How to Cook Perfect Bacon for Burgers: Complete Guide

Bacon for a burger has a different job from bacon at breakfast. It should be crisp but still bend a little, so it doesn't shatter and fall out at the first bite. It should lie flat, because curled strips roll off the patty. And it should be cooked evenly along its length, without charred ends around a flabby middle. The oven handles all three best; the stovetop and griddle have their place for small batches and cookouts.

Picking the Bacon

Regular-cut suits most burgers: it crisps fairly quickly and adds texture without toughness. Thick-cut takes longer but has a meatier chew, the better choice when the bacon is a main feature rather than a supporting topping. Skip thin-sliced bacon (sometimes sold as "restaurant-style"). It often burns before the texture is right and has little presence on a burger.

Bacon with less added water and sugar shrinks less and gives off less grease. Many supermarket brands contain added water, which has to cook off before the strips can crisp, so they shrink more and take longer.

Oven-Baked: The Best Method for Burgers

The oven is the most hands-off option, takes a pound or more at once, and turns out the flattest, most even strips. Baked on parchment, the strips come out crisp with a little chew, and cleanup is easy.

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment. For less grease on the bacon, set a wire rack on the lined sheet: the fat drips away and air circulates, so the strips crisp more.
3. Lay the strips in a single layer. They can touch but shouldn't overlap.
4. Bake regular-cut bacon 15-17 minutes and thick-cut 20-25 minutes, checking at the low end. It's done when it's deep golden-red and the fat looks rendered and crisp.

For extra-flat strips, set a second rack upside down on top of the bacon, or weigh it down with a second baking sheet. The weight stops the strips from curling, which is worth the extra washing up.

The cold-oven start

For the flattest bacon of all, put the pan in a cold oven, then set it to 400°F (205°C) without preheating. The fat renders slowly as the oven heats, and the strips stay flat and cook evenly from end to end. Allow 20-25 minutes for regular-cut and 25-30 for thick-cut.

Oven Times by Texture

In a preheated 400°F (205°C) oven:

Ovens and bacon vary, so start checking a few minutes early.

Stovetop: For a Couple of Burgers

Start the bacon in a cold pan. Lay the strips in a single layer in a large cold skillet, then turn the heat to medium. Because the pan heats slowly, the fat renders gradually, which keeps the strips flat and the edges from burning.

Flip every 2-3 minutes. Frequent flipping cooks both sides at the same rate, which prevents curling and the burnt-edge, underdone-center problem. Total time is 8-15 minutes depending on thickness and how crisp you like it. Stay at the stove: bacon goes from done to burnt quickly.

Griddle: When the Patties Are Cooking There Too

On a flat-top, cook the bacon on the same surface as the burgers. Heat the griddle to 375-425°F (190-220°C); a large four-burner outdoor griddle holds about 2 pounds (900 g) of bacon at once. Cook 3-5 minutes per side, adding a few minutes for crisper strips, until the fat turns light brown and the meat darkens.

Cook the bacon first and set it aside, then cook the patties in the rendered fat; the bacon stays warm while they cook. Expect smoke, especially at high heat outdoors. Most griddles channel grease into a collection cup, so empty it before it overflows when you're cooking a lot.

Bacon Weaves

A small bacon weave covers the patty edge to edge, so every bite gets bacon and no strip slides out. On a sheet of parchment, lay three half-strips side by side, then weave three more half-strips across them, over and under. Bake the weave on a wire rack set over a baking sheet at 400°F (205°C) for 20-25 minutes, until crisp. It shrinks as it cooks, so build it a little wider than the bun. Weaves take a few minutes each to assemble, so save them for a handful of special burgers.

Building the Bacon Burger

Bacon goes directly on the cheese, or on the patty if there's no cheese, so the heat of the beef keeps it warm. Lettuce and tomato go above it. The Bacon Jam Cheddar Smash Burger and the Smoky BBQ Bacon Burger are both built around it; for the rest of the stack, see how to build a gourmet burger.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can bacon be cooked ahead of time?

Yes, which helps a lot when you're hosting. Let the cooked bacon cool completely, layer it between paper towels in an airtight container, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze the strips individually on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag; they keep for up to two months.

What's the best way to reheat cooked bacon?

Spread it on a baking sheet and warm it in a 350°F (175°C) oven or toaster oven for 5-8 minutes, or 8-10 minutes straight from frozen, until hot and crisp again. The microwave works in a pinch (15-30 seconds between paper towels), but the bacon won't be as crisp.

How many strips should go on a burger?

Two or three. Lay two strips in an X across the patty, or three like spokes, so there's bacon in every bite. Break long strips in half to fit the bun.