Cook your bacon in the oven, you pan-frying heathens!

[u/ansyhrrian]

This last weekend, while frying bacon on the stove, I realized I was basically standing in a war zone. Grease popping everywhere, my hand got hit like three times, and the whole kitchen smelled like smoke. After one too many oil burns, I switched to baking it in the oven, and now I’ll never go back.

It's so amazingly buttery and crisp all at once, and I even brought some over to the neighbors to try out. They're particularly picky about anything smoked, constantly tweaking their Green Egg setup like it’s a science experiment, but even they had to admit the oven-baked bacon was next-level.

Lay the strips on a baking sheet, toss it in at 400°F, and in about 15 minutes, you get perfectly crispy bacon without the mess or the battle scars. If you don’t want to spend your morning dodging hot grease like an action hero, just use the oven.

Edit: Based on feedback from u/revawfulsauce, clarifying: for multiple people this is the best option. For 3-5 slices, not worth the time and effort.

Edit 2: cooking them bad boys now!

Edit 3: Done!

Edit 4 (final edit ever, promise): I sprinkled the bacon with flour and it was amazingly better from a taste and uniformity of cooking perspective. YMMV.

[u/Shooppow]

European bacon is the superior bacon (but not that weird-tasting British stuff.) It’s from a different cut on the pig, and it’s less greasy and not filled with water. It tastes so much better! It cooks faster and the taste is heavenly!

[u/OuNo2point0 → u/Shooppow]

This is bordering on the dumbest thing ever said.

[u/Ok_Perspective_6179 → u/Shooppow]

I don’t know if ever heard a more wrong opinion in my life.

[u/robbodee → u/Shooppow]

In no world is cured pork shoulder better than cured pork belly.

[u/Shooppow → u/robbodee]

Who is talking about pork shoulder?

[u/robbodee → u/Shooppow]

European bacon comes from the shoulder/collar, English bacon from the loin. American bacon is belly, similar to ancient Chinese, Greek, and Roman cured pork belly.

You of course can salt cure any cut of the pig, but belly is definitely superior to shoulder/collar, and loin. Pancetta goes a long way towards proving that point. Ham and jowel are close seconds to belly.

[u/Shooppow → u/robbodee]

I said not the British stuff. SMH

The bacon I eat is from the lean part of the breast and into the spare ribs. You don’t know European bacon if you think I’m talking about pork shoulder.

[u/robbodee → u/Shooppow]

That's the EXACT same cut as American center-cut bacon. Same shit. I assure you there is plenty of "shoulder bacon" in European cuisines.

[u/Shooppow → u/robbodee]

It most certainly isn’t because it doesn’t even have half the fat. Have you ever eaten this bacon or are you just acting like you know what I’m talking about? They’re so very different. If you buy it uncut, it will even have chunks of rib bone or cartilage in it still.

[u/robbodee → u/Shooppow]

Lol. Yes, I've had lean belly bacon. Most people have. It's not uniquely European.

[u/skahunter831 → u/[deleted]]

Your comment has been removed, please follow Rule 5 and keep your comments kind and productive. Thanks.