If you have been reading our site long, you may know that I (Cassie) am not a bacon, pork, sausage fan. I will eat it on occasion, but it isn’t something I do real often. However, my family loves bacon and sausage for breakfast.
I do have a great option for breakfast sausage by buying the Jimmy Dean Naturals at Costco (Sam’s Club has it too) and I am able to pre-cook and brown 7 packages of sausage and freeze them for breakfast ease and affordability and the simple ingredients in this exact package fit my 2013 food goals.
Well, on the flipside, I rarely by bacon. I am very picky about Sodium Nitrates (found in most lunchmeats, hotdogs, processed cheeses and pork products). But there are a couple of bacon types that don’t contain them and are a more natural processing.
One of them is the Hormel Naturals. I will only buy this one and ones like this. Yes, it is more expensive than other bacon, but that is why we increased our grocery/household/personal products budget from $75 a week in 2012 to $125 a week in 2013. You can read all of the details on why we decided to do this for 2013 on our previous post HERE.
So I bought this bacon because it was a good price and I knew my family would be thrilled to have bacon for breakfast.
But let me be brutally honest…..I totally stink at cooking bacon!! I burn and ruin it every time. I never mastered it and so it was another reason to kick bacon to the curb except on rare occasions because well….I couldn’t cook it!
So I got myself in a bind when I bought it and the kids saw it and wanted it for breakfast. I dreaded cooking it. I have tried numerous ways, stovetop, grill pan, oven, microwave, etc. The best was the oven, but I still managed to burn and make a mess out of it. I know many of you like the oven because we asked on Facebook and an overwhelming majority said that they cook it in the oven. But the problem was that everyone was cooking it at a different temperature and different times. I still don’t know what is the best way, temperature or time after even trying it myself a few times.
So I had used the George Foreman grill for quesadillas for lunch the previous day and it was still sitting on my counter. I thought to myself….. I wonder if I could cook the bacon in that because it is really hard to mess the food up and it cooks a bunch of the fats off!?!?
I hadn’t heard of anyone doing this and after asking on Facebook, most of you do use the oven, but a couple of you did use the Foreman Grill and loved it!
So I decided to give this a try and to my amazement…..it was easy, healthier, less messy and came out perfectly and so this is now my “go-to” bacon cooking method!
So here’s how I..someone who burns and ruins bacon every time, made a perfect batch of bacon!
First, you just need to plug-in your grill. You don’t have to guess on temperatures or anything, just plug it in!
Then I use my kitchen scissors to cut the package of bacon in half to cook up half slices.
By the way….I have four pairs of these kitchen scissors. I use them to cut meats and chicken (even partly frozen), slices of pizza, some veggies…many, many things that you would use a knife for. They are sold at Dollar Tree for only $1 and they still sell them there and have been selling them for well over a year. It is one of the best and most versatile kitchen tools. I would head over to Dollar Tree and grab several pairs. They are in the kitchen tools section!
Then just place your half strips on your grill and close the lid! I have a small one that we got as a wedding gift and after nearly 14 years, we still use it. We probably should buy a bigger one now that we are a family of 7, but it works for now 🙂 If you have a bigger one, you can probably cook the whole package at once!
Close the lid and cook for about 4-5 minutes until desired done-ness is reached!
Then serve however you would like! On our small grill, it took 3-rounds too cook the full package.
The kids enjoyed it with scrambled eggs and toast. I wanted to try it, but disguise it a bit more, so I made a yummy breakfast burrito on a whole wheat tortilla!
High quality bacon does taste better 🙂
So seriously…..If I can cook perfect bacon (which I thought would be two words that would never be associated with me in the same sentence) then you can too!
Also, if you don’t own a George Foreman grill yet, I would recommend it! We use it a lot for lunches of grilled cheese, quesadillas, chicken, hamburgers and now bacon!
Amazon has a bunch of them in different sizes and styles on sale right now HERE.
The one we have is this one (but in white) and it is on sale for $21 HERE with free shipping with Amazon Prime or a $25 or more order.
What is your flawless method for cooking bacon?
