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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: MillCreek on August 21, 2010, 01:38:36 PM

Title: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 21, 2010, 01:38:36 PM
I am cooking bacon in the oven right now and it smells heavenly.  I am having the kids and the first ex-wife over for a BBQ this afternoon before my youngest goes back to NYC for her college sophomore year.

I will have a 'build-your-own-kabob' bar with marinated beef and chicken chunks, whole mushrooms, red/yellow/orange peppers, onions and pineapple

Creamy pea salad (the bacon is for this)

Cucumber\mango\black bean salad

Grilled corn on the cob

Apricot\blackberry tart

Wine\beer\coffee\espresso

I will make someone a wonderful wife some day.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: grampster on August 21, 2010, 04:17:26 PM
I bought two 12" black cast iron frying pans and use them to cook bacon on my covered outdoor grill.  Bacon doesn't smell up the kitchen for a day that way.

PS:  You're meal is making my mouth water.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Ben on August 21, 2010, 04:30:40 PM
I bought two 12" black cast iron frying pans and use them to cook bacon on my covered outdoor grill.  Bacon doesn't smell up the kitchen for a day that way.

Dad, is that you??  :laugh:

That's exactly what my dad does and he got me doing it too. I ended up getting a ribbed griddle that I put on the grill.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 21, 2010, 06:10:02 PM
I love it when bacon smells up the house.  There should be a bacon air freshener. 
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: RocketMan on August 21, 2010, 06:12:56 PM
Quote
Cucumber\mango\black bean salad

That sounds good.  Care to part with the recipe, per chance?
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: BridgeRunner on August 21, 2010, 06:13:33 PM
I love it when bacon smells up the house.  There should be a bacon air freshener. 

+1
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: lupinus on August 21, 2010, 06:37:15 PM
I love it when bacon smells up the house.  There should be a bacon air freshener. 
Damn skippy.

I spent the morning making lunch for 25. Homemade meatballs, homemade sauce, and pasta. Unfortunately there was no bacon :(
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas on August 21, 2010, 06:47:37 PM
I ended up getting a ribbed griddle that I put on the grill.
You should try one of the George Foreman grills. They do great things to bacon.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on August 21, 2010, 06:54:58 PM
Damn skippy.

I spent the morning making lunch for 25. Homemade meatballs, homemade sauce, and pasta. Unfortunately there was no bacon :(


fine chopped bacon in the meatballs
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: lupinus on August 21, 2010, 07:01:20 PM

fine chopped bacon in the meatballs
I considered it, but one place I do dislike bacon is my balls.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 21, 2010, 07:11:39 PM
That sounds good.  Care to part with the recipe, per chance?


Cucumber, mango and black bean salad

Two seedless cucumbers, washed and cut into 1/2" dice
Two medium mangos, cut into 1/2" dice, or use two 10 oz. bags frozen mango chunks
One can black beans, drained and rinsed
Four tablespoons lime juice
Four tablespoons orange juice
Two tablespoons diced green chiles
Two tablespoons chopped cilantro

Combine everything and let sit for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 21, 2010, 07:16:08 PM

fine chopped bacon in the meatballs

Now that is worth a try, by gosh.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on August 21, 2010, 07:19:13 PM
i was insspired i had an eye round in the oven and fine chopped some bacon  cooked mushrooms and onions in the grease and than made a roux with the whole mess  the gravy rocks after the drippings from the roast and some boullion
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 21, 2010, 07:24:41 PM
i was insspired i had an eye round in the oven and fine chopped some bacon  cooked mushrooms and onions in the grease and than made a roux with the whole mess  the gravy rocks after the drippings from the roast and some boullion

If there was a Star Trek transporter right now, I would beam over to your house for dinner.  I'll bring dessert.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Ben on August 21, 2010, 07:25:49 PM
I considered it, but one place I do dislike bacon is my balls.

Damn you! I was drinking when I read that!
 :mad: =D
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 21, 2010, 07:30:39 PM
OK, all my prep work is done.  The salads are chilling, the corn is grilled, the tart is baked and I have my mise en place for assembly of the kabobs.  The wife and I are sitting down to enjoy a glass of wine before the guests arrive.  Life is good since there is still a faint aroma of bacon around the oven.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 21, 2010, 07:32:05 PM
i was insspired i had an eye round in the oven and fine chopped some bacon  cooked mushrooms and onions in the grease and than made a roux with the whole mess  the gravy rocks after the drippings from the roast and some boullion

I love to roast off an eye round on the weekend and then use it for roast beef sandwiches during the week. 
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on August 21, 2010, 07:33:39 PM
me too!
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: French G. on August 21, 2010, 07:46:08 PM
i was insspired i had an eye round in the oven and fine chopped some bacon  cooked mushrooms and onions in the grease and than made a roux with the whole mess  the gravy rocks after the drippings from the roast and some boullion

I combined my speed reading competency with my knowledge of your Asian heritage. So, my first read yielded: "I had a round eye in the oven..." My "You did WHAT!!!??" reaction slowed down and made me re-read.  :laugh: Sounds yummy.

