How Long to Cook Bacon? [Pan, Oven, Grill, Microwave]

If you like eating bacon, then it is important to know how long to cook it. Some people prefer crispy bacon, and some prefer chewy bacon. How long to cook bacon so that it is perfect each time?

It takes about 7-10 minutes to cook bacon in a fry pan or skillet. Preheat the pan and then cook the bacon strips for 4 minutes on each side. The time it takes to cook bacon depends on the thickness of the bacon and the method of cooking.

The fry pan or skillet is the most common cooking method for bacon; however, there are several other methods that people use. Below are the estimated times it takes to cook bacon using five different cooking methods:

Pan: 7-10 Minutes
Oven: 10-20 Minutes
Grill: 7-10 Minutes
George Foreman Grill: 13 Minutes
Microwave: 4-6 Minutes

Read on to learn more about how long to cook bacon using these cooking methods and tips for cooking the bacon perfectly every time.

How Long to Cook Bacon?

The actual time it takes to fully cook the bacon depends on the thickness of it, the type of cookware, and how hot the heat source is.

See below for the estimated time to cook bacon using five different cooking methods.

1. Cook Bacon in a Pan: 7-10 Minutes

Cooking bacon in a fry pan or skillet is the most common cooking method. It takes about 7 to 10 minutes to cook bacon in a fry pan or skillet.

Preheat the fry pan or skillet on the stove with low-medium heat for no more than 5 minutes. Don’t let the pan get too hot.
Lay the slices of bacon beside each other on the pan. Cook the slices until the bottom sides are browned.
Flip the bacon strips using tongs.
Continue to flip the slices until they are fully cooked to your liking.
After the strips are cooked, place them on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess fats.
After much of the grease has been transferred to the paper towel, move the bacon to a clean serving plate.

2. Cook Bacon in an Oven: 10-20 Minutes

For this method, you will need aluminum foil and a baking sheet that will fit in your oven. You may also use a baking rack. The bacon slices will be extra crispy if you use a rack. It takes about 10 to 20 minutes to cook bacon in an oven.

A rack will also allow the grease from the slices to drip off as the bacon cooks. You also need to put aluminum foil on the rack for easy cleaning afterward.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (204.44°C).
Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil. Ensure that the sheet is fully covered. The foil should also extend on the sides of the sheet to capture the bacon’s grease. This makes it easier to clean.
Put the bacon slices on the baking rack. I usually use a pound of bacon slices. If you are not using a rack, put them on the foil, side by side.
Slide the rack in the oven – middle layer. This will evenly distribute the heat. You also have the option to cook the bacon starting with a cold oven. As the oven heats up, the bacon will cook. This is fine but it just takes longer and you have to be careful the bacon doesn’t overcook.
Cook the bacon for about 10 to 20 minutes. The actual time will depend on how crispy you want the bacon to be.
Once cooked, get the bacon out of the oven and place them on a plate lined with paper towel.
Serve the bacon on a clean plate as soon as the grease is taken out.

3. Cook Bacon on a Grill: 7-10 Minutes

There are several ways to cook bacon on a grill. This is the method that stands out from all the rest. It takes about 7-10 minutes to cook bacon on a grill.

Preheat the grill to 400°F (204.44°C). Put your skillet or frying pan on the grates to preheat it as well.
Lay the bacon strips side by side on the pan.
Close the grill lid and let the bacon slices cook. This will take about 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon and how crisp and brown you want them to be.
In about 3 to 4 minutes, open the grill and turn the strips over one by one. Use tongs to flip the slices.
Wait for another 3 to 5 minutes to cook the other side of the bacon, or until it is golden brown and crispy.
Pick up the slices one by one and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel. Use the tongs to do it.
Once the grease is out of the bacon, place the bacon on a clean serving plate.

