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This is the best way to make bacon! Make perfect bacon every time by baking it in the oven. I also show you how to make flavored bacon with four delicious flavors for bacon!
Bacon, how is it so good? There is nothing better than waking up on a weekend morning to the small of delicious bacon. But frying bacon in a frying pan is sometimes messy and often the bacon doesn’t turn out as perfect as we would like. So what is the best way to make bacon?
Never fear, because I have the method for PERFECT BACON every time. Not only that, but you can make any amount of bacon, whether it is bacon for a crowd or just a few slices. Mr. Briar and I have been using this method for years and we won’t make bacon any other way.
Now bacon is pretty great on its own. But what about taking your bacon to the next level and making flavored bacon!?! This flavored bacon is perfect for serving at brunch, since you can make big batches and several different flavors if you want.
How do you make flavored bacon?
It’s so easy to make flavored bacon! You simply brush or sprinkle the spice mixtures onto the bacon before baking.
What are the best spice mixtures for bacon?
Since bacon is pretty salty, I like to stick with sweet and savory toppings. If you are the kind of person that loves to dip your bacon into maple syrup, these flavors are for you! My favorite flavors for bacon are:
-
- Maple Chili
- Honey Chipotle
- Pepper Brown Sugar
- Honey sesame
One last note about bacon – the kind of bacon you use really matters! I like to use high quality, thick cut bacon. The standard thin bacon doesn’t even compare. Some brands I like are Fletcher’s, Hempler’s and the Private Selection brand at Kroger owned stores (none of this is sponsored, these are just the brands I usually use).
For the BEST bacon, I really recommend getting a high quality, thick cut bacon.
How to make the best bacon
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon you can use less or more - use however many slices you need
Bacon Flavors:
For The Maple Chili Bacon:
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/3 cup REAL maple syrup not pancake syrup
For Honey Chipotle
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/3 cup honey
For Pepper Brown Sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For Honey Sesame
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Lay the slices of bacon on the rack, so that they are flat and not touching each other.
- Place the baking sheet in a cold oven.
- Set temperature to 350°F.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until desired crispness is reached. Different brands and cuts of bacon will take different amounts of time.
For Bacon Flavors
For The Maple Chili:
- In a small bowl, mix together the maple syrup and chili garlic sauce. Brush onto the bacon. Bake as normal.
For The Honey Chipotle:
- In a small bowl, mix together the honey and chipotle powder. Brush onto the bacon. Bake as normal.
For The Pepper Brown Sugar:
- In a small bowl, mix together the black pepper and brown sugar. Sprinkle onto the bacon, pressing it lightly so it sticks. Bake as normal.
For The Honey Sesame:
- In a small bowl, mix together the honey, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Brush onto the bacon. Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds if desired. Bake as normal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! These different flavors look amazing! Do you have any idea how long these would keep in the fridge? Whenever we’ve made candied bacon before it is always eaten right away, but now I’m trying to prep for an event and need to know how far in advance I could make these. (Thank you, I can’t wait to try these new flavors!)
Hi Emily – I haven’t stored these in the fridge so I can’t be sure. I think they would be ok for a day or two, although you might want to crisp them up a bit under the broiler before serving.
Meghan,how do put bacon in a cold oven when it takes 15 mins to preheat ,it took a long time to get done,however all 4 flavors were divine,bacon disappeared,thank you 🤗
Hi Patty – I’m so glad you liked it! Starting with a cold oven just allows the bacon to render more fat and get crispy 🙂
This bacon came out perfectly! Just the right amount of crispness. Thank you for another great recipe!
I somehow stubbled across your website…
I couldn’t be happier! I love your writing style, the format, recipe writing, and the food photographs are really lovely.
Thank you for sharing your expertise and tricks of the trade. I’m an instant FAN!
Hi Elizabeth – thank you so much for your kind comment! I am so glad to hear that you enjoy the website.
i’VE ALREADY STUMBLED UPON BAKING MY BACON IN THE OVEN AS WELL. lOVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE IT WITHOUT SO MUCH OF A MESS. BUT, YOU HAVE TAKEN MY BACON MAKING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE SEASONING/TOPPINGS BECAUSE THIS SOUNDS AMAZING! I’M PRETTY SURE i HAVE SOME BACON IN THE FREEZER THAT NEEDS TO COME OUT TO TEST THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES YOU SHARED.
I never knew there was so much to know about bacon making. Thank you for sharing, I am Definitely trying the honey sesame flavoring tomorrow for breakfast.
Hi Ushmana – Yay! The honey sesame flavor is one of my favorites!