Well, “instant” may be overstating it, but here’s a method that will let you have nicely cooked bacon whenever you want, within a matter of seconds. You just have to do a bit of work up front.
I’m offering this as an alternative to store-bought “ready cooked” bacon — you know, that stuff that needs no refrigeration and comes in large boxes containing only a dozen or so slices of bacon at a very high per-slice cost. The advantages of doing it the Blork way are:
- Way cheaper! (The store-bought kind is not only expensive per-slice, but the slices are paper thin)
- Less salt and preservatives (ever wonder why that stuff doesn’t need to be refrigerated? With my method you can even use reduced-salt bacon)
- You choose what kind of bacon to use (Whatever flavor or variety of bacon you like can be used)
- Less packaging (The freezer bags are reusable and you can use washable cloth towels instead of paper)
What You Need
- 500g of raw bacon
- A large non-stick baking sheet
- A Ziplock-style freezer bag
- A bit of wax paper
- Some paper towels or washable cloth towels.
- An oven (ideally convection)
- A freezer
What To Do
(1) Pre-heat the oven to 300° F. If you have a convection oven, use it. (Note: don’t use higher heat or the bacon will curl too much — you want it to be flat for easy packaging.)
(2) Spread the bacon in a single layer onto the cold non-stick baking sheet.
(3) Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes (the time may vary by oven and bacon thickness.) Do not overcook! Remember, the bacon will later be zapped in the microwave. You want it nice and golden brown and a bit crispy, but not very crispy.
(4) Remove the bacon from the oven. Let it cool, then transfer it to a plate covered with a couple of paper or cloth towels.
(5) While the bacon is cooling further, cut some squares of wax paper and fold them in half. Cut enough so you have a square for every four pieces of bacon.
(6) Place four pieces of cooled bacon into each fold of wax paper.
(7) Stuff all of the packets of bacon into the Ziplock bag, label it, squeeze out the air, and pop it in the freezer.
Note: you can put more than four slices in each packet, but the more you put, the more likely they are to stick together and require longer thawing time. It’s better to keep it to four, and take out more packets if you need more instant bacon.
Bacon time!
When you want a few pieces of bacon for your BLT or burger, take a wax paper packet out of the Ziplock bag and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to thaw. (Because of the grease, you should be able to pull the pieces apart without them thawing completely.)
Put a paper or cloth towel on a plate and top with the four slices of bacon spaced evenly apart. Fold the towel over the top.
Zap in the microwave oven. Generally, use about five seconds per slice, but it depends on your oven (monitor it closely).
Voilà! Fast and easy ready to eat bacon, whenever you want it!