Name: The BEST Bacon You Will Ever Make
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: Bacon

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The BEST bacon you will ever make takes a sheet pan, a cooling rack, and an oven. You will never make bacon any other way!

Bacon is my thing.

My friend’s kids call me Aunt Bacon.

You’ll find bacon in my fridge.

Bacon stored in the microwave drawer.

And bacon in the freezer, just in case.

Years ago, in a local Asheville restaurant, Mayfel’s, I asked about how they made their bacon. The dear chef came out and talked me through the whole process.

And, let me tell you, I was amazed. Not only at how easy it was but the method in which they roast their bacon.

Mayfel’s literally roasts their bacon. They roast their bacon in a 200-degree oven for 2 and a half hours. Talk about rendered fatty goodness.

This method of baking bacon doesn’t require two and a half hours of your time. Less than half an hour and you have bacon for all week long – if it lasts that long! ??

How to Make the Best Bacon, Ever

Half Sheet Pan with Rack on it — below you’ll find affiliate links within this post.

Step One: find a half sheet pan and a rack that fits inside.

Amazon has all kinds of variations – some even come with lids! But, this kind of investment will take your cooking over the top. Not only is the half sheet pan one of the most versatile pieces of equipment I own, but the rack can also be used as a cooling rack for baked goods. Yay!

Step Two: Line the half sheet pan with aluminum foil

Lining the half sheet pan with aluminum foil is a major clean-up helper!

You do not have to do this step.

Especially if you are going to be roasting something after.

You can toss potatoes or brussels sprouts on the sheet pan with the bacon fat! Yum.

I like to make sure there is a lip all around the half sheet pan. That way, the bacon fat renders into a “pool.”

After the bacon finishes roasting, you can just pour the grease into a jar for safekeeping. <<< Every southern belle has this in her fridge!

Nestle your rack inside the aluminum foil “pool” so that it’s sure to trap all the drippings.

Step Three: Layout your Bacon

Now, get out your raw bacon and lay it on the rack, over the aluminum foil.

Pro Tip: Try as much as possible to not let the bacon touch. If you are making bacon for baked potatoes or salad, or something that you’ll crumble it into, the bacon can touch slightly. But, not overlapping.

**If you’ve been following along, you might notice I haven’t told you to turn on your oven. This method of baking bacon is a cold-oven roasting.**

Now that you have your half sheet pan with bacon on it…

Let’s get ready to rumble!!

Step Four: Place Bacon in a COLD Oven.

This is the time in the method that we place the bacon in the oven.

I am a huge fan of starting things in a COLD oven and letting it roast while the oven heats up.

For bacon, if you read most packages, it actually tells you to start your bacon in a cold skillet. ?

You want your half sheet pan in the middle rack. If your oven only has two, make sure to set the top rack in the ‘middlest’ part of the oven. That way, it gets more even heat.

Step Five: Close the Oven and Turn it On.

Close your oven door, then turn your oven to 350 degrees.

Look at the time once you shut the door – and twenty minutes from this time, your bacon should be done.

If you’re nervous, set a timer for 15 minutes, and then check. I usually listen for the “preheat is complete” beep – which is about the 12-minute mark.

When I hear that beep, I take a little peek inside and see how everything is crisping up.

What you see here is the 21-minute mark from when I shut the cold oven.

This bacon is perfectly crispy and ready to come out!

One thing to note: bacon crisps a little more as it cools. So, if you like less done bacon, take it out before it looks like this.

Here are the delicious beauties, all ready to be eaten.

You can store this in your fridge, wrapped in a paper towel, inside a ziptop bag.

Feel free to freeze these bacon strips and pull out whenever you need one or four!

Recipes that Use Bacon

Chicken Lorraine – a great low carb/keto recipe idea!
Easy Wedge Salad – another low carb/keto option!
The Ultimate Baked Potato Bar – you definitely need bacon if you’re having a baked potato bar!
DIY BLT Board – for Bacon Lettuce & Tomatoes Sandwiches, you’ll need a load of bacon!

Now that you’re ready to bake some bacon, get to it, friend!