Another use for bacon in the oven. Bacon wrapped oysters under the broiler. Kill for them.


Hell with the bacon air freshner, we need to step up and make bacon cologne and perfume. That would even make my wife like me. :D
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: bedlamite on August 21, 2010, 07:55:40 PM
There should be a bacon air freshener. 

There is. (http://www.amazon.com/Bacon-Air-Freshener-your-Car/dp/B000SSVZLW)
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: grampster on August 21, 2010, 07:58:41 PM
Ben,
The trouble with ribbed griddles is that they are not deep enough to handle the bacon grease.  It'll overflow if you're not carefull.  Disaster follows.  I use the really thick cut bacon I get at Sam's Club.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Ben on August 21, 2010, 08:14:00 PM
Yeah, I actually have to drain it once halfway through if I'm cooking up a two pound package for me and the dog. It'll handle a pound of thick cut. I've been using the Applewood smoked stuff from Costco.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: grampster on August 21, 2010, 08:39:25 PM
I learned the hard way with a low sided rib skillet.  I had to run and get paper towels and put on a thick glove and try and sop up the grease before it spilled over.  The black cast iron pans work best.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: bedlamite on August 21, 2010, 09:20:37 PM
I'll either use a cast iron pan or the George Foreman grill.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Harold Tuttle on August 21, 2010, 10:23:45 PM
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpremium1.uploadit.org%2FdocZox%2F%2Fbaconturtle1.jpg&hash=909c761bda7cf34a9285aef588019285ef9fec03)
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: BridgeRunner on August 21, 2010, 10:26:34 PM
Someone clearly has too much time on their hands.

I'm a fan of my bacon press myself.  The Foreman is good too, and fast.  Plus it collects the fat very handily without having to pour hot grease.  Always a plus with kids underfoot.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Hutch on August 21, 2010, 10:31:03 PM
Tuttle... Oh.  My.  God.   There must be a name for that concoction.  Let me guess:  Triple Bypass?  Double Lipitor?  Stroke Surprise?
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: BridgeRunner on August 21, 2010, 10:36:15 PM
See, I don't like rubbery.  Bacon must be cooked to somewhere between crispy and burnt, and completely evenly.  With the weave thing going on there I don't see any way to not have rubbery bits.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MechAg94 on August 21, 2010, 10:37:43 PM
I'll either use a cast iron pan or the George Foreman grill.
I never tried the Foreman grill.  That might be interesting.  

I tried the oven thing this morning.  It worked okay.  The bacon came out great.  The house still got smelled up with bacon.  I am apparently in the minority in that once I am no longer hungry, I really don't want to smell bacon throughout the house or smell in again every time I come back inside.  When it is 97 outside, I really don't want to open up windows either.  

I think I'll go back to using the microwave.  It seems to be the easiest means to cook up 2 or 3 slices at a time.  
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MechAg94 on August 21, 2010, 10:39:02 PM
See, I don't like rubbery.  Bacon must be cooked to somewhere between crispy and burnt, and completely evenly.  With the weave thing going on there I don't see any way to not have rubbery bits.
I'm with you there.  I'd rather have nearly burnt bacon than anything close to underdone. 
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Harold Tuttle on August 21, 2010, 10:44:02 PM
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpremium1.uploadit.org%2FdocZox%2F%2Fmakinbacon.jpg&hash=76cadfe182479ba10211c0e36497ae9229f9f535)
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: lupinus on August 22, 2010, 12:57:58 PM
I'm with you there.  I'd rather have nearly burnt bacon than anything close to underdone. 
Properly cooked bacon should be something just short of cremation.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Ben on August 22, 2010, 03:01:31 PM
Well, I hit this thread again while I had asparagus baking in the oven, and now it has been joined by bacon. :)
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 22, 2010, 03:19:14 PM
Dinner last night was excellent.  The ex brought over a big dish of 'cowboy caviar' as the appetizer, and I have forgotten how good that was.  I have not had it in years.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Boomhauer on August 23, 2010, 09:42:23 AM
OK, I put the bacon in the oven trick this morning because I didn't have any time to pan fry...

Oh chewy goodness! I still prefer pan fry overall, but the oven method is much superior to microwaving.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: Ben on August 23, 2010, 10:55:39 AM
Oh chewy goodness! I still prefer pan fry overall, but the oven method is much superior to microwaving.

