We don’t do “leftover” bacon in our house. Oh, it’s all gone in a flash of an eye! It is also an enormous hit with everyone in my family – my kids love it, my husband loves it, and quite honestly, so do I! Eggs and bacon are a classic for us, almost to the point where at this point it’s a tradition to eat it for breakfast. I like to let the bacon get as crispy as possible because, let’s be honest, crispy bacon is delicious, and I don’t get disappointed faces from my kids when one of them gets the crispier one than the other. But sometimes it doesn’t come out quite as crispy as I’d like. It’s still good, of course, but if you’re a bacon lover like me, the crunchiness is just everything.
Then, I was informed of this secret for achieving the crunchiest bacon, and let me tell you, this is the way to cook bacon. And it does take some flour, and a lot of time, but the results are, of course, worthwhile. This is something life-altering I wanted to tell you. And honestly, it will make your whole family appreciate you more when you cook them this. I SWEAR!
The Flour Method for Bacon that Isn’t Chewy
So, here’s the secret: flour! The key to the best crispy bacon every time: Just add a bit of flour to your bacon and refrigerate for 30 minutes before you start cooking. But why flour, you may ask? Okay, first things first: The flour serves to soak up some of the excess fat of the bacon so that it can crisp faster. Helps the bacon to also not curl as tight, you will get nice straight bacon.
Can You Use Other Flours?
Yes, you can! It’s best to stick with all-purpose flour, although it may be fun to experiment with other flours, like rice flour or cornstarch. My sister-in-law uses gluten free flour and as she told me, it works just fine. Honestly, just use any type of flour that will absorb moisture – so it can create a crispy coating.
How to Make the Crispiest Bacon: Step-by-Step
Below is the process on how to make the crispiest bacon of your life. It is very easy, but you should prepare for it beforehand, which I know we don’t always have time for. But trust me, my kids and my husband, it’s worth it! Ha!
Ingredients:
- Bacon strips (2–3 per person)
- All-purpose flour (or your preferred type of flour)
- Parchment paper
- Beeswax wrap or an additional piece of parchment paper
Instructions:
The Night Before:
- Grab a medium-sized bowl and put some flour in it.
- Take each bacon strip and dip it into the flour, ensuring it is well coated. Shake off the excess flour.
- Place the flour-coated bacon strips on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan so that the bacon pieces are not touching. Or get your kids to do it. Mine like to help me in the kitchen sometimes. If you need to layer the bacon, put a sheet of parchment paper between each layer.
- Cover the pan with beeswax wrap or an additional layer of parchment paper.
- Put the pan into the fridge and chill the bacon for a few hours, or overnight.
The Morning Of:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Take the bacon out of the fridge and put them in a single layer on a parchment paper on a baking pan.
- Cook it in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes.
- Using tongs, flip the bacon slices over. Bake for an another 5 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and evenly browned.
- Once the bacon is golden brown and super duper crispy, use the tongs to put it to a paper-towel-lined plate to soak up the excess oil.
- Serve the bacon warm and don’t let your kids and husband eat ALL of it! You’ve definitely earned it too, since you’ve started preparing it the day before.
Why the Shape Matters
One of the best things about this method, however, is that it helps bacon maintain its shape. It’s important to have bacon strips rather than crumbled bacon bits on hand at all times, because you never know when you might want to quickly fry up some bean-and-egg tacos or a BLT. Not only do the strips look and taste better, but they make it easy to turn any bite crispy and crunchy. And my kids started asking me to give them ‘the straightest bacon’ I’ve made and it cracks me up. Haha!
This hack is certain to earn you the title of breakfast hero in your family. It’s tempting to figure you can skip the step of coating the bacon in flour (and chilling the stuff, in the refrigerator, overnight), but you can’t. I hope this is helpful the next time you’re planning on making a huge breakfast or brunch! You will be surprised at how crunchy and flavorful the bacon will turn out.
This has been our go-to way for cooking bacon. It’s a basic but great way to start your day off right and the moment you bite into your first piece of bacon you’ll get why. Also, it’s fun to get the kids involved with the preparation, having them shake the bacon in the flour and lay it out on the pan.
It’s perfect for whether you’re someone who prefers only crispy bacon, or if you like play with flavors and textures, you won’t be disappointed with this one. So, don’t wait, once you start, you’re going to want to spoil yourself rotten with the perfect bacon. And don’t forget: crispy bacon isn’t just something you eat: it’s a state of being. And I swear all of my family shows me more love after I started cooking bacon this way. Ha!
