Do you bake your bacon? I have been for years and it is so much better than putting up with the bacon smell in your clothes, hair and house for hours and hours! I saw a recipe from The Better Baker blog recently where she too baked her bacon but she used a little different process. Saturday morning I made my first batch of homemade biscuits (I’ll need to practice more before I show you those Mr. Picky Eater called them Hard Tack) so I wanted to make bacon with it. We were having company later in the day and didn’t want the house, or me, to stink when they arrived. I decided to bake the bacon and use some of Marsha’s process to do it. As you will see, we buy bacon in bulk and then separate it into 1 lb. portions and then I cut it exactly in half. When I fry it the ends get done at the same time as the middle and ½ a piece of bacon fits perfectly on a slice of bread instead of hanging out the ends. I like a neat sandwich.
Bakin’ Bacon
The following is what you will need:
1 lb. of thick cut bacon – thinly cut bacon does not work as well.
1 wire rack
1 baking sheet
Foil or parchment paper
Process:
Leave the oven off.
Cover the rimmed baking pan in foil or parchment paper.
Place a wire rack on the baking sheet.
Put the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
Place bacon on the rack nicely spaced like this:
Put the bacon into the oven and THEN turn on the oven to 400 F.
Let it cook for 20-25 minutes and your done! You should watch the bacon for the final 10 minutes because each oven is different and it might burn…….don’t want you to have a bad experience!
Another thing that I usually do but I ran out of foil and couldn’t run to the store right then. I make a little tent out of foil attaching it to the short ends of the pan and tented in the middle sort of like the roof of a house. This will keep any splatter to a minimum.
The best thing about this is that all the bacon is done at the same time and all the same way!
Now…..
Guess what was delivered today? Yep, three of the giveaways:
This:
And This:
And This:
I don’t know what to giveaway first – any suggestions? I will be off line until Friday pretty much. Right now there are tornadoes firing up south west of here and tomorrow I have my annual PCA conference. I’m usually beat after that so I’ll visit back Friday morning. I’ll miss y’all and I hope you miss me too! 🙂
I do like your bacon idea! I will have to try it.
I tried to bake biscuits for twenty years. Yep, 20. Then I found this recipe. The BEST biscuits ever and super easy! Melt in your mouth, soft and buttery.
Mamaw’s Drop Biscuits
Ingredients:
• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup cold buttermilk (I used buttermilk powder)
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.
Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto greased cast iron skillet. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes depending on size of skillet.
Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
I hope it’s okay if I use this recipe and maybe make a post! That is if I live – the hubs is yelling to get off the computer right now! Looks like there very well could be tornadoes in the area!
Of course it’s ok! You spread this around ….there must be lots of biscuit-challenged ladies out there!
Seriously — these are unbelievably good.
Thank you so much RH!!
Yes, that is the hands-down best way to cook bacon! Have fun giving your prizes away–they all look like great fun. Will miss you, yes, and hope the tornadoes stay away. Be sure to stop by foodforfun before you take off as I wrote a party post. How did yours go? Liked your fb pix 🙂
Oh my goodness, I hope everything is OK! Tornadoes are so frightening…I hope you have a safe place in your home. It seems almost frivolous to talk about anything thing else other than your safety but know I enjoyed the post.
I came back to see if you were OK…thank goodness it rose back up. 🙂
I’m SO glad to know this baking method. I avoid cooking bacon because I can’t stand having my house (and everything in it) smell like a greasy burger joint. And I always feel a bit ridiculous buying the pre-cooked bacon at Costco.
Thanks!
Let us know how you are when you can get back online! I am going to look for the thick sliced bacon here. I haven’t seen it at my normal store but perhaps another might have it. It’s all I buy when I am in the States though. And now I really need some biscuits with bacon.
I just looked up PCA and came across a bunch of photos of last year’s conference and you got some awards, lady! Congratulations! Stay safe!
I’m fine! It tried to form above our house but there wasn’t enough hot air blowing when the cold air came in so it rose back up and blew away – Yay! I give away awards so the pictures probably have me holding them – but I’ve never gotten one. PCA, yes in-home caregivers which are the life blood of our business. Very important people who get little respect and money! When I am allowed, I add articles to this website they let me erect http://www.oklahomapca.org. it has lots of info for caregivers and a few stories as well – check out “johnnie” I started a free medical clinic years ago in my hometown and this is about one of my patients.
Glad you hear you are okay! I just saw your post on Facebook explaining. I could have sworn there were some cards or certificates laid out on a table saying Honorable Mention or something like that and one had your name on it! Anyway, off to check out your other site. Pat all those folks on the back for me! We sure appreciate the lovely folks who come to my mother-in-law’s house!
Oh my gosh, get down in your basement right now, missy and stay safe!!!
Beth, thank you – we don’t have basements in Oklahoma – we have root cellars! Actually because of all the tornadoes we have many people have underground storm shelters but my husband thinks he’s a storm chaser so last night as the sirens were going off, he put on his coat and hood standing in the front yard watching – like many of our neighbors. 🙂
I grew up in Minnesota and know how serious a tornado can be, but I also understand the fascination with wanting to see one.
It seems every time we go back to MN to visit family in the summer, we experience a tornado warning complete with sirens and the green air. My kids have memories of hovering in my mom’s bathtub (she didn’t have a basement either) and also of standing in my brother’s garage watching as a tornado was getting close. Both memories are not fond ones for them.
I, on the other hand, always thought a tornado warning was like a party siren. Since we didn’t have a basement, we would always end up at a neighbor’s house and it was fun for me to wait out the storm with my friends. I’m glad I live in Oregon now where the weather is a little less extreme.
Stay safe today my friend.
