I’ve got a quick tip to share with you guys today – grill your bacon on the panini maker!
I’ve been cooking bacon like this all summer long, it even beats the oven method, if you ask me (and I’ve been swearing by that approach for years).
It couldn’t be simpler: just heat the grill, lay down as many strips as will comfortably fit on the grates (no overlapping or they’ll stick together), close the lid and wait 10-13 minutes to reveal perfectly crisped bacon.
Clean-up is easy too – I recommend (carefully) scraping down the grates while they’re still warm, the grease just slides off.
For large batches, the oven is probably still the most efficient way to go but when I just need 6 slices of bacon for our family or for sandwiches, this is my new go-to!
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Grilled Bacon
Prep time: 0 minutes | Cook time: 13 minutes | Total time: 13 minutes
Yield: 6 slices
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 slices uncooked bacon
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat the panini maker to medium-high heat. If your grill comes with a drip pan, be sure to put it in place. Grills with a tilt feature should be set to tilt.
- Arrange as many bacon slices as will fit neatly on your grill, without overlapping. I can usually fit about 6 ounces of bacon. Depending on the size of your grill, you may need to trim the bacon to fit.
- Close the lid and grill the bacon until it’s cooked through and crispy, 10 to 13 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon. If you have a grill that allows you to adjust the height of the upper plate, like those made by Breville, set it to just barely graze the surface of bacon and not fully press the strips. This bacon-grilling technique works very well on the Cuisinart Griddler.
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What a great tip, Kathy!! Pinning this!
Thanks so much, Amanda!
I’m stealing this. It would be perfect for when I need a few strips of crispy bacon to crumble into things. I always hate turning the oven on or getting the stove greasy for just a few pieces.
You are so smart! I never would have thought to grill my bacon!
We normally just stick bacon under the broiler, but, if you are making a panini with bacon, may as well just grill the bacon on the panini maker! Fantastic idea!
I don’t eat bacon much any more, but when I did I used to cook it on my George Foreman grill, same idea. You’re pretty creative with that panini press!
Brilliant.
Kathy, what a crazy and WONDERFUL idea!
Been doing this all summer, too. I seldom need more bacon than a few slices, and the panini grill is perfect.
You are so creative with that panini maker!
I’ve been trying to teach my kids to cook bacon on the stove, and we’ve been eating a lot of burned bacon lately! This sounds easier by far!
Oh yes…and safer! 🙂
My friend Anita did this when I visited her in California! It’s the best way to have bacon!
This is so simple, yet totally genius!!
Used this method today for Saturday morning breakfast and it worked great! I was able to fit about half of a pound of bacon on my press (Breville) and then cooked the other half after that was done. The whole pound just about filled my reservoir with grease but it was super easy cleanup. Thanks for the idea!
So glad you tried it, Deb!
Love this tip, Kathy! My bacon is always splattering all over the stove, so this will be perfect. Hope you’re doing well!
This is exactly how I cook my bacon! Glad to see I am not the only one! Great idea.
Just tried it ! The bacon comes out perfect ! Thank you for the great tip.
Have you tried this method with turkey bacon? If so, what is the cooking time?
Hi Debbie – I’m afraid I haven’t tried it with turkey bacon, but I imagine the cooking time wouldn’t be too different. Cooking time can definitely vary by grill – I’d start checking at around 8 minutes and just keep cooking it until it appears done.
I couldnt agree more. I sold the Breville press at Williams Sonoma many times over because of the bacon grilling. No splatters! Crispy and flat in five minutes! It was definitely my favorite appliance to sell in the whole store.
I just bought the Cuisinart Griddler and was curious to try bacon with it as described above but the operating manual specifically recommends not cooking bacon in the closed/pressed position but rather in the open/flat position. I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why exactly. The only thing I can think of would be if one tried to cook it in the closed/press position on high or sear setting that perhaps the grease could ignite and be a fire hazard? None the less, I will try it anyway.
Hmmm…I wonder if they updated the manual sometime in the past 7 years. I never had a problem with closing the lid, but thanks for letting me know that Cuisinart now recommends against it.