I'm getting to be almost the opposite. I still like sitting under the tree with bacon going in the grill and beer in hand, but the oven stuff has been coming out oh so good. I've been doing the trick where I crumple and then uncrumple the aluminum foil before I line the pan, so it creates a rough surface with a bunch of little nooks for the grease to go almost like a ribbed griddle. Then I've been copying what Nick posted via pictures a while back and sprinkling brown sugar on top of the bacon before it goes in the oven (his recipe called for pralines too, but I replaced the pralines with extra brown sugar). :)
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 23, 2010, 12:42:02 PM
When I bake my bacon in the oven, I set the oven at 400 degrees, and put the bacon in cold.  I use a large jelly roll sheet and put a steel cooling rack into the pan.  The bacon goes on the rack and bakes.  This allows the grease to drip away and the bacon to get crispy.  The bonus is that I have clear drippings to save.  My parents grew up in Arkansas before moving to Seattle, and I picked up the trick of saving your bacon drippings in a jar in the fridge to use in cooking.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: roo_ster on August 23, 2010, 03:02:46 PM
i was insspired i had an eye round in the oven and fine chopped some bacon  cooked mushrooms and onions in the grease and than made a roux with the whole mess  the gravy rocks after the drippings from the roast and some boullion

That IS inspired!

I love to roast off an eye round on the weekend and then use it for roast beef sandwiches during the week. 

Hokay, cough up recipes/techniques.  Is your eye well-done, or some rare bits left?  'Cause if there are, I might have to try that.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on August 23, 2010, 03:06:03 PM
gravy is always good!  and i do eye rounds to 115
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: MillCreek on August 23, 2010, 03:49:48 PM
As is so often the case, I see that CSD and I have the same approach to cooking.  I put the room temperature roast in a 325 degree oven, uncovered, and roast until the internal temp at the center of the roast is about 110-115 degrees.  I then let it sit for a good hour or chill it overnight before slicing.  This gives me a pretty nice evenly rare roast.  It is perfect for roast beef or French dip sandwiches.  

I read a story a while back in Cooks' Illustrated suggesting roasting an eye round at a roasting temperature of 225 degrees to an internal temp of 115 degrees, but have not yet tried this.  This is supposed to minimize shrinkage and give you an even pink edge to edge.  I have read other approaches suggesting putting the eye round into a preheated 500 degree oven, then turning off the oven immediately and roasting at about nine minutes per pound until an internal temperature of 115 degrees.  I have done this with other roasts, and it only works with my indwelling temperature probe that allows me to monitor the internal temp from outside the oven.  If you open the oven to check the temp, you are screwed, since you lose your residual heat that is cooking the roast.

Edited to add some details.
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on August 23, 2010, 03:54:10 PM
i did the big roasts l;ike that  a 90 pd steamship over nite at 225 gets an even pink from the outside all the way to the bone  and as a bonus i would freeze a couple 20 pound top rounds and put em in at the same time they would be perfect for slicing for sandwiches  and be my shtf plan for backing up the steamship if i got extra guests
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on August 23, 2010, 03:57:14 PM
wanna freak out the better 1/2
'  but about  dozen charcoal briquets in a cast iron frypan. get em burning then bring em inside put em in the bottom of the oven  dump a handful of wet hickory chips on them then stick the roast in. smokes the beef   does make for interesting oven cleanup
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: roo_ster on August 23, 2010, 05:09:04 PM
gravy is always good!  and i do eye rounds to 115

Schweet!  My dad always called gravy, "brown gold."


As is so often the case, I see that CSD and I have the same approach to cooking.  I put the room temperature roast in a 325 degree oven, uncovered, and roast until the internal temp at the center of the roast is about 110-115 degrees.  I then let it sit for a good hour or chill it overnight before slicing.  This gives me a pretty nice evenly rare roast.  It is perfect for roast beef or French dip sandwiches.  

I read a story a while back in Cooks' Illustrated suggesting roasting an eye round at a roasting temperature of 225 degrees to an internal temp of 115 degrees, but have not yet tried this.  This is supposed to minimize shrinkage and give you an even pink edge to edge.  I have read other approaches suggesting putting the eye round into a preheated 500 degree oven, then turning off the oven immediately and roasting at about nine minutes per pound until an internal temperature of 115 degrees.  I have done this with other roasts, and it only works with my indwelling temperature probe that allows me to monitor the internal temp from outside the oven.  If you open the oven to check the temp, you are screwed, since you lose your residual heat that is cooking the roast.

Edited to add some details.

I have done the 500deg & turn off.  It worked, but I do wonder about consistency.  Summer/winter indoor temps & all that would vary the amount of cooking done.  I need one of those indwelling thermos.

I am quite hot-to-trot to try
Title: Re: Bacon in the oven
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on August 23, 2010, 05:12:11 PM
check woot for the thermometers  i got a couple and love em