Bakin' Bacon

We eat alot of bacon at my house. But weekday mornings frying bacon can be a challenge, so what to do? Bake an entire package and keep it in the fidget to zap quick in the microwave is what we do. Baking the bacon cooks it beautifully with no burning, required no babysitting and allows me to collect the dripping to cook with.

Here is how I do it: First take two cookie sheets (technically they are called jelly-roll pans but I am not getting into that right now) but you know what I am talking about, right? The wide pans with the short lip that most people use to bake cookies on? Alright now that we are all confused take two wire cooling racks and set one in each cookie sheet (Jelly-Roll Pan!) the lay your bacon out on each rack. Next move your oven racks to the top and bottom third of the oven and set it to 250°F. Put each sheet/rack/bacon apparatus on each oven rack.  Depending on how fatty you like your bacon it will take about  1½ to 2½ hours to roast the bacon. I go about 2 hours most of the time.  After it's done let is cool on the counter a bit then bag the bacon and toss in the fridge. If you feel inclined pour off the drippings into a canning jar and pop that in the fridge as well for future use as well.

For breakfast place 6 pieces or so on a plate and nuke 30 seconds to a minute. It doesn't take long to heat it up once its cooked. You can also chop it cold for topping a salad or for a bacon broccoli cheddar omelet (one of my favorites)

I use the bacon grease for high heat frying (cold pressed olive oil for low heat) or for dressing spinach salads. I would also like to go on record saying that since dropping grains from my diet, the bacon grease has not had any adverse effects on my cholesterol. In face when I last saw my doctor I had blood work done and the nurse said my numbers were 'Ideal' (a direct quote, that is what she said).

So go put some bacon it!