Bacon is one of the most beloved carnivorous foods on the planet. So loved, in fact, that if you find yourself in a disagreement with a friend or co-worker and need to lighten the mood, just pause, look at them whimsically, and say, "bacon." Argument over. If it is a particularly tough argument, say, "chocolate covered bacon," and your friendship will be cemented for life.
You may even know a few vegetarian friends who sneak a little gateway meat once in a while.
Cooking bacon is not as much fun as eating it, however; at least not in a pan on the stove with the spattering and the burning of sensitive skin. Plus, the house smells like bacon for days beyond its cooking and consumption when you bring it home and fry it up in a pan.
So try it in the oven. Guess what? It works far, far better! I've tried a few different temperatures, timings, types of bacon, and this method seems to work the best, and produces the most consistent bacon. If you do it right, the only cleaning is pulling the parchment paper and the cooled grease from the pan and into the garbage... or strain the grease and put into a jar to use later.
Using the oven, you can even make the bacon naked.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
What you need:
- large sheet pan with sides
- thick, oven-ready parchment paper
- your favorite gluten-free bacon - thick cut preferred
- you can also use a rack, if you really want perfect bacon
How to do it:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place a large sheet of parchment paper onto the pan. It should be large enough to come up over every side of the pan by about one inch, but not so large that the ends of the paper burn.
If you have a rack, place it on top of the parchment. You don't need one, however, so if you don't have one, don't despair.
Remove the bacon from the package and line them evenly onto the parchment lined pan (or on the rack). The sides of each strip can touch but not overlap. Bacon usually has a skinny side and a fat side. Alternate the strips so that they have skinny sides on top for every other strip. It will feel like you are putting together a meat puzzle.
Place the bacon-loaded pan on a center rack in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending upon the thickness of your bacon and your desired crispiness.
Check the bacon half-way through to see if it needs to be flipped. If there is excessive grease, you may carefully (very carefully) pour off some of the excess into a can or heat safe bowl until it cools enough to throw out, or save as grease for another dish.
Using a tongs, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess grease and serve!
"We plan, we toil, we suffer – in the hope of what? A camel-load of idol’s eyes? The title deeds of Radio City? The empire of Asia? A trip to the moon? No, no, no, no. Simply to wake just in time to smell coffee and bacon and eggs."
~J.B. Priestly (English novelist, playwright and broadcaster)