BLT. I may need to make one tomorrow...
Posted by: Tony at September 25, 2007 02:50 AMYou guys are too funny!! I had a friend in college who told me the story of how when he was a child, his grandmom cooked up a pound of bacon and he ate it all himself. Got so sick he could not even take a peek at bacon again until I persuaded him to try this method. Friend is now all fixed and loves bacon once more. Moral of story: never eat 1 pound at 1 sitting. Spread the love out and leave the pigging to the pigs....Awesome cooking method! Thanks Tony!
Posted by: Cindy at October 2, 2007 05:38 PMi came across this website whilst doin my hw and r u guyz all americans? seriously u r obsessed with bacon!!! wanting 2 hav sex with it is just freaky... and is Tony supposed to be the 'mastermind' behind all this? (hope u dont find me rude but this is interestin...)
Posted by: Neelam at October 3, 2007 09:55 AMI tried the oven thing today for the first time. it's the only way to go, however I foolishly did the rack way and you are so right. Stuck to the rack and hard to scrub. BLTs, yum!
Posted by: Barb at October 11, 2007 10:52 PMadded benefit-i can cook bacon with the baby close by. bet ya didn't think of you bacon recipe as a child safety process!
Posted by: ang miksovsky at October 24, 2007 05:37 PMAwwww, yeah! Bacon!
Anyways, thanks for teaching me a new, better way to cook bacon. Tried it, and tastes better. Thanks
you should cook bacon how you feel it should be cooked it dose not matter if you do it in the oven or in the pan what matters is the end result and if your pleased thats all that matters
Posted by: luke at November 10, 2007 10:03 AMOven cooked bacon is excellent. And I agree that the 180 degree turn is crucial.
Anyone have a method for a grill?
Posted by: Mike at November 18, 2007 06:07 AMLast summer on a boat, I cooked bacon on the grill using a similar method. I made a tray out of aluminum foil and cooked the strips-of-love on that. Worked great.
Posted by: Tony at November 18, 2007 12:49 PMThis version ROCKS!!! I've lost track of the burns from the splatters from the pan style not to mention all the curly 1/2 cooked bits. THANKS for sharing!!! mmmm bacon for brekkie, BLTs, bacon cheeseburgers, spinach and bacon salad &/or Quiche..yummmmmmmmm
Posted by: margaret at December 2, 2007 06:16 AMGlad I could help.
Posted by: Tony at December 2, 2007 10:52 PMThank you so much for the perfect instructions! Worked like a charm.
I'm putting here my favorite bacon recipe that you might enjoy since you love bacon as much as it seems the rest of us do!
Enjoy!
Ruth
Bacon and Shell Macaroni Supper
8 slices thick bacon, cut up about 1" pieces
½ small onion, diced
1 ½ c small shell macaroni, cooked and drained
1 small can (8 oz) tomato sauce
Pepper to taste
All amounts of ingredients can be adjusted to taste.
Boil shell macaroni. Fry bacon, remove and set aside. Drain most of the bacon grease from pan and fry onions till clear. Add pepper. When Onions are done, add the bacon back and the macaroni to pan. Add tomato sauce, stir to coat.
The amount of pepper is to taste. It can get spicy hot real fast and I like it that way so mine is usually a little hot. This is usually put in a casserole and baked for about a half hour, but I eat it straight from the pan. The amounts above will feed 2 people with a little left over. I usually have the left overs for breakfast the next morning. The amounts above are not critical. If you are feeding more, use more bacon and macaroni. Only use the small shell macaroni as it holds the tomato sauce the best. Also, if you like more bacon, then use more bacon. If you like it more moist, use two cans of tomato sauce. If you increase the recipe or plan on baking it, then use two cans of tomato sauce.
My mom used to make this and as best as I can remember, this has the correct ingredients. Mom would use a whole pound of bacon, a whole small bag of shell macaroni and two cans of tomato sauce and this fed all 6 of us. She also baked it and it was crispy on the edges.
Posted by: Ruth at December 28, 2007 11:19 AMThanks, Ruth! The recipe sounds great!
Posted by: Tony at December 31, 2007 11:30 AMPlease answer this as soon as possible. I need to cook a lot of bacon for a breakfast party, and I have never cooked it in the oven. Do you have to cover the bacon with foil when cooking it in the oven? Does grease splatter all over the oven if it is not covered? Thanks for a quick response.
