Perfect Bacon with a Special Ingredient

By Foodiewife

My least preferred method of preparing bacon is frying it, or using a microwave. I prefer to bake/roast slices of bacon in the oven. I've always used a wire cooling rack, over a foil-lined baking sheet. America's Test Kitchen shared a cool method, where you make your own baking rack, by folding heavy duty foil (like a fan). Set it across a foil-lined backing sheet, and you're all set! The bacon doesn't become soggy, as it doesn't sit in the fat it renders. I like to sprinkle the bacon with brown sugar, which gives an addictive sweet and salty flavor to the bacon. This is a family favorite.

Ingredients

• Thick-Cut bacon (recommended); we prefer a quality Applewood Smoked Bacon
• Heavy duty foil (regular foil is too flimsy)
• Brown sugar, optional
• Baking sheet

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line the baking sheet with foil. Tear another sheet of heavy duty foil and fold it, lengthways to fit the width of the baking sheet. Fold the foil into 1 1/2-inch widths, like a fan. Unfurl the foil over the baking sheet, to create a "rack". Place the bacon strips over the rack; if desired sprinkle with brown sugar

Bake for about 10 minutes, then rotate the rack 1/4 turn and bake another 10 minutes.

NOTE: If you are using small, thinner cuts of bacon, the baking time might be reduced up to 50%.

Remove the bacon to a platter, lined with paper towels.

Once the bacon fat has cooled, carefully gather up the foil into a ball and discard.

NOTE: I prefer my bacon to be crispier than my family. Once I remove their bacon, I return my slices to the oven, but turn it to broil. Watch the bacon very closely, so it doesn't burn-- and if you've added brown sugar, the risk of burning is greater.