It’s August and the tomatoes are ripe on the vine. That’s when I decide it’s going to be BLT night.
Now, when you just want a few slices of bacon for breakfast, a skillet works well enough, notwithstanding the splattering and attention. {Truth: I never do it that way, but it’s perfect for reheating bacon: read on}.
When I need a bunch of evenly cooked crispy slices for custom-made BLTs, bacon burgers, breakfast sandwich or club sandwich {remember those?}–and any other time I want to batch-cook bacon, the oven is the way to go.
I learned this method working in restaurant kitchens, and it’s the only way because it’s hand-free and reliable. And easy!
The set up is the key. You need a rimmed heavy-duty baking sheet {thin cookie sheets warp in the oven’s heat}, ideally 11 by 17. Then, you shingle the bacon like this, just to get things started and fit as many slices on the baking sheet as possible.
As the bacon shrinks, you’ll rearrange them into a single layer and they’ll fit perfectly.
How Long to Batch-Cook Bacon
You’ve got several options here: a cold start or a preheated oven. I always set the oven to 400 degrees F.
This is the optimum time for getting it evenly browned and crispy. Lower temps take too long for me to wait, and higher risk over-browning.
Timing will ultimately depend on your oven, the thickness of the bacon and just how brown you want to take it, but here are good tested guidelines:
- cold oven start: 20 minutes
- preheated oven: 15 minutes
Fine-Tuning Your Bacon Method
Hands-free doesn’t mean that you can ignore the bacon while it’s cooking. Typically, I set a timer for about half the time expected. Then, I separate the bacon slices and rotate the pan.
Once the bacon begins to brown and the fat renders, it’s time to flip it over {the underside will brown quicker than the top} and continue cooking until it’s done to your liking.
I use thick-cut bacon cured from a pasture-raised pig, so I check the bacon pretty frequently during the last few minutes of baking and may flip a strip or two once more.
Once you’ve done it a few times in your own oven with your favorite bacon brand, take note of the timing for whichever method {cold start or preheated oven} you prefer.
Next time, you won’t even need to think about how to batch-cook your bacon.
And, should you have any leftover bacon from your own BLT nights, just fire up that skillet of yours and heat it to sizzling. It will taste like you just fried it up in a pan.
As for the clean up, don’t forget to save that bacon fat for your prized bacon mayo!
Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper saves on cleaning, but it takes some elbow grease any which way.
After all, there has to be some small price to pay for making this much bacon the easy way.
Have you tried this method for your bacon? Let me know in the comments below or tag a photo #lynnesforage on Instagram or Facebook.
Batch-cooked Bacon
This is the one-and-only method I use for making batches of evenly cooked, crispy bacon. You can batch-cook the bacon in advance and reheat it in a skillet without any splattering in a couple of minutes, too.
- 1 pound bacon (pasture-raised)
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Arrange the bacon slices overlapping on a rimmed, heavy-duty sheet pan.
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For the cold oven start method: Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven set to 400 degrees. Set a timer for 8 minutes. Separate the bacon strips then rotate the pan. When it begins to brown on the underside, flip it over and continue cooking until the fat has rendered and begins to brown, about 15 minutes total. If necessary, flip the bacon again and cook until it is done exactly to your liking.
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For the preheated oven method: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with the rack set in the middle position. Place the baking sheet on the rack and set a time for 10 minutes. Separate the bacon strips and rotate the pan. When it begins to brown on the underside, flip it over and continue cooking until the fat has rendered and begins to brown, about 20 minutes total. If necessary, flip the bacon again and cook until it is done exactly to your liking
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Transfer the bacon strips to a plate lined with paper towels and serve or store for reheating later.
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