Bacon Jerky

Step 1

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with an oven safe rack. Spray it lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2

Arrange the bacon strips on the rack. It's okay if they overlap a little.

Step 3

Bake for 1 hour. Check that the strips are cooking evenly, rearranging strips if any on the outside edge are cooking faster.

Step 4

Bake for another hour. Turn the bacon strips over and rearrange strips if necessary for even cooking.

Step 5

Return pan to oven and continue cooking until bacon is deeply brown and all the fat is rendered, checking occasionally, about 2 more hours. The exact cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your bacon and how your oven heats.

Step 6

Cool the jerky on the pan until it reaches room temperature. Blot any excess grease with paper towels. Eat at once or store in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 weeks.

Step 7

For Sriracha Bacon Jerky, increase oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Brush the jerky strips with sriracha sauce and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Bake until sauce is absorbed and jerky is crispy, about 10-12 minutes.

Step 8

For Candy Bacon Jerky, increase oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Sprinkle each slice of bacon jerky with brown sugar and bake at 325 degrees F until the sugar melts, about 10 minutes.

Step 9

For Pepper Bacon Jerky, increase oven temperature to 325 degrees. Rub both sides of the bacon jerky strips with the black pepper and arrange on the wire rack. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until pepper is melded to jerky.

Step 10

For Barbeque Bacon Jerky, increase oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Spread each piece with your favorite barbecue sauce and bake at 325 degrees until sauce is mostly absorbed, hard and sticky, about 10 minutes.