Whipping up a batch of BLTs or umami-packed burgers calls for a hefty portion of bacon. Not just any bacon, but the flat, crispy kind you can layer-up and that stays put. Here’s how to avoid soft, chewy bacon that pulls out of the sandwich on the first bite.
To get the flattest, crispiest bacon, J. Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats recommends you bake your bacon with two baking sheets; one on the bottom and one on top. Line the bottom baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay out a sheet of parchment paper on top of it. Place the bacon strips on the paper and try to avoid overlapping. Add another sheet of parchment paper on top of the bacon, then place the second baking sheet on top of that. Now bake it at 425°F for about 25 to 30 minutes. The bacon will be super flat, super crispy, and ready to be placed on a sandwich or burger after a quick pat with a paper towel.
Some stand by baking bacon on a wire rack as the best way to drain the fat off of the strips while they cook. While this results in crispy bacon, you end up with a hell of a clean-up trying to dig off stuck meat particles in between the wires. Baking them between baking pans puts the meat in contact with direct heat from both sides, collects all of the fat in one, disposable place, and makes for ultra-crispy, arrow-straight bacon strips. This trick also works well if you want to weave your bacon first.
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