Twisted Bacon
With just one easy step, you can turn regular oven bacon into chewy, crispy Twisted Bacon! It’s a fun way upgrade your bacon for breakfast and brunch, and a great addition to a party spread or holiday grazing board. With just a little more effort, twisted bacon makes each slice both perfectly crispy and delightfully chewy.
Crispy & Chewy Baked Bacon
If you spend time on Tik Tok, you may have noticed that twisted bacon became a viral bacon sensation and with good reason! Twisted bacon is a fun, easy way to take basic oven bacon and turn it into a fun party treat. Like oven bacon it’s baked in the oven, but instead of laying the pieces out flat each slice of bacon is twisted before being baked.
Why take the extra step of twisting the bacon slices? Twisting the bacon creates thicker sections within your bacon slice, allowing the outsides to get nice and crispy, while the insides stay soft and chewy. No more choosing between crispy or chewy bacon, with bacon twists you get the best of both worlds in every bite.
While it’s not the bacon method I would use for BLTs or burgers – for that you want a bacon weave – this is the bacon I would serve at a party. For the record: I definitely recommend making more twisted bacon than you anticipate needing because it has a sneaky way of disappearing from the plate!
What You’ll Need
All you need to make twisted bacon is a package of bacon. After testing it myself and being a long time fan of thick sliced bacon, I recommend using thin cut bacon for these twists. If you want to try it out in your own kitchen, keep in mind that thick cut bacon will need a longer cooking time.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
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- kitchen shears or a sharp chef’s knife
- cutting board
- rimmed baking sheet
How to Make this Twisted Bacon Recipe
Making twisted bacon in the oven is super simple! It takes all the magic and mess of frying bacon and keeps it contained right in the oven. In three simple steps you’ll have the chewy crisp bacon of your dreams.
- Twist the bacon. Cut the bacon in half and twist each slice of bacon. You can also twist full slices of bacon but, in my experience, the half slices hold up better when served. (Long ones are great for tall Bloody Mary’s.)
- Bake. Place the twisted bacon in a cold oven, then heat to 375 degrees. Once the oven preheats, cook bacon for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. The exact time will depend on your oven, so adjust the time accordingly. Twisted bacon should be crispy on the outside when done cooking, while still chewy on the inside.
- Serve. Drain the twisted bacon on a paper towel lined plate and then serve.
Tips for Success
If this is your first time making twisted bacon, here are a few things I found helpful.
- Do not use parchment paper or aluminum foil to line your pan. As much as I love the idea of easy clean up, in my experience using a lined baking sheet decreases the heat transfer from the pan to the bacon, increases the cook time, and still leaves you with a mess to clean up.
- How to clean up the bacon grease. Without a lined baking sheet, clean up can still be easy. Carefully pour liquid bacon grease into a mug, scraping the pan with a rubber spatula.d Use paper towels to wipe remaining bacon grease from the pan prior to washing. DO NOT pour bacon grease down the sink. Cooled bacon grease will solidify and can then be disposed of in the trash.
- Use thin cut bacon. While you can make twisted bacon with thick cut bacon as well, I prefer using thin (often the standard) cut. It bakes more evenly and in less time.
- Use a rimmed baking sheet. Be sure to use a sheet pan with an edge to it, to prevent the bacon grease from going everywhere.
- Don’t skip the draining step! Draining the baon on a paper towel lined plate allow for the rendered bacon fat to drain away. This helps cut the grease, leaving your bacon lighter and crispier.
Recipe Variations
Taking this very basic twisted bacon recipe and making it your own, is one of the best parts of learning to cook in your own home. Here are a few of my favorite recipe variations.
- Add seasoning. If you want to change up the flavor of your bacon, add extra flavor! Try something sweet with brown sugar or maple syrup. Go savory with paprika or garam masala. Turn up the spice with cayenne pepper. The choice is yours!
- Swap pork bacon for turkey bacon. Turkey bacon twists the same as pork bacon and makes for a great alternative. It does tend to cook faster, so watch it a little closer.
- Try it in the air fryer! While this is a super easy oven recipe, it transfers quickly to the airfryer. Air fry at the same temp (350ºF) for the same time (10 – 15 minutes). The biggest difference is that the air fryer is going to heat up much more quickly.
Serving Suggestions
Twisted bacon with it’s crispy outside and chewy inside is the best of both worlds and makes everyone happy. Serve twisted bacon anytime you’d serve regular bacon slices. At breakfast or brunch with eggs or pancakes, or add them salads, sandwiches, or burgers any time of the day.
My favorite way to serve twisted bacon is for a party. These bacon sticks stand up straight in a glass for easy display and make a great compliment to a grazing board, Bloody Mary bar, or any buffet style brunch spread (like bridal or baby showers!) Who wouldn’t love a bacon stick to stir their Bloody Mary?!
Another option is just to enjoy twisted bacon as a snack! I’ve recently been told these were a TikTok trend for as an easy keto snack. While I’m not keto, I totally agree these are a fantastic snack.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover twisted bacon, yes, it’s a thing, just like any other cooked bacon. Place it in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat as needed in the microwave, airfryer, or oven.
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Twisted Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound of thin sliced bacon
Instructions
- Optional: If using, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment.
- Cut the bacon in half, then twist each slice of bacon, arranging them in a single layer on a sheet pan.
- Place the twisted bacon into a cold oven, then heat to 375 degrees.
- Twisted bacon is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It should cook about 10 – 15 minutes once the oven has preheated. Ovens heat at different rates. Bacon in a quick heating oven will need more additional time than bacon in a slow heating oven. Check bacon for doneness once the oven is preheated and adjust the time accordingly.
- Promptly remove bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels.
- For easy clean up: carefully pour liquid bacon grease into a mug and allow to cool. Use paper towels to wipe remaining bacon grease from the pan prior to washing. DO NOT pour bacon grease down the sink, it should be disposed of in the trash.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
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