I always have to tell them to burnt it. They often still leave it soggy. Soggy bacon is not worth it.
Why do you even bother if it's crispy? You're burning off all of the delicious fat that's in the bacon! I bet you people are stand-wipers too.
I don't get it either. My dad used to microwave bacon 'til it was more like crepe paper. I say that's a damn travesty. Bacon shouldn't be rare, per se, but you need some of that fatty, slightly chewy texture in addition to a bit of crunch along the edges- at least if I'm cooking it. Thick cut is best for that reason.
I'm always an advocate to slow baking your bacon in the oven if you have the time. 225* for 2 hours with some good thick cut bacon will be some of the best damn bacon you've ever had. Plus, if you cook it on top of a cookie rack placed inside a baking sheet, you'll have a nice pan full of pure concentrated bacon fat to use for just about anything. Or just be a real man and make your own damn bacon. It's surprisingly easy if you have the time and patience.
If I had a slab of unsliced bacon, the temptation would be too awful to bake the entire thing and eat it like a sub sandwich.
Bacon is cured. You're not going to under cook it. No matter how seemingly "under cooked" it seems from a restaurant, it's safe to eat. Best bacon in the world comes from a place in central Missouri. It's called Burger's Bacon. I could sit down and eat a pound at a time if I'm not careful.
I was seriously disappointed with some bacon I got at a diner this past weekend. It was a decent looking diner in a smaller lake town up North (was up there for a bachelor party), and I was so hung over and so excited to eat some good bacon, like I'd been fixated on that image since I woke up and realized I was hung over and hungry. How could they not have some decent bacon, right?? The bacon strips were about the size of a pencil and crispy like a wafer, like what my dad would consider ideal. I felt like Charlie Brown getting the football yanked out from under him by Lucy, looking forward to some decent bacon like that. Haven't tried baking it yet. If I have the time I like going through the process of frying some bacon in an iron pan, making hash browns with the grease and whatever's left in the pan, frying a couple of eggs over-easy, and then throwing it all together on a plate. Now I'm hungry again.
Really good bacon does indeed have both crunch and the fatty parts that bubbled up and so is slightly chewy but not rubbery. I'm not saying every single bit of it needs to be crispy. Restaurant bacon is never crispy anywhere. It is chew chew chew all the way through. I don't know what they do to achieve that, but it makes me want to cry.
Bacon is like a handjob: nobody can do it right for you, it has to be done on your own. I like non-crispy. I have a friend who likes Elvis-style, doorstop-hard, burnt-to-a-crisp bacon. I try to throw holy water on him whenever there's a chance. As far as baking goes, you guys should try it. You need time but it makes it taste perfect.
VI Music suggestion: Put on 'Permanent Vacation' by Aerosmith. Turn it up, especially the opening number 'Heart's Done Time.' In fact, blast it, windows down, and move at a good speed. You're welcome.
It took me a minute to process "qt 3.14" and then another 3 minutes to get over the thought of immediately setting this walking grease trap on fire.
I actually have started using my toaster oven to cook my bacon and sausage links. Cooks them more evenly and Ive got it down to only flipping/rolling once. Ive never slow cooked it but Ill give it a shot sometime. I hear it's not a great way to make bacon but Id love to brine up my own if I ever went hog hunting.