How to Bake Bacon Perfectly Every Time
- PREP 5min
- COOK 15min
- TOTAL 20min
To bake bacon, you’ll need to start with a hot oven. If you have one, use a metal (oven-safe) rack inserted inside a baking sheet so that the bacon sits on top of the rack and any fat drains underneath. We prefer to use thick cut bacon (1/8-inch thick), which usually means there are 12 to 14 slices per pound.
You Will Need
1 pound bacon, preferably thick cut
Directions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. If you’re cooking multiple sheets of bacon, position one oven rack in the lower third of the oven and the second rack in the top third of the oven.
Arrange bacon slices onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. If you have one that fits, place a rack inside the baking sheet then arrange the bacon slices in one layer on top. Season with fresh ground pepper.
Bake until the bacon is golden brown and crispy, 12 to 20 minutes. The exact baking time will depend on the how thick your bacon is and how crisp you like it. Keep an eye on the bacon while it bakes — we like to check around 8 minutes and then every minute or two after until it is done.
- Equipment you will need: a rimmed baking sheet and a rack that fits inside.
- Thin cut / Lean Bacon: If you have very thin cuts of bacon or if it is lean, you may not need to use the rack. Simply lining them up on the baking sheet should suffice. Thicker cuts of bacon benefit from the rack since it lifts them up and away from the fat, helping them render more fat and become crisp.
- For peppered bacon, grind fresh black pepper (we prefer a course grind) all over the bacon slices before or towards the end of baking.
- For maple baked bacon, bake for 12-15 minutes and remove from the oven. Brush maple syrup onto the bacon slices then place back into the oven for another 3-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Watch for over-browning of the maple. It goes from caramelized to dark brown quickly.
- For honey sriracha bacon, bake for 12-15 minutes and remove from the oven. Brush honey and sriracha onto the bacon slices then place back into the oven for another 3-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Watch for over-browning of the honey. It goes from caramelized to dark brown quickly.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates and assumes about 14 slices of bacon equals 1 pound. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
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