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Diner-Style Bacon for a Crowd

2.2

(36)

Image may contain Food Pork Bacon Dish Meal and Bread
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone

There are so many things to love about this fast technique, which nods to the French confit method of cooking meat in its own fat. You'll get about 40 strips of par-cooked bacon that get crispy in mere minutes. And delicious bacon-flavored oil you can use to make a vinaigrette or cook pancakes. But the best part is the shape of the bacon itself—it cooks up like a child's drawing of bacon—long, red, flat strips that don't curl and are perfect for sandwiches or alongside fluffy clouds of scrambled eggs.

Cooks' Note

You can use the fat to cook almost anything you would cook with vegetable oil. It will impart a subtle smoky bacon flavor, especially good for pancakes and home fries.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    45 minutes

  • Yield

    Serves 12–15

Ingredients

2 pounds bacon
3 cups vegetable oil

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    If using a top-down broiler, arrange rack on second-to-top rung. Heat broiler on high.

    Step 2

    Arrange bacon, fat side up, in 2 layers in a 13x9" metal baking dish. Pour oil over; bacon should be mostly submerged. Broil, checking often and watching carefully, until fat is partially rendered and edges start to crisp on top layer, 15–20 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack.

    Step 3

    Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium. Working in batches, remove bacon from oil, letting oil drip back into dish, and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes on each side.

  2. Do Ahead

    Step 4

    Bacon can be broiled 5 days ahead. Cool submerged bacon completely in dish, then cover and chill.

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