How to Cook Bacon in the Oven (Without a Rack)

Once you learn how to cook bacon in the oven, you’ll never go back to cooking it on the stove. Learn my tips and tricks for achieving perfectly cooked bacon (to your preference) and the benefits of this method. No rack needed!

Who doesn’t love bacon? It’s salty, it’s smoky, it’s slightly sweet, it’s crispy – it’s so freaking good. There’s one problem with bacon though. Cooking it on the stovetop can be so messy. Between the splatters of bacon grease and cleaning out the pan afterward, sometimes I think, “Is it really worth it?”.

The way to make bacon worth it is to cook it in the oven. This is the solution to perfectly cooked bacon every time, whether you’re feeding a crowd or want to add it to different meals throughout the week.

Benefits of Cooking Bacon in the Oven

No oil splatters. When I cook bacon on the stovetop, it manages to get everywhere. With this method, I don’t have to worry about it splattering on my clothes plus clean up is pretty dang easy. The result? Consistently cooked bacon every time.

No flipping. Cooking bacon in the oven is definitely a set it and forget it kind of cooking process. It requires no flipping or rotating the baking sheet.

No baking rack. There seems to be a misconception that you must cook your bacon on a baking rack that is placed on top of your baking sheet. The perk of cooking it in the oven is less clean up. A baking rack filled with bacon grease is a major pain in the ass to clean. Plus, I noticed it didn’t really make that much of a difference in terms of crispiness.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven (3 Simple Steps)

Learn how to cook bacon in the oven with just three simple steps.

1. Line. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Arrange. Put your bacon on the lined baking sheet in a single layer, making sure they don’t overlap (it’s okay if they’re touching though).
3. Cook: Bake for about 20 minutes until the bacon comes out perfectly crispy.

Helpful Tips

• Use the middle rack. For the most even cooking, make sure to place your pan on the middle rack in your oven.

• Cured vs uncured*. This how to guide works best with uncured bacon. Despite the name, uncured bacon is still cured, it’s just processed using naturally occurring nitrates found in vegetables vs cured bacon that’s processed with synthetic nitrates & additives).
  • If your bacon is cured, it may require less cooking time because my understanding is that it typically has more sugar in it (which would make it crisp up faster).

• How to avoid overly crispy/burnt bacon. Oven temperatures vary, and because of this some ovens run hotter than others. To avoid burnt bacon, there are a couple of things you can do: buy an oven thermometer to check the internal temperature or check the bacon after the 12 minute mark.

• Cooking times. I find 20-22 minutes to generally be the sweet spot for my oven and personal preference of crispiness. However, if your bacon is thick cut, you’ll need to cook it closer to the 30 minute mark.

• PSA: bacon crisps up as it cools!

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Oven Cooked Bacon (No Rack!)

Learn how easy it is to cook bacon in the oven for perfectly cooked and crispy results. Plus no baking rack makes it much easier to clean up!

Author: Lindsey Jenkins

Ingredients

• 12-16 oz uncured bacon

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• Line. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Arrange. Put your bacon on the lined baking sheet in a single layer, making sure they don't overlap (it's okay if the strips are touching because bacon shrinks as it cooks).
• Cook: Bake for 18-22 minutes until it reaches your desired texture (See notes).
• Once cooked, add the bacon to a paper towel to soak up the excess grease. Enjoy!

Notes

• Use the middle rack. For the most even cooking, make sure to place your pan on the middle rack in your oven.

• How to avoid overly crispy/burnt bacon. Oven temperatures vary, and because of this some ovens run hotter than others. To avoid burnt bacon, there are a couple of things you can do: buy an oven thermometer to check the internal temperature or check the bacon after the 12 minute mark.

• Cooking times. I find 20-22 minutes to generally be the sweet spot for my oven and personal preference of crispiness. However, if your bacon is thick cut, you’ll need to cook it closer to the 30 minute mark.