Grilling vs Frying Bacon: Which is the Best Way to Cook Bacon?

In case, you’re wondering between grilling vs frying bacon is better here’s how to choose, along with our best tips for cooking it perfectly. Both grilling and frying yield bacon with a perfect meaty aroma, yummy and crispy crust, and savory flavor is considered best to use. It’s a fact that Pan-frying is much easier but doesn’t impart the bacon with the smoky, woody type smell of grilling.

No doubt it’s your personal preference to decide which method to go for that boils down. But we are going to make the case that it also solely depends on the day. However, you’re likely to fire up your grill, be it gas or charcoal, to cook up a minimum dozen strips of bacon. You’re probably going to brown them in a simple skillet on your stove instead.

But if it’s Sunday, then you just finished searing thick-cut steak or grilling burgers, your grill’s still very hot, and you happen to have the best package of bacon lying around in your fridge any time. Moreover, the cooking method you end up going for, the main thing is not to try and cook your bacon over excessively high heat.

Grilling Bacon:

Bacon can be very easily grilled, but it involves a specific technique. You can’t throw it on any hot grill otherwise, your fat from the thin, delicate strips will simply melt and drip, flaring up your grill and scorching your bacon beyond salvation.

It’s a fact that flare-ups can happen on both charcoal and gas grills. However, generally, there are three best ways to cook the bacon on the grill: number one is in a preheated, well-seasoned cast iron griddle or simple skillet, secondly on the best-improvised baking sheet made of perfect aluminum foil, and thirdly directly on the grills grates.  In the heat of the summer season, every bacon lover faces the difficulty of taking a decision, should I cook bacon on my stove, roast it in the oven, or let it sizzle on the grill? Many people consider grilled bacon to be the best method because it’s charred, crispy, and smoky.

Grilling vs Frying Bacon: Pros and Cons

No doubt there are pros and cons to each method, which we’ll talk about below;

1# Grilling bacon on a griddle:

One of the best ways to cook bacon on the grill is on a unique preheated griddle or simply cast iron skillet. The cooking vessel will also provide you with a hot, evenly heated surface for your strips to sizzle on while catching all of the grease rendered from them quickly and making clean-up easier.

Firstly, you’ve to heat your grill, with the griddle or skillet inside and then the lid on, to 400°F. On your charcoal grill, this will translate to being able to comfortably hold your hand over the hot grill for no longer than just two seconds. When you’re there, then just lay your bacon, cook for almost six to seven minutes per side, lid on, then flip over and again cook for about two or three minutes or until it looks browned and crispy.

2# Grilling bacon in the best aluminum foil:

In case, you don’t have a griddle or skillet handy, then you must consider creating an improvised sheet pan out of aluminum foil. For that purpose, simply tear off a long sheet of aluminum foil and then fold almost a thumb’s worth of foil on all sides to form the best ridges, paying extra attention to its corners. After that, place the foil sheet on your hot grill, lay your all bacon strips on it, and just let them cook for a few minutes on each side. Here the main point is that you have to layer the bacon on the foil sheet only after you’ve placed it on your grill. Otherwise, all your strips will weigh down on the sheet, and you’ll have trouble carrying it as it won’t be able to hold its shape.

3# Grilling bacon directly on the grates:

Lastly, you can simply cook bacon strips just by placing them directly on a hot grill’s grates, over low heat on a gas grill, or over the indirect heat of the best charcoal grill. Keep in mind that, do not put your bacon right over the fire, but just close enough to the fire so that it will cook. You must grill the bacon with the lid closed, which will in turn help you to keep the strips tender and juicy. On a great charcoal grill, doing so will infuse them with a smoky scent and taste. When bacon is grilled over coals or burning wood, it’s a fact that it cannot be surpassed by any other cooking technique.

There is not much difference when it comes to the nutritional value of all these three cooking methods. You’ll get the same strips of streaky bacon whether you cook your bacon on the grill, on the stove, or in the oven.

Pan-Frying Bacon:

No doubt, pan-fried bacon is one of the fastest and easy ways to prepare bacon. However, all the pan-fried bacon gets some greasy and tends to splatter all over your stove, that’s why it’s not famous with every cook. Furthermore, pan-fried bacon is the closest to grilled bacon, but here the point to be noted is that it doesn’t have that smoky flavor.

First of all, there’s a little bit of greasiness when you fry your bacon, the fat fully melts, drips down from the strips and is easily collected in the pan, and then drips back onto your meat. Moreover, greasy bacon is considered the opposite of crispy bacon. That’s true if you fry it in your flat-bottomed pan instead of a grill pan with tall ridges. You can also drain off most of its fat as you fry it. And once the strips are fully cooked, you can easily place them on a common paper towel and pat dry to soak up all the excess fat.

How to Fry Bacon in a Pan:

Step #1

First of all, you’ve to heat your cast iron or carbon steel skillet over medium heat for almost four to five minutes. As you know, bacon and high heat don’t get along that entire well, and in case you try to fry it in a pan that’s too hot, then its strips will burn fully.

Step #2

Here place your strips on the pan, without overcrowding them, and then just cook them uninterrupted for about three to four minutes on each side. When they start to curl, at that time you must turn them over and then fry them for another three minutes.

Step #3

When your bacon has turned crispy and fully golden brown, then it’s done. You’ve to place some strips of paper on the cutting board or on a large size plate. By using tongs, need to remove the bacon strips from the pan and then simply place them on the paper towels to soak up the grease on the bottom.

Step #4

Finally, let your bacon rest for three minutes before serving that will make it crispier for you.

With this knowledge, you’ll be able to easily prepare the yummy fried bacon any time you fire up the stove.