It’s easy to cook bacon for one or two people. All you need is a pan and some low heat. Cook the bacon until it’s as crispy as you like it. The problem comes when youre trying to cook bacon for a crowd. It’s not possible to fit more than a few slices in a large round pan, and not everyone has a griddle on the stove for these occasions.
That’s when we either decide not to have bacon for breakfast (an impossible task!) or turn on the oven.
Good news: Turns out the best method is actually the easiest as well. You don’t need racks, crimped foil, or stacked baking sheets. Just put the bacon strips on a rimmed baking sheet and bake them in a 425°F (220°C) oven for as long as you like (I found 20 minutes was enough). Drain on paper towels, and youve got a big pile of perfectly cooked bacon on your hands. You probably want to make cleanup easier, so lining the tray with heavy-duty foil won’t change the cooking and will make cleanup a breeze.
Still, you might have a different taste in bacon than I do, so one of these other ways might sound better to you. Here are my notes.
Bacon is one of the most beloved breakfast foods out there. Who doesn’t love the smell of sizzling bacon in the morning? While pan-frying is the usual go-to method for cooking bacon, using the oven is an easy, splatter-free alternative. Baking allows you to cook up large batches of bacon evenly. But to get the best results, it’s key to know how long to cook bacon at 250°F.
Contrary to what some may think, 250°F is an ideal temperature for getting crispy, delicious bacon out of the oven. Cooking low and slow renders out the fat thoroughly without overcooking the meat or causing splattering grease.
Follow this complete guide to learn tips, timing, and techniques for perfectly baked bacon every time.
Why Bake Bacon at 250°F?
There are a few major benefits to baking bacon in the oven at a lower 250°F temperature:
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No splattering grease – The low temp prevents popping grease so there’s no mess
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Even cooking – The bacon cooks evenly on all sides without burning.
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Crispiness – Longer cooking renders fat fully for crispy meat without overcooking
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Big batches – Easy to cook large quantities of bacon in one go.
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Hands-free – Just put the bacon in the oven and go about your cooking.
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Great flavor – Retains smokehouse flavor since not cooked too quickly.
So if you want to avoid the splattering grease of frying and get a big batch of crispy bacon ready, baking at 250°F is the way to go.
How Long to Cook Bacon at 250°F
When cooking at a lower oven temperature like 250°F, the bacon will take longer to cook than at higher heat. But the results are worth the wait!
Here are general guidelines for how long to bake bacon based on thickness:
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Regular sliced bacon (about 1/16 inch thick) – 25-30 minutes
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Thick cut bacon (about 1⁄8 inch) – 30-40 minutes
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Extra thick cut bacon (about 1⁄4 inch) – 40-50 minutes
These times allow the bacon to render its fat slowly so it becomes nice and crispy. If baking large batches, rotate the pans halfway through for even cooking.
Always keep an eye on the bacon towards the end of the recommended cooking time ranges. Ovens vary, so adjust time as needed. The bacon should be sizzling and browned but not burnt.
Step-by-Step Guide to Bake Bacon at 250°F
Follow these simple steps for perfect oven-baked bacon every time:
1. Preheat Oven and Prep Baking Sheets
Preheat your oven to 250°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place cooling racks on top. The racks elevate the bacon allowing air circulation for crisping.
2. Arrange Bacon on Baking Sheets
Lay bacon slices out on the prepared baking sheets in single layers, making sure not to overcrowd. Leave about 1⁄2 inch between slices. Overcrowding can cause uneven cooking.
3. Cook Bacon Based on Thickness
Use the guide above to determine cooking time based on your bacon thickness. Place baking sheets in the preheated 250°F oven. For large batches, rotate pans halfway through.
4. Check for Doneness
Bacon should be sizzling, browned, and crispy when fully cooked. If still limp or fatty, continue cooking in 5 minute increments until desired crispness is reached.
5. Remove from Oven and Drain
Take baking sheets out of the oven. Carefully transfer bacon with tongs to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess grease.