Beth
I also like to bake my bacon. It saves the spatter and mess on the stovetop.
I just love it!
I feel like a noob but I must admit I did not know you could bake bacon – it looks just as tasty and much healthier!
Stay safe during your tornado season!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks CCU – I love baked bacon and Marsha’s suggestions really add to mine! Thanks for your good wishes about tornado season – it’s one of the risks of living in this state, where there are the most tornadoes each season! 🙂
What a great post and idea Kelli! Love that you used a rack…that’s perfect. Thanks for the link back. This is such great stuff…in abundance even. Nice!
I’m glad you approve! I love your little bacon hearts too! I’m not that talented.
Oh goodness – I forgot the most important part..HOPE YOU AND YOURS ARE ALL OK AFTER THE STORMS! Blessings & Prayers. XO
Thanks – we are kind of used to it living here. One tried to form over our neighborhood but didn’t have enough umph to get the job done. Last year on April 13, one hit our backyard and took many of our neighbor’s homes completely out. That happened at 5PM that day – at about 10 PM my daughter called saying “it was time” and my husband and I had to talking for some time to the national guard who had closed off our neighborhood so we could get out – at 7:00AM on the 14th our grandest son was born – we sometimes call him Stormageddon! 🙂
I hope you are safe and will stay safe with all those tornadoes going on! see your next post Friday and of course you will be missed until then! 🙂 You know, I keep telling hubby about preparing bacon in the oven and he doesn’t believe it will taste as good! I’ sure it does! I saw a picture on pinterest a while ago but never described the way you just did! thank you so much for describing the how to very well, I really want to try this! maybe this weekend! 🙂 Your giveaways look great! 🙂 I love the utensil set ; my favourite color: RED!!! I painted many accessories last winter to add color and warmth to my kitchen using the red color! 🙂 Stay safe!
I certainly hope that no tornadoes touched down in your area and you are all safe. ! As I write, there’s thunder booming overhead. It’s that time of year, I’m afraid. I’ve baked bacon but not on a rack. Thanks for the idea!
Thank you for the good thoughts! Living in the prairie land, does have it’s risks. One tried to form above our neighborhood but just didn’t have the energy needed to get going and blew up and away. One hit our back yard last year, hopped a few more yards up the street and then flattened a 6 block square area in our town. It’s always luck of the draw with those crazy things – growing up here I guess you kind of get used to it. I hope you use the bacon recipe sometime – it’s so much easier!
Can you believe in all my years I’ve never tried baking bacon? Your tutorial includes some tips I haven’t seen before and I’m going to try this. I’ve always cut the bacon in half without any good reason and now I know why.
Hope there was no damage from the storm.
Lillian
Thank Lillian! There was no damage here except we lost power for some time but luckily, we were spared!
I’ve been baking my bacon for years but not because of the smell, lol. When you’ve got 5 hungry people all wanting bacon and you don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen watching over a pan on the stove, you bake it! When I do cook bacon, it’s usually 2-3 pounds at a time. No, we don’t eat it all in one sitting, but I’ll have plans for the leftovers, chef salads, bread, dressings, And the hubby loves reaching into the fridge on busy mornings and reheating a few slices for a quick bacon sandwich for breakfast.
Hope you servived the weather ok. Will track you down on FB to make sure. Big hugs my friend.
Stay safe!
We’ve always broiled it in a broiling pan — same idea where the fat drips to the bottom. But. I still get bacon smell through the whole house!
I hope you are safe in the hurricanes Kelli? I absolutely adore bacon in most forms and have baked in the oven before simply because when I worked in a plastic factory some years ago they baked everything in the oven bacon, burgers in fact everything they needed cooking was done in the oven…
This is great! I’ve been thinking about trying to bake my bacon for a while now, so it’s great to see this tutorial!
Thanks Kim – This way really works great!
I have baked bacon before, but always turned it over about half-way through. You did not mention that in your post. It would be a lot easier if I don’t have to turn it over! I also used this method to make candied bacon (which you DO have to turn over). Just spread your raw bacon with brown sugar, then sprinkle on some black pepper; half-way through the cooking time, turn it over and repeat the brown sugar/pepper. It is absolutely WONDERFUL to munch on!
Love you and assume by now the tornadoes have moved out of your area.
Love you back cuz! Nope, didn’t turn it over but it was on that rack thing so maybe that’s why – I’ve always put it on one of those. I need some new ones. I want to try your candied bacon – I would LOVE that!!
This is the only way I cook bacon … so much less mess especially with lining the pan with foil like you do. Gotta love Okie weather, right?
Yep – it’s always fixin’ to fuss this time of year!
I say you start with the bakeware set…. just because I’d love to win it 😉
I bake my bacon 99% of the time. I’ll have to try the foil tent thing next time! Interesting fact: every time I make bacon, I set the smoke detectors off. Haha!
Ummmmm………kay. Maybe you should try the bacon tent next time and I bet your won’t set off the smoke alarms! 🙂 Bakeware set it is – man that little cardboard suitcase is just as heavy as it can be! Seriously, I think it weighs 8-10 pounds!
My alarms are hardwired, too, so if one goes off… they all go off! It’s never really smoky… but I guess that one is really sensitive? It’s just random!
I could imagine! Good nonstick bakeware is heavy!!
I do this with the bacon, it’s awesome. I don’t even bother with the rack.
Isn’t it great?!? Way better than standing in front of the stove forever! Thanks for dropping!
I bake my bacon too! I saw that idea years and years ago.. maybe cooks illustrated? Although now that I have a giant cast iron skillet and press, sometimes I cook it up in there.
I have an iron skillet and press too – I would have never thought of using those but I certainly will next time!