Jennifer
Hi Cassie,
What a great tip!! I love bacon, but hate the mess, clean up and grease smell left in the kitchen, I’m going to give this a try. I didn’t even think of the grill for sandwiches and quesadillas, I have one, totally unused, after years ago making jerky out of a steak (not intentionally) and just figured I was bad at using it…When you make a sandwich do you butter the bread or add spray to the grill? What about quesadilla…maybe you should start a George Foreman quick snack idea thread! 🙂 Thank you so much!
Cassie
Hi Jennifer! I actually hadn’t used it for years either as I just couldn’t figure out how to use it. I primarily thought it was for hamburgers, but we usually do them on the grill. Then about a year ago, I decided to use it for quick lunches and have grown to LOVE it! I only butter the bread on grilled cheeses. I don’t spray or butter anything else as it is a non-stick surface and so it makes it healthier. I could probably not butter grilled cheese either, but it is probably just habit. The quesadillas are perfect. I also make a type of calzone that our kids love either by using a tortilla and putting cheese, olives and pepperoni type alternative/chicken or even a bit of pasta sauce to make it more pizza like too! I put the ingredients on one side and fold in half and grill for a few minutes and then the kids have a fun and unique lunch! I now use it a few times per week. I do a lot of creations with tortillas on it! I have found that this has made lunch time a lot easier for me. With one child that has a deadly peanut allergy (no PB and J) and with my desire to not eat nitrates (which is pretty much all lunch meats) this seems to help have more creative ideas. Hot Grilled Tuna sandwiches are really good too!
margaret minor
Cassie, Like you, I have had my G.F. grill for years. I used it a lot in the beginning. Is great for boneless, skinless chicken breasts and then the “newness” kind of wore off. Now, you have given me a new found interest to bring it back out! The sandwiches, tortillas, etc. and the BACON. Who would have ever thought to do that. I “hate” doing it on top of the stove. It spits at you and makes such a greasy mess. Yes, I’ve done it in the oven many times but still you have to contend with the baked on bacon fat. I’ve also got the large grill too that I’ve NEVER used so maybe I’ll have to bring that one out too! Thanks for my newfound interest!
Mardi
Love my George Foreman grills–had a small one for years & used mostly for burgers but found a larger one with removable plates at a good price a couple of years ago and love it! It’s so easy to clean & I would highly recommend it. I wish they’d make the smaller ones with removable plates but don’t think they do yet. I love bacon on it and also grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sherrie
I don’t own a countertop grill and have always done bacon in the oven (culinary school and working in a restaurant make it hard to break old habits LOL) but I think I might have to invest in a Foreman grill now! I would never have thought of doing bacon that way! Thanks for the great idea!
Cassie
Well, I am glad I found a way to cook it painlessly 🙂 Foreman’s are great tools to have in the kitchen.
Wendy
I’ve seen the oven options for cooking bacon and might try that one day, but my daughter prefers her bacon in the microwave as did my mother. I’d rather pan fry mine to a crisp – that means, yes, I do like my bacon a little on the burnt side. But, I never considered the George for bacon. I’ve used it to make paninis and grilled cheese, but now I’m going to have to try it for bacon. We always cut our bacon in half because it makes us feel like we’re getting six slices of bacon when we’re actually eating only three.
Debi
The Forman makes a great Reuben sandwich. I love restaurant Reubens and now I can make at home. Mine are really Rachael’s because I use turkey instead of corn beef.
Karen
You just saved my George Foreman! We just recently moved, and as I’ve been unpacking boxes, I’ve been getting rid of stuff I never use. My Goodwill/Garage sale boxes are getting pretty full! My George Foreman is the one thing I didn’t hesitate to put in there (both of them, I have a large & small…given to me as gifts at some point). I never, ever, (EVER) use them. I saw your article the other day & thought I’d give it a try (I hate getting splattered by bacon!) Our bacon this morning was PERFECT & oh so easy! Thank you for sharing this! My grill now has a place in my kitchen 🙂
Ingrid
Thanks for the idea to use that grill for bacon. I have a small one, too, and hardly ever used it…boy will I now in this bacon loving household. 🙂
I have a question though about those SCISSORS you use to cut the bacon from the Dollar Tree. How do you clean those?
