Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Cooking bacon sous vide overnight leads to extraordinarily tender results.
  • A quick sear on one side only gives you a crisp texture to contrast with the tenderness.

I love the work that they do over atChefSteps, but when I saw their video recommendingsous vide bacon, I have to admit I rolled my eyes a little.This has got to be one of those "everything looks like a nail when you have a hammer" situations,I said to myself. You know, one of those times when sous vide is deployed just for the sake of sous vide, rather than to actually improve things. I mean, can you really improve on plain old fried bacon? What could possibly be the point of cooking bacon at 147°F overnight?

Still, I trust them enough that I decided to give it a spin.

Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (1)

Holy cow pig, that is somegoodbacon!

I mean, really, really good. The idea of bacon that's crisp and moist at the same time is appealing, but in practice, it ends up crisp in some areas and rubbery in others—which is why I generally prefer my bacon cooked completely crisp. But overnight sous vide bacon usingan immersion circulatoris the first bacon I've ever tasted that delivers on that moist-and-crisp promise. It's crispy on the exterior as you bite into it, but it quite literally melts in your mouth, like the finest confit pork belly, as you chew.

I suppose this makes sense, because that's exactly what it is: smoked, cured confit pork belly.

The ChefSteps method has you cook bacon directly in its package at 147°F (64°C) for at least overnight and up to two days before taking it out and searing it in a skillet on one side only. To satisfy my own curiosity, I cooked bacon at temperatures ranging from 135°F (57°C) to 165°F (74°C) for times ranging from one hour all the way up to two days.

At temperatures above 155°F (68°C), the leaner sections of the bacon start to dry out, and they stay dry no matter how long you cook it. At 135°F, the bacon takes a full two days to completely tenderize. So the ChefSteps recommendation of 147°F was pretty spot-on. I rounded it down to 145°F (63°C)—I didn't notice that the two extra degrees made any difference, and 145 is an easier number to remember than 147.

Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (2)

As for timing, you do need to let it go at least eight hours to get the tenderizing effect. A full day or more is marginally better, but I suspect most folks who are going to cook like this are dropping their bacon into the water bath the night before, then searing it for breakfast.

Speaking of searing, I tried searing at various temperatures, as well as on one side only and on both sides. Medium-high heat (around 325°F/163°C, if you have a temperature-controlled cooking surface) produced the best results, and searing on one side is definitely the way to go—if you sear on both, you end up over-crisping the bacon, thereby losing any of the advantages that sous vide offered it in the first place. That said, I do flip the bacon and cook it on the second side for just a few seconds to add some color. If you've got a bacon weight or a finishing trowel, like I do, use it; you'll get better contact with the pan and better crisping.

What's great about this method is that you can cook the bacon directly in the package that it comes in, and searing takes only a matter of minutes, which means that after you drop it in the water bath the night before, breakfast the next morning is lightning-fast. Far faster than cooking raw bacon from scratch on a griddle or in the oven.

Even better is that you can par-cook in bulk. You can cook an entire pack of bacon—or as many packs as will fit into your water bath—all at once, then refrigerate directly in the vacuum-sealed bag. (You can also freeze for long-term storage.) When you're ready to eat, just open the pack, peel off the par-cooked bacon, sear it, and serve. It heats up in about the same amount of time that it takes to sear, which means that you get the best bacon you've ever had on your plate with just minutes of work in the morning.

Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (3)

Seriously. All you have to do after you wake up is this...

Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (4)

...followed by this...

Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (5)

...and you get this:

Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (6)

Oh, by the way, you want to do this with thick-cut bacon. The thicker the better, actually, in order to get a really great ratio of crisp seared surface and melty, tender interior. Want some inspiration? You canread here about our favorite supermarket bacon brands.

This won't be the only way I cook bacon from now on, but it will be my method of choice when I want to impress a brunch guest with something they've never experienced before.

November 2016

Recipe Details

Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe

Cook8 hrs 10 mins

Active7 mins

Total8 hrs 10 mins

Serves4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (450g) thick-cut bacon, still in its package (see notes)

Directions

  1. Preheat a sous vide water bath to 145°F (63°C). Place bacon, still in its original plastic packaging, directly in water bath and cook for at least 8 and up to 48 hours. When ready to serve, remove from water bath and proceed immediately to step 2, or chill in refrigerator or freezer for later use (see notes).

    Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (7)

  2. To finish, preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add bacon and cook, pressing gently with a press or the back of a spatula (just enough to keep it mostly flat), until brown and crisp on the first side, about 2 minutes. Turn bacon and briefly cook on second side, just to remove pale color (about 15 seconds).

    Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (8)

  3. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to remove excess fat. Serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Immersion circulator

Notes

You can cook as much bacon as will fit in the water bath used in step 1.

