Cooking Bacon without the Grease Splatter

by Lee Wyatt (last updated August 21, 2013)

It has been said that bacon makes anything better. While this may be true, what isn't all that great is the grease and spatter that often comes along with cooking bacon. Cooking bacon without grease spatter is entirely possible. All it requires is that you take an extra step or two. While any one of these methods would help reduce or eliminate grease spatter by themselves, using more than one at the same time is a sure fire way to guaranty that you don't have to deal with the problem.

• Dry off the bacon. One of the leading causes of grease spatter is for water, usually found on the recently thawed or opened bacon, and hot grease to come into contact with each other. You can avoid this problem by simply separating all the bacon strips from each other, and laying them out on a few paper towels. When they are laid out, simply pat them all dry, and you will have removed all the excess water.
• Add a pinch of salt. If you are going to be cooking your bacon in a pan, one of the best ways to reduce grease spatter is to add a pinch of salt to the grease. The salt helps to absorb any remaining water or moisture that escapes from the meat as it cooks, which reduces or eliminates the spatter.
• Use a splatter guard. One way of containing the spatter, if not eliminating it, is by using what is known as a splatter guard. These metallic mesh disks don't stop the spatter from actually happening, but it does "trap" it within the confines of the pan. Once you are finished cooking your bacon you will want to make sure that you thoroughly clean the splatter guard so that is ready for the next time you want to cook up some bacon.
• Lower the heat. Often one cause for grease spatter when cooking bacon is that you have the heat too high. When you have the temperature set to high, which is common when cooking bacon, you will almost always hear an initial sizzle. When the grease of the bacon builds up, this sizzle is what causes the grease to spatter out. You can reduce this problem by simply turning the temperature down a bit.
• "Bake" it. Another trick for eliminating grease spatter while you are cooking it is to "bake" it. Lay out the bacon on a cookie sheet, whether you line it with aluminum foil or parchment paper is up to you. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then place the cookie sheet into the oven. Allow the bacon to cook until right before you think it is finished. Remove the bacon, from the oven and it will continue to cook for a little while (which will bring it to your desired level of doneness). Remove the bacon from the grease, and serve.

A great side benefit from baking your bacon is that it will remain straight, so you don't have to worry about it being all curled up. Furthermore, it is a great method for cooking large amounts of bacon all at once. Now that you know a few methods for reducing grease spatter while cooking bacon, you should be able to enjoy the bacon you do cook all the more.