To cook bacon in the oven, lay the slices flat on a foil lined sheet pan, put the pan in a cold oven, set it to 400°F, and bake until the bacon is browned and cooked through with the edges starting to crisp, checking from 15 minutes on. No flipping, no spatter, and a whole pan cooks at once.
That last part is the back to school trick: cook a 12 oz pack of our America’s Best Uncured Bacon on Sunday, keep it in the fridge, and reheat a few slices each school morning in seconds. Here is the method, the doneness cues to watch for, and how to store and reheat it.
- What you need
- Step by step
- Doneness cues, not the clock
- Make ahead for the school week
- Questions people ask
What you need to cook bacon in the oven
- 1 pack (12 oz) thick cut bacon, thawed in the fridge (use a second pan if the slices do not fit in one layer)
- 1 rimmed sheet pan (half sheet, 13 by 18 inches)
- Foil or parchment to line it
- Optional: a wire rack that fits in the pan
- Paper towels and a plate
Lay the slices in a single layer with no overlap, and use a second pan if a pack does not fit. For a school week the 12 oz pack is the easier size to cook in one round; the 2.25 lb packages take several.
How to cook bacon in the oven, step by step
- Line the pan. Foil makes cleanup a fold and a toss. Set a rack on top if you want flatter, drier slices; skip it for slices that fry in their own fat.
- Lay out the bacon. Slices flat, edges touching but not overlapping.
- Cold oven, then 400°F. Put the pan on the middle rack of a cold oven and set it to 400°F. The slow heat up renders the fat gently and keeps the slices flat.
- Bake and check. Start checking at 15 minutes, then every few minutes. Pull it when it is browned all over and cooked through, with the edges beginning to crisp. It crisps more as it cools.
- Drain. Move the slices to a paper towel lined plate. Let the fat cool in the pan, then pour it into a jar for cooking or fold the foil around it for the trash.
USDA’s bacon and food safety page lists the oven as one of the three main ways to cook bacon, says the time depends on the type and thickness of the bacon, the heat, and the crispness you want, and says to cook bacon completely. It also notes that bacon cooked crisp has reached a safe temperature. So judge by what you see, not by the clock.
Bacon in the oven: doneness cues, not the clock
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Slices still pale pink, fat white and soft | Not cooked through | Keep baking; check again in 3 to 5 minutes |
| Browned, bends without cracking, fat translucent | Cooked through, chewy stage | Pull now for make ahead bacon; it firms as it cools and again when reheated |
| Deep brown, edges crisp, center still meaty | Cooked through, crisp edge stage | Pull now to serve |
| Dark brown all over, stiff when lifted | Fully crisp | Pull at once; a minute more and it burns |
Thick cut takes longer than regular cut, a preheated oven runs faster than a cold start, and a crowded pan runs slower, which is why we give cues instead of a clock. Thick cut is the slice we make. We explained what it means in thick cut bacon.
Make ahead bacon for the school week
Sunday: bake the whole pack to the chewy or crisp edge stage, not fully crisp, because it will cook a little more when reheated. Cool it on paper towels, then stack it in a covered container in the fridge.
School mornings: put two or three slices on a paper towel and microwave about 10 seconds per strip, which is the USDA reheating guidance on the same bacon page. Or lay them in a dry skillet for a minute a side.
Five minute breakfasts from the container: bacon folded into a scrambled egg tortilla, a bacon and cheese English muffin, bacon crumbled over oatmeal with maple syrup, a bacon and apple slice plate, or a BLT wrapped in foil for the lunchbox. One pan covers all five.
Cooked bacon keeps 4 to 5 days in the fridge and about 1 month in the freezer, per USDA. Freeze slices flat on parchment, then bag them, and reheat from frozen. For more ways to use a pack, read the artisanal bacon experience, or browse the bacon category.
Questions people ask about bacon in the oven
Do you need a rack to cook bacon in the oven?
No. On a rack the slices come out flatter and drier; right on the foil they fry in their own fat and brown a little more. Both work.
Should you preheat the oven for bacon?
You do not have to. A cold start renders the fat slowly and keeps the slices flat. If your oven is already hot, use it and start checking sooner.
How long does thick cut bacon take in the oven at 400?
It depends on the slice, the oven, and how crisp you like it, which is what USDA says too. Start checking at 15 minutes and pull it when it is browned, cooked through, and crisp at the edges.
How do you store cooked bacon?
In a covered container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or frozen for about a month, per USDA. Reheat in the microwave about 10 seconds a strip.
One pan on Sunday, bacon all week. Cooking bacon in the oven is an easy way to get a school week’s worth done at once, and a thick cut, applewood smoked slice from Heritage Duroc hogs is the one we would put on the pan.
Order the 12 oz packs for one pan at a time, or see every option in the bacon category. It ships frozen from the farm shop.
Keep reading
- Smaller batch? Try air fryer bacon at 400°F by the extension chart.