Oh, Bacon!
I have such a love-hate relationship with bacon.
The Love – tasty, finger lickin’, oh-so-good
The Hate – messy, greasy, grease spattering EVERYWHERE, house reeking of bacon for days
Probably my biggest pet peeve about bacon is the mess that I get when cooking it and the constant babysitting that comes with cooking. I have to hover close to the skillet, watching, turning. Grease tends to spatter everywhere and is never fun to clean up.
On Easter this year I decided to add crock pot baked beans to my menu – and one of the star ingredients just so happens to be bacon. I decided to give baking the bacon a try – in the OVEN. Turns out, it was one of the easiest things I have ever done – and the end result was cooked bacon and absolutely no mess.
How to bake bacon:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Lay uncooked bacon in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Make sure you use a sheet with high walls (using a flat try will dump bacon grease all over your oven – messy and a fire hazard). Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper if available (I didn’t have any). This will help to soak up the excess grease.
3. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until bacon reaches your desired consistency.
4. Remove from oven and lay on paper towel lined plate.
5. Bacon can be enjoyed immediately or – stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days in refrigerator – or frozen (wrap in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, removing as much air as possible).
I may never cook bacon on a stove top again!