For instance, can you just throw them in the sink and wash with your other dishes? How about the dish washer? Or do you just “wipe” them clean? I don’t want to ruin them (e.g. getting rusty)…. and if you could tell me what you do, please, I’d appreciate it. THANK YOU! 🙂
Cassie
HI Ingrid,
I actually treat them like a normal dish – wash in the dishwasher or the sink. I have had the same pair for a couple of years and they are not rusty and I use them all of the time for food and then wash them. They are made like kitchen knives in a scissor form 🙂 Hopefully that helps!
Ingrid
PS: Or anyone else who uses those scissors, either for bacon or other things. Thanks.. 🙂
Teri
I use my George Foreman for so many things and I have actually worn out 2 of them. It is one of the few items that I buy brand new. It is great when you are cooking for 1 or 2 people, like a chicken breast or pork chop. My kids make quesadillas all the time and I have even cooked hot dogs on it (sometimes I split it open to heat all the way thru).
I don’t have the removable plates, so to clean it, while it is still hot, I put wet paper towels on it, than shut it and let it sit for about 5 mins. It just wipes clean after that.
margaret minor
Great cleaning idea,Teri. I never would have thought of that!
Reita Julien
What a great idea! I am assuming that you catch the greas with the plate or some other rush?
Darryl
I showed this to my wife for 2 reasons. She has the same problem with ocassionally burning the bacon, and to show her we could buy nitrate free bacon. Thanks for a very useful post.
Cathy Bryant
Not about the “cooking”, but one of the best tips I ever got from my sister. I also hate the mess and lingering smell from cooking bacon, also hate all the cleaning up, but love to eat it with eggs, or blt’s, or on a burger.
So, when I cook bacon, I cook 2 or 3 pounds of it all at once. After draining, whatever I don’t eat at that time goes into I big ziplock bag and into the freezer. When I want bacon, I just take out the amount I want and wrap it in a paper towel and pop into the microwave to heat it up. Experiment with the time to learn exactly how long to get it just to the crispness you want, depending on the number of slices. No mess, no heavy smells, and no pan or greasy stove to clean. Much cheaper and better than the pre cooked stuff in the store.
Beth Griffith
We use our grill non stop. It was a Christmas gift after my husband had a heart attack and wanted to eat healthier. There are generic versions that are cheaper and we have even replaced our small version with a larger variety that we purchased at our local Goodwill store for $3. From sandwiches, burgers, bacon, and even leftovers its something that gets used daily here. I can’t imagine life without it.
John Pilla
A lot of nitrate-free bacon uses Celery powder, instead. However, at temperatures of 300 deg F and above, Celery powder can have higher concentrations of Carcinogen (AGEs) than nitrates. So, I have tried oven, but at 280 deg F, some bacon gets over-cooked. And there is the question of using a rack or bacon directly in pan. Tried both. So, using Coconut Oil in a cast Iron fry pan, set burner on lowest setting and checked temperature with a candy thermometer. Close to but not over 300 deg F. But, it does atke longer this way. Using Trader Joes Applegate thick cut bacon, about 9 minutes on one side, turn, about 8 minutes on second side, turn, a couple minutes to finish. Texture perfect between chewy and crunchy. But that’s a lot of work. Since I always cut package in half, I have one-half pkg left for Sunday morning this weekend, will try the small old 2-person Foreman Grill that we use for our Grass-Fed, hormone-free, anti-biotic-free steaks that we cook them in during the cold and/or snowy New England winters.
Diane Addison
Been making my bacon like this for a long time.Ever since I got my first George.It still works but I got a bigger one.Love them
and the bacon is easy and I put some water on it and wipe with a sponge,DOne!
Vicky Willis
I can’t believe so many people don’t know how to cook bacon. I’m sure the grill does a wonderful job. We have a full size outdoor Forman grill. Use it a lot. But not for bacon. It’s not that hard to fry it and then we put it on paper towels and blot with paper towels. The trick is medium heat and constant attention. Turning several times.
Karen
Why fry and constantly be watching it, when you can put it on a GF let it cook for 4-5 mins and your done. Plus the clean up after frying bacon is always a ;mess. I’ve been frying bacon for my family for 25 years, the past 12 I’ve been doing it on my GF….better tasting, and the clean up is less then 2 minutes.
george foreman
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