Bacon.  I think it is should be it’s own food group.

I dig the pig.

There.  I said it.

But, it can make a real mess when you cook it.

But wait…are you still frying your bacon in a pan?

Are you crazy?

No, really…’cause you are making one big mess and it’s totally unavoidable!

If you get out your trusted ol’ cookie sheet and lay out the pieces, it’s pretty darn easy with minimal clean up.

In a preheated oven (375), cook the flat bacon (I like to cut it in half so I can squish in more pieces – and squishing is fine because it shrinks while it cooks) until it reaches your desired crispness – usually around 10-15 minutes; take the pan out and tilt it so the bacon fat drips to the bottom and the bacon cools without sitting in the grease.

Remember, don’t throw the drippings away (see here for what you can do with the drippings).

If you want to use it all fancy and everything, then try threading it on a skewer and baking it the same way (you can use it in a Caesar – see the picture above – or as a crispy element to a salad).

So, now you know.  Next time you bake your bacon in the oven and you don’t have to power wash your kitchen because it is covered in grease, you can think of me.

Oh, you are so welcome (insert blushing face) 😉