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

Breakfast· Desserts· Gluten Free· How To· Keto· Recipes

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19 Jan
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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?

Candied bacon on black slate, next to herbed bacon.

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.

Different packages of bacon on counter

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.

Raw bacon in package on counter.

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.

Uncured bacon package on counter

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.

Raw bacon on a sheet pan heading into the oven.

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.

Bacon cooked in the oven, on a sheet pan.

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.

Lard drizzling off of a sheet pan through cheesecloth, from cooking bacon in the oven.

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.

Pieces of cooked bacon being pinched by fingers.

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

Three bacon slices on sheet pan sprinkled with rosemary, black pepper and sugar and chili powder.

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.

Baked bacon on white plate with a rosemary garnish, next to a measuring cup of brown sugar.

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.

Candied bacon in mason jar, next to plate of bacon cooked in the oven.

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.

  • Slices of raw bacon with small mounds of brown sugar down the center of each.
  • Brown sugar spread out in a thin layer on top of raw bacon on a rack.

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.

Candied bacon baked in the oven on a sheet pan.

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 wrapped stuffed date on parchment paper.

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-wrapped asparagus on a white plate.

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.

Asparagus-tomato quiche.

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.

Bacon cooked in the oven, on a black round plate.

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,

Christina text on Edible Times

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How to Cook Bacon in the Oven + Candied Bacon

  • Author: Christina
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12-20 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 minute
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baking
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Description

Love, love, love baking up a little bacon in the oven! So easy, such little mess and so much YUM! Here are the few simple steps for baking bacon in the oven, and the method for candied bacon when the occasion calls for such an indulgence!


Scale

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • package of bacon, pastured or organic recommended

Classic Candied Bacon

  • package of thick-cut bacon, pastured or organic recommended
  • about ¼ cup brown, white or coconut sugar
  • few pinches of red pepper, cinnamon or any combination of spices

Maple-Bourbon Bacon

  • ½ cup maple syrup or honey
  • 2–4 tablespoons Bourbon, whisky, brandy or cognac 

Recommended + Optional Equipment

  • rimmed sheet pan
  • oven-safe cooling rack*
  • parchment paper or foil, for lining pan
  • cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve for straining lard
  • pastry brush (for brushing on maple-bourbon glaze)

Instructions

Oven Bacon

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
  2. Space strips of raw bacon evenly on a rimmed sheet pan (this prevents the fat drippings from smoking up your oven).
  3. Roast bacon until it firms up and is that signature, deep-hued, between 12 and 16 minutes. Begin checking bacon for doneness after 12 minutes. For crispier bacon, cook longer.
  4. If greasy bacon bothers you, cook the strips on a rack, and/or pat with paper towels after baking.
  5. If you want to save the lard drippings, use cheesecloth or an extra-fine mesh strainer to filter out any impurities and burnt bits. Store lard in the refrigerator.

Classic Candied Bacon

  1. Line one or two sheet pans with parchment or foil if you like, and place a heat-proof rack on top.
  2. Preheat oven to 375° F.
  3. In a small bowl, break up any lumps in the sugar, and whisk in any spices you like.
  4. Line strips of bacon on the rack, and press an even coating of brown sugar mixture on top of each one. 
  5. Bake for 15 minutes.
  6. Remove the sheet pan(s) from the oven and let sit a few minutes. Flip each strip over, and coat with more sugar mixture.
  7. Bake bacon 12-15 more minutes, until it stiffens a bit and the sugar melts and bubbles.
  8. Cool on the rack. 

Candied Bourbon-Glazed Bacon

  1. Preheat oven to 375° F. 
  2. In a small pot, bring maple syrup or honey and bourbon just to a boil. Set aside.
  3. Line one or two sheet pans with parchment or foil if you like, and place a heat-proof rack on top.
  4. Space strips of bacon evenly across the rack, and bake for 13-15 minutes.
  5. Remove sheet pan(s) from oven, brush bacon with glaze, and return to oven.
  6. Cook until the glaze melts and bacon is browned, caramelized and crispy, 5-8 more minutes.
  7. Cool completely on the rack. 

 

 


Notes

You don’t need a rack to bake candied bacon, but it helps the bacon cook more evenly, and keeps it from sticking to the pan, parchment or foil.

Keywords: how to cook bacon in the oven, bacon in the oven, baked bacon, candied bacon, how long to cook bacon in the oven, cured vs uncured bacon

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Christina Bailey

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I'm Christina, a classically trained private chef + Chef Mom to two little boys. I'm here to empower you in the kitchen and in health by sharing not just delicious, chef-tested recipes, but the professional formulas and techniques, too. To read about me and my food philosophy, follow this. To get straight to cooking + baking head to the blog. To subscribe for exclusive content,join in below.

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