Bacon is one food that many people can agree is absolutely delicious. Maybe you’re wondering how to keep it warm if you’re going to make some for a special meal soon. People often need to make the bacon and then turn their attention to finishing up other things.
This is not good because you want to serve it warm for the best taste. In case you’re not going to serve the bacon right away, what should you do to keep it warm?
Read on to learn about some of these methods. For sure, one of these will work for you, and then you’ll always know how to keep bacon from cooling down too quickly.
Cooking bacon and sausage for a crowd can be tricky. You want the meat to be hot and crispy when you serve it, but keeping it that way for a long period of time poses some challenges. In this article, I’ll share my best tips for keeping large batches of bacon and sausage warm and delicious for potlucks, parties, and other gatherings.
Use a Slow Cooker
One of the easiest ways to keep bacon and sausage warm for a crowd is to transfer the cooked meat to a slow cooker set to low heat. The gentle, consistent heat from the slow cooker will keep the meat warm without overcooking it or making it soggy.
To use this method
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Cook your bacon and sausage ahead of time using your preferred method Make sure to cook the full amount you need for the number of guests you’re expecting,
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Allow the meat to cool and drain on paper towels
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Transfer the cooked, drained meat to a slow cooker and set it to low heat. Cover and keep it plugged in to maintain a constant warm temperature.
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Stir the meat occasionally and add more if needed as guests arrive.
The slow cooker keeps the meat hot but doesn’t boil off any crispy texture. It’s perfect for potlucks and buffets when you need to keep bacon and sausage warm for an extended period.
Use Your Oven
Another good option is to keep cooked bacon and sausage warm in your oven set to a low temperature. This uses the ambient heat of the oven to keep the meat hot.
To oven-warm bacon and sausage:
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Preheat your oven to 200°F, or the lowest possible setting.
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Place drained, cooked bacon on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Keep the strips in a single layer.
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For sausage, place links or patties on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet to allow airflow.
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Put the baking sheet(s) in the warm oven, leaving the door cracked open slightly.
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Check the meats every 15 minutes and remove once they reach your desired temperature.
The low gentle oven heat keeps the bacon and sausage warm for up to an hour without overcooking. Just monitor closely and remove once hot.
Reheat in a Skillet Before Serving
For last minute heating, you can also reheat cooled bacon and sausage in a skillet or frying pan on the stovetop.
To use the stovetop reheating method:
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Cook meats fully ahead of time and let cool completely.
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When ready to serve, heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add a drizzle of oil if needed.
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Add cooled bacon strips and cook 1-2 minutes per side until hot. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
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For sausage, add links or patties and cook 2-3 minutes per side until heated through.
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Work in batches to avoid crowding the pan and steaming the meat.
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Serve immediately once hot.
The quick stovetop reheat retains crispy texture without drying out the meat. It’s great for getting a cold bacon or sausage platter hot again right before serving.
Keep in the Microwave as a Last Resort
In a pinch, you can also use the microwave to briefly warm cooled bacon and sausage. This isn’t ideal as it can make the meat rubbery, but works if you’re really pressed for time.
To microwave, place meat on a microwave-safe plate and heat in 30 second intervals until warmed through. Check frequently to avoid overcooking.
3 – Reheat the Bacon
The next choice may not be the most popular, but a lot of people do it when they have to. You can just decide to reheat the bacon when it’s time to finally serve things.
You can also reheat your bacon in a few different ways, and you should think about all of them.
The most obvious way might not be the ideal one because it involves using your microwave. You could just place your bacon in the microwave and then go ahead and reheat it.
Many people think that the microwave changes the bacon in some way, so this will work, but it won’t be as good.
However, it’s worth noting that the microwave can be good when it comes to certain things. Another example is that if you want to make bacon crisp again after it has been sitting for a while, your microwave will do the trick just fine.
Microwaves are capable of drawing moisture out of food and this can help your bacon become crispy again.
Many people think that microwaving bacon takes away some of its flavor, which is a bad thing. This comes down to how microwaves reheat food.
It’s not necessary to avoid using your microwave, but depending on your tastes, you might feel that it’s not quite right.
Thankfully, you do have the option of reheating it in your skillet or pan as well. You can keep the bacon that has already been cooked in the pan or skillet and heat it up again when you’re ready.
Put your bacon back in the oven on low heat and slowly raise the temperature so it stays good.
1 – Using a Slow Cooker
Do you happen to have a slow cooker that you could use? A slow cooker is going to come in very handy, and it will make it easy to keep your bacon warm. What you want to do is go ahead and place your bacon inside the slow cooker.
Put the slow cooker on the low setting and it will keep your bacon warm while you’re getting the other aspects of your meal ready. Slow cookers are great and they can be used for so much more than just what you might first expect.
If you don’t have one already, then it is certainly worthwhile to look into purchasing one sometime soon.
A slow cooker is cheap and easy to get, and it might make some dishes easier to make. That being said, you don’t necessarily need a slow cooker to keep your bacon warm.
As long as you don’t have one, move on to the other methods to see which one works best for you.
How To Reheat Bacon In The Oven
FAQ
How to keep bacon warm for hours?
Can you cook bacon and sausage ahead of time?
How to keep sausage warm for a party?
How do you keep Bacon warm in the oven?
To Keep Bacon Warm for Up to Two Hours… Pop it in a warm oven on a rack atop a lined baking sheet so the bacon can drain. Set the oven to its lowest heat (about 200°F or so), line a baking sheet with foil and place an oven-safe rack on top. Transfer the bacon to the rack and place the baking sheet in the oven.
How long should I keep sausages warm in the oven?
To keep sausages warm for up to 2 hours in the oven, use the lowest setting. Be sure to take them out before they get overcooked. The oven is an effective way to keep sausages warm for a short time, such as 20 to 30 minutes. This way, you can keep the sausages warm for 3 to 4 hours.
How to cook sausages in the oven?
To keep sausages warm after cooking, place them on a baking sheet in the oven. Cook the sausages in the oven by positioning them on top of aluminum foil. Leave the sausages in the oven for 30 minutes. However, check their temperature with a food thermometer after 20 minutes; they should be above 140 degrees F.
Can you cook bacon at a low temperature?
You can keep your bacon in the oven at a low temperature or you can place it in a slow cooker. It is even possible to just place a lid on your bacon and set the stovetop to “low” if you want to go that route. Overall, it is not really that hard to keep your bacon at an ideal temperature and it just comes down to what you want to do.