4. Cook Bacon on a George Foreman Grill: 13 Minutes

If you don’t want the greasy mess, which is always a part of cooking bacon, you can choose to use a George Foreman Grill or a similar device. It takes about 13 minutes to cook bacon on this grill. That includes prep time of 5 minutes and cooking time of 8 minutes. In this grill, the grease is controlled as soon as you close the top.

The excess fat is channeled in the drip tray. You will get bacon that is crispy, flat, and lean. Your stovetop is also cleaner. Here’s how to cook bacon in a Foreman Grill.

Close the top of the Foreman Grill and preheat it to high for 5 minutes. Ensure that its drip tray is ready.
After 5 minutes, place the number of bacon slices that will fit on the grill. There should be one layer of bacon only. Don’t overlap or the bacon will take longer to cook and each slice won’t cook evenly. To get the standard grill marks, place the slices horizontally.
Close the top and cook the bacon for 7 to 8 minutes. Halfway, check if the bottom sides are already cooked. Use the tongs to flip the strips. Double-checking halfway through will help you end up with perfectly cooked bacon.
Once cooked, remove the bacon and place them over a plate lined with paper towel. Allow them to cool down for 1 minute.
Once the excess grease is taken out, put the strips on a clean serving plate.

5. Cook Bacon in a Microwave: 4-6 Minutes

With a microwave, you will be able to cook bacon without all the greasy mess. There are two ways you can use the microwave for cooking bacon. Each microwave method will take about 4-6 minutes for the bacon to cook.

A) Microwave Bowl Method

Get a microwave-safe plate and put on top of it an upside-down microwave-safe bowl.
Drape slices of bacon over the rim of the bowl. Make sure that the entire rim is covered with bacon, but leave enough gaps between each slice so that they won’t stick to each other.
Put the plate and the bowl inside the microwave oven.
Start the microwave on its highest setting. It will take about 4-6 minutes to cook one strip of bacon. If you are using one pound of bacon, you will need about 15 minutes to cook all the slices. Rotate the bowl after 10 minutes to ensure that there is even cooking of the bacon.
You will notice that as the bacon is cooking, the grease will settle at the bottom end of the bowl. This makes for a non-messy method of cooking bacon.
Once the bacon is cooked, remove the plate and the bowl out of the microwave. The plate and the bowl will be very hot so use an oven mitt to hold them.
Remove the slices of bacon from the bowl and place them on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess fats. Don’t allow the strips to cool down on the bowl or they will be in U-shape forms.
Once the excess grease is absorbed by the paper towel, place the bacon on a clean serving plate.
If you want, you can save the grease for cooking other food later.

B) Microwave Paper Towel Method

Get a microwave-safe dish enough for the amount of bacon that you want to cook.
Get some paper towels and place several layers of them over the dish. These paper towels will absorb the grease extracted from the bacon as it cooks. You won’t have any mess after the bacon is cooked.
Lay down the bacon strips across the layers of paper towels. Don’t let the slices overlap each other or it will be difficult to separate them when they stick together after they are cooked.
Put a layer of paper towel on top of the slices of bacon. This will prevent the splattering of grease on the roof and sides of the microwave oven.
Put the microwave oven on its highest setting and start to cook the bacon strips. This will take around 4-6 minutes to cook all the slices on the plate.
Once the bacon is cooked, remove the plate from the microwave oven. Use an oven mitt to avoid searing your hands. Lay the slices out on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess grease.
Allow the slices to cool down for 1 minute and place them on a clean serving plate. Don’t let them stay on paper towels for more than 1 minute because they will stick to the paper.

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Conclusion – How Long to Cook Bacon?

Pan: 7-10 Minutes
Oven: 10-20 Minutes
Grill: 7-10 Minutes
George Foreman Grill: 13 Minutes
Microwave: 4-6 Minutes

Now you know how long to cook bacon and the many different ways to cook it. The next time you are craving some bacon, you will know how long it should take. You won’t be disappointed and will have perfectly cooked bacon every time.