Oven bacon is the quiet breakfast trick — a tray of crisp rashers, no fat spatters up the wall, and the hob left free for eggs. Start with Smoked Back Bacon 454g for a smoky hit, or Unsmoked Back Bacon 454g when you want a milder fry-up. Feeding a crowd or filling the freezer? Butty Back Bacon 2kg is the bulk butty pack. All sit in bacon and back bacon.
Oven method
Heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Line a tray with foil or baking paper, set a rack over it if you have one, and lay the rashers in a single layer — slight overlap is fine, stacking is not. No oil needed. Bake 12 to 18 minutes depending on thickness and how crisp you like them; turn once at halfway if you want even colour. Thin breakfast rashers finish nearer twelve minutes; thicker back bacon sits at the longer end. Catch the drips on the tray so clean-up stays easy. Crowded tray? Two quick rounds beat one steamed pile. Pull a minute early if you want chewier rashers for sandwiches.
Grill, air fryer and batch tips
No oven space: grill medium-high 4 to 6 minutes a side, or air fryer 180°C for 6 to 10 minutes. Smoked packs colour a touch faster — check early so the edges do not go bitter. For butties and big breakfasts, cook a tray of Butty Back Bacon 2kg and keep cooked rashers warm under loose foil. Shop breakfast meats when you are pairing bacon with sausages and eggs.
What to serve
Soft white roll with ketchup or brown sauce, a full English, or crumbled over jacket potatoes. Leftover cooked bacon keeps a day in the fridge — reheat briefly so it stays crisp rather than rubbery. Browse back bacon when you are comparing smoked and unsmoked packs.
Times above are a guide for home ovens, air fryers and slow cookers — always trust a probe over the clock, and rest meat before you carve so the juices stay in the slice, not on the board. British packs vary a little in thickness, so start checking a few minutes early the first time you cook a new size.
Write your own fridge note the first time you cook a new pack size — home ovens and air fryers vary, and a two-minute early check beats dry meat. Rest on a warm plate, not a cold board, so the juices stay put when you carve or plate up.