The Complete Guide to Cooking Perfect Bacon in the Breville Smart Oven

As a busy mom who loves treating my family to a hearty breakfast, cooking bacon used to be an greasy, smokey chore using the stovetop. Once I got my Breville Smart Oven, I was amazed at how much easier it was to make perfect bacon every time without the mess!

After plenty of trials and errors, I’ve mastered the art of cooking bacon in the Breville to crispy, mouthwatering perfection. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through my tips and steps so you can enjoy restaurant-quality bacon right from your own kitchen.

We’ll cover everything from prep to cook time, temperature settings, tray setups and cleaning to get the most out of the Breville when cooking bacon. I’ll also share some of my favorite seasoning ideas and recipe ideas to take your bacon game to the next level. Let’s get cooking!

Choosing the Right Bacon

Not all bacon is equal, so choose wisely for the best results in the Breville Smart Oven Here are my top bacon recommendations

• Thick-cut bacon – Go for the thickest cut you can find, at least 1/4 inch slices. This prevents burning.

• Applewood or maple smoked – The flavors in these bacons add great taste.

• Center-cut bacon – Comes from the leaner part of the belly for less fat.

• Pre-cooked or thin bacon – Avoid these! You need raw, thick bacon.

Getting high-quality, thick, raw bacon ensures crispy air fryer perfection.

Getting the Temperature Right

Preheating the Breville Smart Oven to just the right temp is key for cooking bacon correctly. After testing every setting, I found 390°F to be ideal. This gives enough heat to slowly render the fat for tender, crispy bacon without burning.

Don’t Overload the Oven

Cooking too much bacon at once is a common mistake. I recommend cooking no more than 6-8 slices of bacon at a time in the Breville Smart Oven. Overcrowding causes uneven cooking.

Cook bacon in batches for the best texture and color. This also lets you monitor each batch to remove it at the perfect level of crispness.

Use a Wire Rack for Air Flow

Using a wire rack or air fryer basket is a must for optimal air flow and fat drainage. Sitting directly on a tray steams the bacon in its own grease.

The rack allows air to circulate completely around the bacon as it cooks, resulting in crispy bacon without the soggy bottom from grease.

Check Often for Doneness

Cooking time can vary based on your preferred level of crispness and thickness of the bacon. For thick cut bacon, I recommend starting at 10 minutes at 390°F.

Start checking at 8 minutes and cook longer if needed in 2 minute increments until the desired crispness is reached.

The bacon should shrink a bit, darken in color, and become crispy.

Let Bacon Rest Before Eating

Once the bacon is finished cooking in the Breville Smart Oven, let it rest for 2-3 minutes before digging in.

This allows the cooking process to finish and seals in the crispy texture. If you bite in too soon, it can lose its crunch quickly.

Clean-Up Is a Breeze

Unlike the stovetop, cleaning up after cooking bacon in the Breville is super easy. The contained oven collects all the grease in the bottom safely away from your counters and walls.

Once cooled, the rack and tray can be removed and cleaned by hand or in the dishwasher. A quick wipe of the oven bottom with a paper towel, and you’re done!

Tips and Tricks

• Chill bacon before cooking for straighter, uniform slices.

• Brush slices with maple syrup or brown sugar for candied bacon.

• Weigh bacon slices down with an oven-safe rack for flat, even cooking.

• Add spices like smoked paprika, chili powder or cayenne before cooking.

• Cook a big batch and freeze individual slices to reheat later.

Creative Bacon Recipe Ideas

The options are endless when you have perfectly cooked bacon ready to go. Here are some fun ways to use air fryer bacon:

• Candied bacon – Brush raw bacon with brown sugar glaze before cooking.

• Pigs in a blanket – Wrap bacon around cocktail sausages or shrimp.

• Epic breakfast sandwich – Bacon, egg, cheese on a biscuit or croissant.

• Bacon jam – Slow cook bacon bits with brown sugar and spices.

• Bacon wrapped treats – Try dates, potatoes, scallops or cheese.

• Bacon topping – For salads, baked potatoes, mac and cheese, etc.

With the right techniques, the Breville Smart Oven can make cooking bacon easy and mess-free. Adjusting the temperature, using a rack, and cooking in batches results in consistent, crispy bacon everyone will love.