How do you cook bacon in a Breville Smart oven?

Cooking bacon in a Breville Smart Oven is easy and allows you to make perfect crispy bacon easily. The Breville Smart Oven is designed to cook food evenly and consistently with its smart features like an element IQ system. This makes it an ideal appliance for cooking bacon.

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Benefits of Cooking Bacon in a Breville Smart Oven

There are several benefits to cooking bacon in a Breville Smart Oven compared to other methods:

Even cooking – The smart oven heats food evenly from top to bottom, preventing undercooked or burnt spots.
Consistent results – Smart features like preheat alarms and automatic adjustment of cooking time and temp ensures bacon comes out right every time.
Less splatter – Baking bacon in the oven contains mess and splatter compared to frying in a pan.

Large batches – Oven baking makes cooking large quantities easy.
Hands-free – Just set the temp and timer, no need to watch and flip the bacon as with stove-top cooking.
Accommodates other items – The spacious interior allows cooking bacon alongside eggs, potatoes, etc.

With even heat distribution, you don’t have to worry about cold spots or burning as you would on the stovetop. The Smart Oven takes all the guesswork out of getting perfectly crisped bacon.

Choosing the Right Bakeware

Having the proper bakeware is key for cooking bacon in the oven. Options include:

Rimmed baking sheets – Great for laying strips of bacon flat. The edges prevent grease from dripping.

Cooling racks – Fit inside baking sheets. Allow grease to drip below bacon, keeping it crisp.
Bacon racks – Specialty racks with closely spaced wires for laying bacon strips.
Muffin tins – For baking bacon cups or “bowls.”

Foil lined pans – Prevents sticking and makes cleanup easy.

Stainless steel, ceramic coated, or nonstick pans work best. Make sure pans fit inside the Breville oven with some room to spare.

How to Cook Bacon in a Breville Smart Oven

Follow these steps for perfect oven-baked bacon every time:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Allow oven to fully preheat before cooking.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on pan. Make sure strips don’t overlap or touch.

Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on desired crispness. Thinner cut bacon cooks faster than thick slices.
For chewier bacon, start checking at 8 minutes. For crispy bacon, cook closer to 12 minutes.
Remove from oven when done and transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Pour grease from pan carefully. Allow pan to cool before cleaning.

Cooking times may vary based on bacon type and thickness. Play around to find your perfect crispness level.

Tips for Crispy Bacon

Use a wire cooling rack inside the baking sheet – This elevates the bacon from the grease.

Bake bacon on higher oven racks – More heat circulation equals crispier bacon.
Start with cold bacon straight from fridge – Bacon crisps up better when starting cold.
Blot bacon slices before baking – Removing excess moisture helps it crisp up.

Cook a little past your preferred level of crispness – Bacon firms up after removal from the oven.

Tips for Chewy Bacon

Use a foil-lined baking sheet – Allows bacon to fry in its own grease.
Cook on lower oven racks – Less direct heat keeps it tender.

Bake for shorter times, checking often.
Remove from oven before it reaches desired crispness – It will continue cooking after removed from heat.

Cooking Different Types of Bacon

Technique may need to be adjusted slightly based on the type of bacon you are cooking. Here are tips for common bacon varieties:

Bacon Type	Tips for Oven Cooking
Regular sliced bacon	Most common style Cooks quickly due to thin slices Bakes up nice and crisp
Thick-cut bacon	Need slightly longer cooking time Reach crispness slower than thin bacon Require closer monitoring while cooking
Turkey bacon	Lower fat content than pork Tend to cook more quickly Leans toward chewy texture Hard to get ultra-crisp
Beef bacon	Needs moderate oven temperature Cook slowly to render fat and prevent dryness Doesn’t get as crispy as pork

Make adjustments to time and temperature based on the thickness and meat source of the bacon you are cooking.

Cooking Bacon Together With Other Items

One advantage of oven cooking bacon is the ability to cook other breakfast foods at the same time. Here are tips for cooking bacon alongside other items:

Eggs

Bake eggs in ramekins or muffin tins after bacon has cooked 10 minutes.

Or cook bacon first, remove, then bake eggs in same pan to absorb bacon flavor.

Potatoes

Cook potatoes and bacon on same pan.
Start potatoes first since they take longer to cook than bacon.

Remove bacon before potatoes are done.

Fresh vegetables

Add sturdier veggies like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots last 20 minutes of bacon cooking.
Toss vegetables in bacon grease for added flavor.

Baked goods

Bake quick breads, scones, muffins above or below bacon.
The heat from bacon cooking gives even more rise to baked goods.

Get creative cooking other breakfast items like pancakes, French toast slices, or hash browns alongside bacon. The Breville Smart Oven interior gives you lots of room for multiple items.

Cleaning up after Cooking Bacon

While baking bacon is less messy than stovetop, grease still splatters. Follow these tips for easy cleanup:

Line baking sheets with foil or parchment for easy removal of grease.
Carefully pour grease into heat safe container after cooking or let harden and discard.

Wash pan with hot soapy water. Soak if needed to loosen stuck-on bits.
Use baking soda and scrub brush to tackle more stubborn grease.
Clean inside of oven with warm soapy rag if needed after wiping up spills right away.

With the proper prep and pans, cleaning the oven after bacon is quick and painless.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Bacon

Cooked bacon keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days. Follow these steps for storing and reheating:

Allow bacon to cool completely before storing.

Place in airtight container or resealable plastic bag.
For maximum freshness, store bacon slices between pieces of parchment or wax paper.
Refrigerate cooked bacon.

To reheat – place in skillet and cook over medium heat until warmed through and slightly crispy, 1-2 minutes per side.
Can also reheat in microwave in 10 second increments – watch to prevent overcooking.
Crisp up under broiler if needed.

With proper storage, leftover oven cooked bacon maintains its flavor and texture to enjoy throughout the week!

Serving Ideas for Oven-Cooked Bacon

The possibilities are endless when it comes to serving oven-baked bacon. Here are some delicious ideas:

Breakfast sandwiches – Top toasted English muffins with cheese, fried egg, and bacon.

Eggs benedict – Layer bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce on English muffins.
Salads – Crumble bacon over spinach, wedge, or Cobb salads for a tasty topping.
Baked potatoes – Mix crispy crumbled bacon into loaded baked potato.

Soup – Add bacon crumbles to garnish chowders, bean soups, and potato soups.
Pizza – Sprinkle crispy bacon pieces over pizza.
Pasta – Toss bacon into carbonara, Alfredo, or pesto pasta dishes.

Brussels sprouts – Roast Brussels sprouts and bacon pieces for tasty side dish.

The possibilities are endless! Oven-cooked bacon is a versatile ingredient to keep stocked in the fridge.

Conclusion

Cooking bacon in the Breville Smart Oven makes it easy to achieve perfect bacon every time. With its smart technology for even heating and accurate time/temp control, you can get crispy, tender bacon with no cold spots or burning. Proper preparation using rimmed baking sheets, wire racks, and liners helps minimize mess and creates ideal airflow for maximum crispness. Adjusting cook times based on cut and type of bacon as well as pairing bacon with other breakfast foods is a breeze in the Breville oven. Follow these tips for cooking, storing and serving awesome oven-baked bacon.