Prepare Bacon in Advance the Easy Way

Do you love bacon but never have time to deal with the mess it creates? Well, I hope to show you how you can have your bacon each day without all the hassle.

Here's what I do. I usually purchase a 3lb package of thick sliced bacon. On the weekend when I have more time, I turn on my George Foreman Grill. I have the large one that will cook about 4 burgers at once.

Preparation

You will need a paper plate, paper towels, tongs, cookie sheet and a gallon size zip-loc bag. Also be sure to have hand soap to ensure you don't get uncooked bacon grease on you. This can make you sick if you're not careful so working with a clean space is important.

Cook

Place the cookie sheet at the base of the grill to catch all grease. Open your package of bacon and lay down one piece at a time. The large grill will usually hold about 5 or six pieces of bacon. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water. Only use your tongs on cooked bacon. Our grill tends to cook faster at the top so we rotate the bacon. After you put the bacon on the grill, set the time for 4 minutes. When the timer goes off, put the bottom piece at the top and flip it over and do this for each piece until they're all turned over and the piece that was at the top is now at the bottom. This will ensure evenly cooked bacon. Set the timer for another 4 minutes. When it's completed, place the bacon strips on a paper towel that you placed on your paper plate so it will absorb the excess grease. Then start over by placing new bacon on the grill. Repeat until the entire package is done. Each time the bacon is cooked, place a paper towel over the cooked bacon to make room for the newly cooked bacon. If you don't want to worry with the rotating and flipping, you can cook your bacon for about 8 minutes. It should cook it just fine.

Storing your bacon

Put the cooked bacon with paper towels in the gallon size zip-loc bag, close then place in the refrigerator.

Cleanup

Bacon grease can be a mess to work with and this is why most of us never worry with making bacon. Take a sandwich zip-loc bag and put it inside a half sized cup folding the top over the edge of the glass. Put your glass on top of a paper plate to absorb any spilled grease. Pour the bacon that has accumulated in the cookie sheet into the zip-loc bag. You won't have to worry about holding the bag, as this is what the cup does for you. Use a paper towel to wipe the grease out of the cookie sheet and put the paper towel in the baggie also. Zip it and throw it away. Some people save the bacon grease. You can use some of this as it's really good in the green beans! Be sure to get as much of the grease off of the cookie sheet with a paper towel to avoid rinsing grease down your drain. This will make for another how-to if you're not careful!

Preparing your pre-cooked bacon

We usually eat two pieces of bacon in the morning. We place it on a paper plate and cover with a paper towel. Put it in the microwave and heat on high for 30 seconds. It's just right!