How to cook bacon, in the oven + two candied bacon methods

If you love indulging in bacon but HATE cleaning the stove, this one's for you. Here's how to cook bacon in the oven with minimal mess, and fun flavor ideas for spicing up your strips. Maple-bourbon bacon anyone?

How to spot the best bacon

Bacon is one of those foods that can be ahmazing or absolutely terrible. Lesser quality bacon will be pumped full of artificial flavors, added sugar, and excessive salts. Thin, one-dimensional and often laden with lingering pesticides from the animal's feed. Not edible times. Which is why your taste buds will thank you for seeking out pastured or organic bacon.

And let's not kid ourselves - bacon is not for frequent consumption (more on that just below). But you can lessen the nutritional negatives by reaching for an organic or pastured bacon.

Pastured. Pastured bacon is made from hogs allowed to root naturally for food and roll around in the mud as they wish. If animal welfare is important to you, this is your kind of bacon. Pastured meats also tend to possess more nuanced flavors. This comes from the diversity in the animals' natural diet.

Organic. Plenty of national brands produce organic bacon. And even if the bacon isn't pastured, it's at least synthetic pesticide free. Hogs raised for organic bacon are fed a feed grown without genetic modification (GMOs), sewage sludge or ionizing radiation. A couple brands cure their organic bacon without added sugar, an added bonus. For further reading, here's a link to the USDA's Introduction to Organic Practices.

What if I can't find or afford either? Premium organic, pastured bacon can cost upwards of $7.99 a pound. Not exactly inexpensive when you can buy organic chicken or pork for $4-5 a pound. But remember, bacon is an occasional eat. So at home we enjoy a pastured or organic bacon once in a while, and the rest of the time whip up a nice plate of scrambled eggs for breakfast.

The lies of uncured bacon, and why I still buy it

The curing process in brief. Processed meats, including bacon and deli meats, are cured with specific salts to eliminate and prevent harmful bacteria from thriving.

Uncured bacon is still cured. Labels that claim "uncured" or "no nitrates added" are misleading. Uncured meats are still cured, just with natural sources of nitrate. Celery powder is the most common of these curing agents. A Consumer Reports study found the nitrite levels of "uncured" meats to be the same as cured, and in certain cases even higher.

The organization, along with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, petitioned the USDA, asked the officials there to revoke the use of the word "uncured" on meat labels.

Why I still buy uncured bacon. Most organic or pastured bacon are cured with plant-based nitrates like celery powder. And I still feel it's the better option. Organic or pastured bacon will have a more diverse nutrient content, and be free of residual pesticides.

How to cook bacon in the oven

Now for the fun! Cooking bacon in the oven is the best way to get evenly-crisp strips without all the flipping and grease splattering.

Step 1. Space strips of raw bacon evenly on a rimmed sheet pan. You don't want bacon grease dripping to the bottom of your stove and setting off an ear-splitting cacophony of fire alarm responses.

Step 2. Roast your bacon at 375° - 400° F until it firms up and is that signature, deep-hued color. The higher the temperature, the faster you will be scarfing your crispy strips of umami. If greasy bacon bothers you, cook the strips on a rack (more on that below), or pat with paper towels after baking.

Step 3. Save the lard! Especially if you cooked pastured or organic bacon. The lard is a great cooking fat, and can even replace butter in pie crust for a savory, extra-flaky crust. Use cheesecloth or an extra-fine mesh strainer to filter out any impurities and burnt bits.

Step 4. Inhale this crispy, crunchy, savory, salty bacon that your umami dreams are made of.

How long to cook bacon

How long it takes to cook bacon in the oven depends on how you like your bacon cooked. For a chewier, more tender bite, cook just until the bacon is well-browned and firms up. For crispy bacon, bake until the strips are deeply-colored, and it looks like most of the fat has melted out.

Thick-cut bacon will of course need longer baking times than thinner strips. Depending on your oven temperature, begin checking for signs of doneness after 12 minutes. Thick strips could take up to twenty minutes to become crispy.

Tips for baking bacon

Extra crispy. Cook bacon on top of an oven-proof rack set inside the sheet pan. This allows the heat to circulate around the whole piece and fat to drip away, resulting in a crispier bite.

Bacon with a chew. If you don't mind a slightly fattier, chewier mouthful of bacon (and who does?), line your strips directly on the sheet pan.

Lining the sheet pan. For the easiest cleanup, line your sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. There is no benefit to using one over the other.

Easy ideas for spicing up your bacon strips

Black pepper. Freshly-crack or sprinkle black pepper evenly over the raw strips before baking.

Herbs. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage all give a nicely earthy undertone to bacon's richness. Chop the herbs finely and sprinkle over the bacon, mix with sugar and sprinkle for an herbal sweetness, or simply scatter the springs of herbs on the pan before baking.

Sweet and spicy. In a small bowl combine a few pinches of red pepper with a few spoonfuls of white, brown or coconut sugar. Coat strips of bacon in the spice mixture before baking at 375° F. The slightly lower temperature will keep the sugars from burning before the bacon is fully cooked.

Candied bacon in four simple steps

For salty, sticky, irresistibly scrumptious candied bacon, use this process for sweet success. For more flavor, mix ground pepper, paprika or cinnamon into the sugar before coating bacon.

Step 1. Line a sheet pan with parchment, and place a heat-proof rack on top. Preheat oven to 375° F.

Step 2. Line strips of bacon on the rack, and press an even, thin coating of brown sugar mixture on top of each strip. Be sure to break up any clumps in the sugar. Bake for 15 minutes.

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Step 4. Remove bacon from oven. As soon as you can handle it, flip strips and repeat the sugar coasting step with other side. Bake bacon 15-20 more minutes, until it stiffens up a bit and deeply caramelizes (browns).

Cool bacon on the rack as long as you can wait to eat it.

More ideas for getting bacon in your mouth

Bacon-wrapped dates. Stuff the dates with blue cheese, or leave it out for dairy-free. These little 'devils on horseback' can be a fun appetizer when entertaining, or for no good reason at all. Talk about deliciousness!

Bacon + asparagus. If you haven't enjoyed asparagus with bacon, don't delay another moment. Use the link to learn the different ways to cook asparagus, more than one of which call for bacon.

Bacon in quiche or frittata. A fancy yet easy way to elevate classic bacon and eggs. Cook any bacon for baked eggs first, and less than crispy. Otherwise, you risk hard bits in your fluffy, creamy frittata.

Bacon + Chaffles. Chaffles (cheese + eggs cooked in a waffle maker) shot to internet fame as a keto-diet alternative to the carb-rich original. Mix cooked pieces of bacon into the batter, and proceed as usual.

My absolute favorite way to get fancy with cured pork belly is to bake the bacon halfway, brush it with a maple-bourbon glaze, then cook until crisp. Just when you thought these 1200 words about BACON couldn't get any more intoxicating...

Yours in bacon,

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