Hickory Smoked Bacon
Love bacon? Hate the mess of frying it? This will help tremendously and you will enjoy bacon any day of the week splatter-free.
More of a cooking method than a recipe
This is not a recipe but a method for cooking bacon that will not grease up your kitchen. You love the aroma and taste of hickory smoked bacon. I know I do. But the biggest problem is the mess that is made when cooking it.
The problem with cooking bacon
It splatters all over the stove, counter, floor, and sometimes you. It makes a mess and can burn you as well. It also asperates in the air and lands on your cabinets, appliances, inside cabinets, and drapes nearby. Cooking greasy meats is such a mess.
My biggest fear when teaching my kids to cook, was them getting burned by splatter. It was all I could do to endure them cooking anything that splattered when their face was close to the stovetop. There is a better way to cook bacon.
The solution to messy bacon
The solution is the oven. It cooks more evenly, with no risk of spatter on the counter or you, and it frees up your stovetop surface area.
When you cook your bacon in the oven, the rising temperatures of the oven help to evaporate the moisture in the protein and let it escape the oven as gas and air, rather than asperated fat. As a result, you don't have moisture droplets hitting a hot surface coated with fat. Moisture will drip into the fat but not at the rate or volume it does in a pan.
The Result
The result is superior bacon in taste, quality, and texture. Because the bacon is primarily cooked from the oven's heat and not the pan surface, all of the bacon is cooked mostly at the same rate.
- 2 lb Bacon (Thick Cut)
- Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 375.
Line a half-size sheet pan with parchment paper. Arrange the bacon on the parchment so that the edges are just touching.
If you are using a commercial box of bacon, it will be pre-sheeted on paper. You can simply place the sheet of paper with the bacon onto the pan.
Cook two pans at one time for maximum efficiency. If your oven has three shelves, cook three at a time.
Cook for 20 minutes until the bacon is cooked but not crispy.
Remove from oven and let cool.
Seal and store for future use. I like to use my Brilliance 9.6 C storage container in the refrigerator. This way, my family has bacon ready whenever they want it.
When ready to use, reheat in a pan or oven until the desired doneness/crispiness is reached. Reheat to at least 165 F.
