Can I Sous Vide bacon?

In the Modernist Recipes Forum
I buy my bacon from the butcher counter at my local grocery. It comes in five pound packages that look like pork belly that has been smoked and thick sliced. I will be cooking breakfast for 30 this spring and, boy would be easier to sous vide 10 pounds of bacon, rather than fry. Does anyone have any ideas or experiences on the subject, i.e. time, temp, finishing, etc. Thanks


2 Replies So Far

I think you could render the fat at a high enough temperature (I think that would start to happen around 156F to 165F, it wouldn't get that crisp texture though. You could probably cut the bacon, then sous vide it to render the fat ahead of time, then just crisp it up in a pan (or in the oven) quickly.

For a non-sous vide solution, I've found the easiest way to make bacon is just toss it in the oven. Lay it out on a sheet pan (with sides) and bake it at 350 to 400 for 15 to 20 minutes. You can google around and there's several good methods, depending on how crispy you like it. It's very hands off though and you can do as much as you have oven space for.
I agree with Jason that baking is probably the way to go. While sous vide is amazing, always do a high heat sear after to create that nice caramelization and crispiness. With bacon, the sear IS the entire process.

My family has an annual camp out and, for two days, we cook breakfast for 50+ campers. We do scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, hash browns, biscuits, and toast. For us, at the campsite, it is easiest to cook the bacon (and sausage) on our huge grill. We layer the bacon between foil sheets and flip the sheets halfway through. If you're doing this in a regular kitchen, you can bake or broil it. Baking is definitely the easier of the two. Good luck!


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