Best Oven Baked Bacon Recipe
For Best Oven Baked Bacon, start with a premium bacon (Mangalica pork). Sprinkle with pepper, brown sugar, drizzle with maple syrup; bake!
Friends, baking bacon is so much easier than frying in a skillet. You can say goodbye to splattering grease and trying to fit “one more piece” in the skillet. We’ve all been there.
I say, BAKE it … because it eliminates the mess and the flavor, and texture is perfect.
Best Oven Baked Bacon Recipe
Just in time for a delicious breakfast board, your guests are going to love how you serve this baked bacon recipe!
Is anything quite as delicious as crispy bacon and eggs? On a breakfast board, I love to serve hard-cooked eggs and baked bacon. Add in the smoked salmon, and you have the perfect Sunday or weekend brunch!
More Breakfast Boards
Here are a few scumptious breakfast boards: You can make a waffle dinner board or a pancake board, scrambled egg brunch charcuterie board, all great options. Oh, and once you bake the bacon, you can make my friend Trish’s Baked Bacon Cheese Dip – yum!
Memories of bacon
My memories of bacon take me back to easy childhood mornings and summer camping trips. In the lodge’s black iron skillets, we’d have the best bacon. It seems that bacon was left for a treat or special guests or a special occasion. We did not eat bacon on a daily basis. I’m not sure if it was the cost, or just that my mom knew it wasn’t healthy to eat it daily. LOL
Mom fried bacon, and it was always a mess, but we’ve found the smartest method of cooking bacon slices is in the oven.
- There’s less mess.
- The bacon is cooked and ready at the same time.
- The texture is crispier and the flavor is superb!
One exception to this rule, if you’re cooking bacon pieces for a recipe (for example with onion), then it only makes sense to use a skillet.
Is it better to bake or fry bacon?
This bacon is baked instead of fried and once you try this simple method, you’ll NEVER go back to frying your bacon in a skillet. I really think the flavor and texture is best this way!
How to prep the bacon
- Get the oven HOT. Preheat to 400° and prepare a broiling pan (with cooking spray). If you do not have a broiling pan, line a large baking sheet with foil.
- Prepare the bacon by laying strips in a single layer on the broiler pan; sprinkle with brown sugar and pepper. Drizzle with maple syrup. Do not let the strips of bacon overlap, or the strips will stick together and will not cook evenly.
How to bake the bacon
- Bake until the bacon is crispy, about 20 minutes, depending on its thickness.
- Start checking after 15 minutes, because some ovens heat more than others.
- There is no need to flip the bacon over (just keep an eye on it).
- Drain the slices.
- Remove the bacon, and place the slices on a paper towel-lined plate, then serve immediately.
What kind of bacon is best?
Mangalica pork! Called the “Kobe beef of pork,” mangalica (also mangalista) pork comes from what were once nearly extinct Hungarian domestic pigs wrapped in woolly fleece, similar to sheep. They were historically raised for their prized lard, with its mellow, silky flavor. It’s so prized that this unique bacon is rated by the Michelin guide as one of the top five in the world.
Ours came from the Mangelica Meat Company in the Pacific Northwest, where animals are raised humanely on dirt and pasture.
Seriously the BEST bacon ever!
Best Oven Baked Bacon Recipe
Have I told you that my recipe today, the flavors of brown sugar, maple syrup, and fresh cracked pepper—are out of this world?
Serve it on a breakfast charcuterie board for a weekend breakfast or special occasion!
Happy weekend, Friends!
Get the Recipe:
Best Oven Baked Bacon
Ingredients
- 12 slices bacon
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, you can also use coconut sugar
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Drizzle maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° and line a large baking sheet with foil or use a broiler pan. Lay bacon in a single layer onto baking sheet or cooling rack, making sure not to overlap.
- Sprinkle bacon with brown sugar and add cracked black pepper. Next, drizzle with maple syrup.
- Bake until your desired crispness, 18 to 25 minutes.
- Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and serve.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Yummy!!!! I want to try and make this!!! Thanks for reminding me true love is about serving others not myself :)
Happy Valentine’s Day Sandy!!!!