6. Enjoy Crispy Bacon!
Your oven-baked bacon is ready eat! The bacon will stay crispy after cooling. You can serve it up right away or let it cool completely before storage.
Tips for the Best Oven-Baked Bacon
Here are some top tips to take your oven-baked bacon to the next level:
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Choose a good thick cut bacon for the best texture. Regular sliced bacon works too.
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Rotate baking sheets halfway through for even browning if cooking large batches.
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Use parchment paper for easy cleanup. The bacon won’t stick as it can to foil.
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Pour rendered bacon grease into a heatproof container to save for cooking later.
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Baked bacon keeps well stored in an airtight container in the fridge for over a week.
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To reheat, bake at 400°F for 4-5 minutes or pan fry until warmed through and crispy.
Experiment with Flavorful Bake Bacon Recipes
The basic oven-baked bacon recipe can be taken up a notch by adding delicious flavors:
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Maple bacon – Brush slices with maple syrup before baking.
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Brown sugar and pepper bacon – Coat bacon with brown sugar and cracked black pepper before cooking.
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Candied bacon – Brush bacon with brown sugar glaze the last 5 minutes of baking.
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Spicy bacon – Sprinkle bacon generously with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper before baking.
With the right timing, temperature, and technique, you can make awesome oven-baked bacon anytime. Crispier, tastier bacon awaits using this easy method. Give baking your bacon a try today!
For the Chewy-Bacon Lover: On a Crimped Piece of Foil
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This is a technique I first saw used by Chef John of Food Wishes. The idea is that you fold up a piece of aluminum foil accordion-style, with one-inch pleats, then place it in a tray (I also folded up the edges to retain drippings) and lay the bacon on top of it. This elevates the bacon as a rack would, while minimizing cleanup.
Its a really neat and innovative approach. The only problem is that Im not crazy about the results. Like when you cook bacon on a rack, letting the fat drip off the strips makes them cook a little more unevenly and tougher. The fatty parts stay pretty moist even after it’s fully browned, while the lean parts get meaty and almost tough. I know that there are folks who like their bacon this way. This method is for you.
Texture: Great for chewy-bacon lovers. A few crisp bits, but mostly meaty, with soft interiors. Ease of Setup: Moderate. Crimping the foil takes some time, though its not difficult. Ease of Cleanup: Very easy. (Nothing to clean if you crimp the ends of the foil. ).
A Note on Temperature
Before I tried each method, I did a quick set of tests to find the best oven temperature for baking bacon. At four different oven temperatures—325, 375, 425, and 475°F (or 160, 190, 220, and 250°C)—I cooked bacon on crooked aluminum foil set in rimmed baking sheets. I cooked each batch until it was crispy and well browned. At lower oven temperatures—325 and 375°F—cooking took a long time, 50 minutes and 35 minutes, respectively. At 425°F, it took about 20 minutes. At 475°F, after only 15 minutes, some parts of the bacon were starting to burn and others were still not cooked all the way through. Clearly, the highest temperature was out.
Between 425°F bacon and 375°F bacon, there was a pretty significant difference in texture. When I ate it, the bacon that had been cooked at a lower temperature was more tender and almost fell apart in my mouth. At 425°F, the bacon retained a lot more of its meaty chew. I liked how the lower-temperature bacons were kind of melty, but my wife Adri didn’t like it and made a face as she tasted it.
These texture changes make sense. Both the fat and the lean parts of bacon have tough connective tissue that softens when cooked for a long time. This means that the longer you cook the bacon, the more tender it will be. This is helpful information no matter how you cook bacon: either on the stove or in the oven, low and slow will make bacon that melts in your mouth more often, while higher temperatures will make bacon more crisp and chewy.
At the behest of my wife, I decided to go with 425°F for the rest of my tests. (To be frank, 35 minutes is an awfully long time to wait for good bacon anyway. ).
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HOW TO COOK BACON IN THE OVEN | easy, crispy and no mess!
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