m . . .m. . .m. . .Bacon!

Some time ago I saw on Pinterest directions on cooking bacon in the oven and thought "I've got to try this." I have seen others do it on TV or on blogs so maybe you do this already, but I had not tried it. A couple days ago I had an open package of bacon in the fridge that needed to be used before it spoiled, and thought this was the right time to try this method. Wonderful!! Easy. . .not messy. . . perfect bacon. I only made about half the package the first time as that filled my jellyroll pan. After it was done I thought - why didn't I take pictures and put it on the blog? So today I made the rest and here are the pictures.

 

The instructions are easy. First line your pan with aluminum foil to make cleanup a snap. Lay out a single layer of bacon strips, not touching if you can help it. I already had my package cut in half. I have always done that since I can get more in a frying pan that way, plus a handy size to eat or use in sandwiches.

 

 

 

Then put the pan in a COLD oven, turn the oven on at 375 F. and set your timer for 15 minutes. Check to make sure it doesn't overcook. It might take a few minutes longer depending on the thickness of your bacon, or how crisp you like it.

 



 Here is the pan hot out of the oven. Can you smell it? You can see some of the grease still bubbling on top of the slices.

 Then I put a layer of paper towel in the bottom of a pan or dish, add a layer of bacon, and repeated the layers, with paper towel on top to absorb the extra grease.

As you can see, there isn't a lot of mess in the pan. I then took a spatula and scraped all the grease into my bacon grease jar that I keep in the fridge. You can't throw that yummy stuff out! It makes the best fried potatoes ever, not to mention frying eggs in it. It works great with frying any meat as well, especially pork chops. The grease jar is also recycled from an empty jam jar. My mom had a little crock that she kept the bacon grease in, right on the stove or close to it. It wasn't refrigerated (and nobody got sick from it). But today the 'experts' warn that it must be kept in the fridge. I used that little crock for bacon grease many years after Mom was gone, but now my daughter has it. Once the grease is in the jar, wad up the foil, throw away, and the pan is clean. No need to wash it before putting it back in the cupboard.

Now, if you can resist eating it all, you can freeze the slices for future use in sandwiches, salads, or reheat for a meal - homemade pre-cooked bacon! And cheaper than what you buy already cooked, plus you have the grease to use. This is also a handy way to cook bacon when you have several people to feed, whether for breakfast, supper, or a brunch. This can bake while you are making the eggs, pancakes, etc. You can also bake muffins at the same time if you want, or bake the whole pound at one time by using two pans and rotating them about halfway through cooking.

Another thing I want to try in the future is the brown sugar/pepper bacon like I saw the Pioneer Woman do on one of her shows. Doesn't that sound yummy?

My favorite bacon brand is Oscar Mayer. I think it tastes the best of any of the other brands in our area. There is one brand that I cannot stand the smell as it cooks. OM is a little more expensive but so worth the extra money. I try to buy several packages when there is a really good sale, then freeze them. I don't usually have the energy to cook them up after I have been shopping so they go in the freezer as they come from the store. (Oscar Mayer is not paying me to say this.)