This is an easy mess free oven baked bacon recipe! Cook one package of bacon at a time on a sheet pan and save time the rest of the week.
How To Cook Bacon - Mess Free
Cook bacon uncovered directly on the sheet and not on a rack – it stays moister cooking in it's own fat, but still crisps up.
Cook bacon at 375F for around 13 minutes for thin bacon and ~ 20-25 minutes for extra thick bacon (no need to flip it at any point).
You have to know both your bacon thickness and your oven but once you get your time it will always be the same.
Oven baked bacon does not generally splatter over the oven. Turn down the oven heat if it is, but it should be mess free at 375F.
How Long Does Bacon Stay Good?
Cooked bacon keeps in the refrigerator ~ 5 days.
Cooked bacon can be frozen for up to 3 months in a plastic bag.
When I had my tonsils out, I sucked on frozen cooked bacon like it was a popsicle 🙂
Save Bacon Grease In A Jar
I have never tasted rancid bacon grease from the refrigerator, but we also use it within 3-6 months.
My mom has used the method below all my life. She has only seen bacon go bad once and it had mold on it so there was no doubt. I suspect some cross contamination 🙂
I never strain bacon grease, because I like all the bits. Strain it if you don't.
Let sheet pan cool, crimp the edge of the aluminum foil into a small funnel and pour bacon grease into a jar.
Use bacon grease as you would use other oils. My mom used to cook popcorn with it – YUM. I also cook my morning eggs in bacon grease.
Serving Suggestion
Love bacon as much as I do? Serve cooked bacon with, on, or in these recipes.
Things In My Kitchen:
- 12 x 17 jelly roll baking sheet - I use this for practically everything that goes in my oven.
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Easy Mess Free Oven Baked Bacon
EatSimpleFood.com
Easy mess free crispy oven baked bacon recipe! Cook one package of bacon at a time and save time the rest of the week.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 (2 pieces each)
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- one package bacon (12 slices)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Lay out bacon on an aluminum lined baking sheet. Try not to overcrowd but as you can see in the picture it can fit snug (this is a 1 ½ lb package of thick bacon but it would fit the same with a one pound package of thin bacon).
- Cook uncovered directly on the sheet and not on a rack – it stays moister, but still crisps up.
- Cook ~13 minutes for thin bacon and ~ 20-25 minutes for extra thick bacon (no need to flip it at any point).
- Cool slices on a baking rack over a lined baking sheet (makes it easier to clean the sheet) or skip cleaning all together and lay bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Happy Bacon Eating! Beckie
Notes
- Save your priceless bacon grease! I put it in a jar and keep it in the fridge for up to 6 months. I use it to fry eggs and pop popcorn. YUM!
Tell me how the oven could possibly stay clean if bacon is snap crackle popping in there? The ceiling must be grease spattered like everything gets when cooling fat
Good question Lexi! As seen in the video: I pulled the sheet pan out immediately and that level of sizzling is the same level in the oven. It's bubbling in the sheet pan but it's not splattering everywhere like on the stovetop. Having said that, there may be some outliers but for the most part there in no grease popping in the oven at 375F. Think of it like a simmering pot instead of a boiling pot.