Bacon can be cooked directly in its package. If it's unpackaged, cook in a vacuum-sealed bag or in a zipper-lock bag with the air removed.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Cooked bacon can be refrigerated and stored for up to two weeks, or frozen and stored for months. Defrost before searing in step 2.

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Overnight Sous Vide Bacon Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long can you sous vide bacon? ›

Preheat a sous vide water bath to 145°F (63°C). Place bacon, still in its original plastic packaging, directly in water bath and cook for at least 8 and up to 48 hours. When ready to serve, remove from water bath and proceed immediately to step 2, or chill in refrigerator or freezer for later use (see notes).

How do you Precook bacon the night before? ›

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until the desired crispness. Remove bacon to a paper towel–lined plate; blot dry and let cool. Wrap cooled bacon in paper towels and place in a food container or plastic bag; refrigerate until ready to serve. Bacon can be baked 3 to 4 days ahead of time.

Is sous vide the best method for the crispiest bacon? ›

The slow, low heat of sous vide cooking renders nearly all of the fat from your bacon strips, leaving behind meaty pieces that can be quickly crisped up in just a minute or two in a pan when you are ready to eat. Although sous vide bacon needs to cook 8 to 12 hours and then chill, that's all hands-off time.

How do you keep bacon crispy overnight? ›

Once the meat is cool to the touch, place it in an airtight bag. Remove as much air as possible before sealing the bag and placing it in the refrigerator.

Can you sous vide for 12 hours? ›

A steak cooked at a well-done 160°F, for instance, will be soft and shreddable (and dry) after only 8 to 12 hours. For best results, I don't recommend cooking any longer than the maximum recommended time for each cut and temperature range. Should I add butter, oil, or any other liquid or fat to the sous-vide bag? No.

Is it safe to sous vide for 24 hours? ›

Stay Out of the Danger Zone

The biggest concern, especially with sous vide, is food shouldn't be out of the refrigerator at temperatures below 127°F (52.8°C) for more than 3 or 4 hours.

Can I cook bacon the night before and reheat? ›

Yes, when you have a lot to make, cooking bacon in advance is a good idea. I would cook the bacon just until it starts to get crisp. That way when it comes time to reheat it you can reheat it until it's just crisp. Or you can reheat to your liking.

Can you cook bacon and eggs the night before? ›

This recipe takes a bit longer to cook so what I do is pre-cook the bacon the night before and just keep it in the fridge. The next day, when I cook it with the eggs, the bacon strips are still crispy. Saves time and effort in preparing breakfast!

Can you leave bacon in water overnight? ›

This recipes serves 5-6 people well. It takes a little bit of work in preparation, but the result is well worth it. If your bacon is salty, soak it in cold water overnight. Discard the water the next day.

Why is my sous vide meat tough? ›

Home cooks love to use this technique with a wide variety of meats, fish, veggies, and other produce to help retain moisture. However, because sous vide requires the utmost precision, one wrong step and you can easily overcook your food, ending up with meat that has a rubbery consistency.

How do restaurants keep bacon crispy? ›

They cook it the best way possible, on a sheet pan in the oven. The bonus is while it takes longer to make this way, you can make more at once, the pieces are more or less flat and they come out crispy. Or they throw it in the deep fryer once it's done.

Is water the secret to crispy bacon? ›

Why Does Cooking Bacon in Water Work? The addition of water keeps the initial cooking temperature low and gentle, so the meat retains its moisture and stays tender as the fat renders. Plus, since the water helps render the fat, there will be significantly less splatter as your bacon finishes in the pan.

Why does my bacon never get crispy? ›

As with other meats, allow some room between strips, about an inch, when placing bacon in the pan. Crowding creates steam and prevents the bacon from cooking evenly, giving you limp bacon instead of crispy strips. Cook in batches if needed.

Is there a limit to how long you can sous vide? ›

So long as you're cooking at above 130°F, there are no real health risks associated with prolonged sous vide cooking. You will, however, eventually notice a difference in texture. For best results, I don't recommend cooking any longer than the maximum recommended time for each cut and temperature range.

What is the longest you can sous vide? ›

After 3 to 4 hours, the texture of your steak will change. It will become more mushy. That is why it is recommended that you only cook until done (1 to 2 hours). So, overdoing it, as you describe it, would be cooking it too long so that the texture becomes undesirable.

What is the maximum holding time for cooked bacon? ›

Home Storage of Bacon Products
PRODUCTPANTRYFREEZER 0 °F or below
Leftover cooked bacon, cooked by consumerN/A1 month
Baby food with fresh baconObserve “use-by” date.1 month
Cooked bacon, purchased shelf stableUnopened in the pantry (stored below 85 °F) until the “use-by” date on the package3 months
13 more rows
Oct 29, 2013

How long does vacuum bacon last? ›

Unopened bacon may last roughly two weeks in the fridge and eight months in the freezer. Once the package has been opened, as long as it is well stored in a sealed container, uncooked bacon is good for a week.

References

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