How To Cook Bacon Like a Pro. đ„
Beach season is approaching fast which means many of our friends, family, and coworkers will be trying all types of low carb dieting and exercise routines to rapidly shed those extra pounds that developed over the winter.
One of the most effective methods of trimming the fat from that muffin top youâve managed to gain is a disciplined regiment of intermittent fasting combined with the keto diet that is all the rage nowadays and for many good health reasons which I wonât get into in this article.
Bacon is the primary staple of the keto diet and there are many myths associated with ingesting fat and heavy cholesterol consumption that have been dispelled that I donât really need to go into depth on because this article has already done so quite nicely.
Iâm writing this to share my love of cooking bacon well and pass down the experience that Iâve gained over time from my love affair with these crispy crunchy miraculous morsels of meaty goodness.
Shout out to baconmethod.com for paving the way.
First One must get right KIND of bacon.
Center cut thick bacon is leaner, tastier and makes for easy cooking. If you donât have a local butcher or farmer you support that has fresh pasture raised pork options, here are some tasty alternatives recommendations.
I prefer to buy bacon in bulk at Costco and save a little. Look for âFarmersâ brand Applewood Smoked Center Cut. It comes bulk bundled in two 32oz packages for around $18. Your next best option is âWright Brandâ Naturally Smoked Applewood Bacon and it is usually available at your local neighborhood grocer for around $9 per lbs. If you canât find either of these sometimes you can find Boarâs Head Brand Naturally Smoked Extra Thick Cut in the Deli section if you are lucky.
JUST SAY NO to Frying Pans and Microwaves
The classic method of frying your bacon in a frying pan on a stove top is to messy and there is not enough surface area to cook in bulk. Not even a full 12 ounce package will fit in a frying pan unless you cut it up into little pieces so you typically end up needing to cook a whole pound in two separate halves, 4 to 5 strips at a time or some chose to employ the strip slide over method; removing a cooked strip and replacing with an uncooked strip when the room becomes available in the frying pan which is just annoying, time consuming, and messy.
I will not acknowledge the idea of putting raw bacon in the microwave.
I get it if you have packs of the cheap precooked stuff for quick BLT sandwich and salad toppings but for fresh uncooked bacon, this blasphemy is probably considered a sacrilegious act against the United Church of Bacon.
No, Iâm not kidding⊠there is an actual legal Church of Bacon
If you are the type of person that commits this attrocityâŠ
I fart in your general direction. Enjoy the smell.
So youâre going to need a good dedicated bacon pan.
Some people recommend lining a regular 16â'â x 11' bakers half sheet pan with tin foil or parchment paper. I prefer to get the meat out of the grease so itâs much better to get an oven pan that has an elevated grill that lifts it out of the grease and lets it render and drain neatly into the pan below. These grill toped pans come in different sizes on Amazon. If youâre a bacon eating champ (as I am), Iâd recommend splurging for the USA Pan Bakeware Extra Large Sheet Baking Pan and Bakeable Nonstick Cooling Rack Set. Youâll be glad you did.
Dimensions: 20.75 x 14.75 x 1 inches â YOURâE WELCOME!
Now if you want to line the bottom of this pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean up then you can do so. If you want a more permanent solution to protect the pan, many people recommend the Silpat AE365240â02 Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat. I personally havenât used one of these yet so I canât say if it works well or not.
Do you prefer your bacon Crispy or Chewy?
When it comes to cooking any meat we need to find a balance and cook at the right temperature and length of time. If we use too much heat and burn the meat, it will form harmful compounds like Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heterocyclic Amines which are associated with cancer. On the other hand, some meats may contain pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites like Trichinella spiralis, Taenia solium and Toxoplasma gondii. Trust me, you donât want to invite these little boogers to the party thatâs about to go down in your tummy. For this reason, we need to cook meat well enough to kill the bacteria, so cook your bacon properly. It should be crunchy, but not burnt. Charred bacon is bad for your health. Red bacon is where itâs at!
Oven Temperature and Cooking Times
The following settings work best for me and my oven. All ovens are different so experiment and calibrate your oven to get the best results. I typically donât have the patience to pre-heat the oven or donât remember so I do without. If you remember, good for you. Not a big deal to the end result because we will be keeping a close eye on our bacon to ensure it doesnât scorch.
You want to set your oven temperature at 450 and load the pan on the center oven rack so that it gets evenly heated. Be sure to space each strip of bacon far enough apart to where the sides are not touching each other as this will make it much easier to flip. I tell Siri to set a timer on my iPhone for 20 minutes to remind me to return and flip the bacon with a pair of tongs so it doesnât stick to the grill. Nonstick grills so this usually isnât an issue but I find that if you take the time to flip it generally helps cook the meat more evenly.
Now with the timer reset for another 10 minutes Iâll hover nearby in range of the oven with the inner oven light on so I can see well and watch closely for the meatier portions to start to turn red and the fatty portions will start to turn yellow/orange. It should only take another 5â10 minutes max to crispen the meat completely at this temperature. Once the bacon is nice and red you can slip on some oven mitts and take the pan out of the oven and set it on an a place mat to let the bacon cool off for another 5 minutes. While itâs cooling grab a serving plate and fold over a few layers of paper towels on the plate to absorb any leftover grease. Roll the bacon around inside the paper towel and dab outside and absorb even more grease.
Did you accidentally take the bacon out to early? đ„
Itâs very easy to miscalculate the crispiness of the bacon and sometimes it getâs taken out of the oven and cooled to early only to realize that itâs still chewy in the fat parts and the oven has already cooled. No problem, just wrap the paper towel to cover the bacon from splattering and stick the plate in the microwave for 30 seconds and check it again. This is the ONLY TIME and EXCEPTION where itâs not a sin microwave your precious bacon.
What to do with left over bacon grease.
DO NOT POUR GREASE DOWN THE DRAIN IN YOUR KITCHEN SINK!
Nothing will clog your sink basinâs P trap quicker than hot grease when it hits the cool water in the trap and congeals into sludge. You might not notice it right away but over time you will. Trust me on this.
DO NOT POUR HOT BACON GREASE INTO THE TRASH!
This should be common sense. Youâll be picking all of your greasy trash up off the floor when you go to take the plastic garbage bag that now has holes melted through it out of the bin. Instead, invest in an Ayesha Curryâą enamel on steel bacon grease storage container at Target.
Some people love to save the grease for cooking oil. You can use it just like coconut oil to prepare with salads, dressings, sauces, popcorn, or infuse just about anything with yummy bacon flavor. I like to use it to sauté my greens, onions, and peppers. Here are 75 ways to use leftover Bacon Grease!
However, if you simply donât care for the grease or already have too much stored in your container and wish to dispose of it, do so quickly before it congeals in the pan because the grease is more difficult to wash from the pan once itâs began to turn into sludge. Find an aluminum can in the trash from last nightâs beer or soup or whatever you can score, then cut the lid off with a sharp pair of kitchen scissors or a knife for a quick and easy grease disposal container. Let the grease congeal in the can for at least an hour before you chuck it in the bin and be sure to cover the lid good so the smell doesnât linger and attract your pets to go romping through the trash for it.
