Oven Fried Bacon

Oven Fried Bacon –  Frying bacon in the oven turns messy bacon preparation into a dream job, truly.  After I began using this oven frying technique, I almost never fry bacon on the stove top.  I have to admit, I don’t miss being hit with a stray splatter of hot grease, nor do I miss the terrible clean-up.  I use 2 parchment lined jelly roll pans to oven fry the bacon since it has a deeper edge than a cookie sheet to catch the drippings.  At times I’ve also used an oven safe rack fitted into the pans to hold the bacon slices.  Either way works with this technique and no other adjustments are needed.

One of my Grandaddy’s raised pigs on his farm and the family lived on the meat they provided.  They weren’t raised to be sold but so that he and my Gramma could enjoy the fresh meat and smoke their own pork. That’s right, he also had a smokehouse on his property where he smoked his own Virginia hams and bacon.  As a little girl, I thought this was normal practice for everyone.   Little did I know the homegrown goodness I was regularly enjoying. Store bought bacon, ham and sausage doesn’t even come close to the flavor of smoked fresh pork. Amazing.  My Daddy also raised pigs many years go, just like his Dad.  Those days have passed now but, it really gave me an appreciation for the amount of love and hard work that goes into such a way of life.

Fast forward to the present, in our modern day lives, we rely on quality products and the most efficient way to prepare them for our own families. This oven frying technique is right on the money for any busy morning of the week and the oven does the work.

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Oven Fried Bacon

Servings 1 lb oven fried bacon

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• 1 lb thick sliced bacon
• 2 jellyroll pans or similar
• parchment paper aluminum foil or oven rack fitted into the pan

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 jelly roll pans with parchment paper.
2. Alternatively, you can use heavy duty aluminum foil or fit the pan with an oven safe rack sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Arrange the bacon on the pan without touching.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Adjust the baking time as needed based on the thickness of the bacon.
5. After baking remove from the pan to paper towels to drain.
6. Freeze the bacon drippings in an ice cube tray then store in a plastic bag.

Recipe Notes

Variations - Prior to baking:
1.) Sprinkle the bacon slices liberally with brown sugar
2.) Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper
3.) Brush with pure maple syrup