Posted by: B. Allen at January 23, 2008 07:14 PMB.Allen:
No need to cover it in the oven. It doesn't spatter all over.
Good luck!
Posted by: Tony at January 24, 2008 01:46 AMMy wife and I also love bacon so we tried this and it came out perfectly. Thank you, Tony! Scott & Debbie - Colorado
Posted by: Scott at January 26, 2008 11:43 AMThanks for the recipe. My mil cooked us bacon every morning for a week during a visit and she did it in the oven - it was great - but I never remembered to ask how she did it. I wanted to try it and found your site - THANKS!! We love BLT's and saturday morning big breakfasts but I have always hated making bacon - now I dont.
Also, I loved your commentary in the recipe and I thought you might like this video (if you havent seen it already) I thought of it while I was reading your recipe!
videosift.com/video/Bacon-1
Posted by: Sonja Philip at February 5, 2008 04:38 PMWho knew such a simple way of preparing bacon could yield such wonderful results? I tried this method this morning for a large group and it was amazing! Highly recommended.
-J
Posted by: J at February 9, 2008 07:18 PMOh, what a shame to put bacon in the oven. :-P
Its supposed to be fried in a pan, with TONS of fat! :D This way it doesn't get to dry, and as we all know, fat = taste XD
Bensch,
Actually, bacon cooked in the oven does cook in its own fat. It doesn't get dry which is great, because I agree that fat=flavor!!
Posted by: Tony at February 17, 2008 10:14 PMI've made bacon your way several times now and won't go back to the old pan fried way. It comes out perfectly cooked in the oven and doesn't shrink all up.
Made some this morning and my husband was saying how great the bacon is when it's done in the oven. I like the magic turning trick too. Thanks so much.
Posted by: Terry at February 24, 2008 06:38 AMAn even better way to cook bacon is to put it on a cooling rack and then put the cooling rack on a roasting pan and into the oven at 375 C for 15-20 min, depending on how thick your bacon is . It gets perfectly crispy on both sides and a lot of the fat drains away so it isn't as greasy.
Posted by: zoey at April 15, 2008 02:37 PMThanks, Zoey, for the tip. As I mentioned in the post, I tried cooking the bacon on the rack, but I found it to be messy (hard to clean the rack) and didn't provide better results. The bacon in the method I describe does get crispy and isn't greasy (well, any more greasy than bacon should be... yum.)
Posted by: Tony at April 15, 2008 09:24 PMI can hear everyone's coronary arteries hardening as we speak.
Posted by: Jim at April 26, 2008 12:53 PMMy variation on this is to take prunes (dried plums) and wrap them in a half-strip of bacon, arrange them on a grill pan that has drip slots into a cooking pan, at (and this tends to vary, because I forget in between times) 425 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes. Because the bacon is wrapped on itself, it takes a little longer than laid out as strips, but mmmm, it's good! I've seen someone do the same but inject blue cheese into the prunes (excellent, but time-consuming). You could actually do this with other things, too -- I've had shrimp this way, on a grill, and it was excellent; I want to try garlic cloves -- but as far as dried fruit goes, prunes seem to retain more of their water so they don't get as dry as fast as, say, dried apricots (tho I've used those, too).
Posted by: DAB at May 4, 2008 06:55 PMTHANKS SOOO MUCH. We have a rather large eaters here and FRYING it takes forever! SO this helped cut down on my time with the cooking and the clean up!
THANKS AGAIN!
~Aleasha~
Great idea. However a bit of personal experience/warning. Due to the heat/humidity here this AM I tried this on a nat. gas outdoor grill. I was monitoring the temp and time--all was going quite well through the first turn. However after that the bacon cooked VERY fast and sadly I was left with little black sticks. . I need to test, but my hunch is (if using outdoor grill) go only 1 minute after turn and then prop cover and watch the rest of the way. I'll try again another day and report on success rate. ~~Baconless Bill
I've already told my husband if the day ever comes when the doctors suspect that my brain activity has ceased...wave a slice of bacon under my nose and if I don't respond, THEN you can have them pull the plug.
Posted by: Karen at June 13, 2008 04:17 PM