The Mistake You're Making When Cooking Bacon In The Oven

The smell of bacon is truly special. There are few foods that garner so much affection simply by the fragrant smell they give off as they bake. According to Chemistry for Life, as bacon fries in our frying pans it releases 150 "aroma compounds" that flirt with our taste buds and make them salivate the moment we get a whiff of it. This scent is such a sweet siren, we love to both eat and buy it. In fact, Meat + Poultry reported that bacon sales have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic, increasing by 23% in 2021, at which point sales reached $489 million. We get it. Whether its salty goodness is sidled up next to our eggs, crumbled on a salad, or added to our favorite burger, bacon makes everything better.

But when it comes to cooking this meat, especially for a big crowd, you've probably discovered that using a sheet pan and your oven instead of a frying pan and your oven top can be a time saver that produces the most delicious, crispiest bacon. Additionally, Tech Geeked points out that when you cook bacon in the oven, one of the biggest merits is that you do not have to stand over a frying pan with grease splattering as you wait to flip it. 

Of course, everyone makes mistakes when cooking bacon, and when you make your bacon in the oven, you might be making this one.  

According to Eat This, Not That, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to cook your bacon too quickly at a high heat. Instead of that beautiful gold and reddish-brown color that is synonymous with bacon, you end up with burnt to a crisp bacon. No one wants that. Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes cooking strips of this pork to perfection. The cooking site goes on to share that you want to practice the slow and low method when cooking your bacon in the oven. 

Tech Geeked concurs and advises cooking your bacon at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. However, a chef from the Fine Dining Restaurant Group in Jackson Hole, Wyoming told Eat This, Not That you can go even lower. Chef Gavin Fine told the outlet that 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes is his recommendation. Additionally, Tech Geeked suggests using a wire rack on a rimmed sheet pan so the grease can drip off the bacon while it cooks. And preheating is your friend. Don't stick your bacon in the oven until it hits your preferred cooking temperature.