Easy Ground Beef and Russet Potato Skillet
May 20, 2026
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Bacon is the salt-cured pork that anchors American breakfast and adds smoky depth to savory bakes, dressings, and weeknight dinners. Quality matters: thick-cut bacon from a butcher tastes dramatically better than the thin commodity slices, and the difference shows up in any recipe where bacon is the lead flavor. Reader favorites that use bacon include The Best Kobe Ground Beef Burgers and Easy Ground Beef and Russet Potato where bacon brings smoky depth to the ground beef base.
Bacon’s flavor comes from two things: the cure (salt plus sugar plus nitrite) and the smoke (applewood, hickory, or cherry are most common). Standard grocery store bacon is wet-cured and lightly smoked, which produces consistent results. Artisan bacon from a butcher is often dry-cured and heavily smoked, which produces deeper, more complex flavor at higher cost. Pairing bacon with kosher salt in dry rubs is rarely needed. The bacon brings enough salt already.
For cooking, the right technique depends on the bacon’s purpose. Crispy strips need an oven (425°F, 18-20 minutes on a parchment-lined sheet pan) or a cold skillet started on medium heat. Both methods render fat slowly and produce evenly crisp results. Pan-frying over high heat from cold burns the bacon before the fat renders, leaving chewy-yet-burnt pieces. olive oil is not needed in any bacon application; the bacon’s own fat is more than enough.
For chopped or crumbled bacon in salads, baked potatoes, and dressings, the technique is the same: cook the bacon, drain on paper towels, then chop. Reserve the rendered fat for cooking eggs, sautéing vegetables, or making bacon vinaigrette. eggs cooked in bacon fat take on the smoky flavor, which is what makes diner-style breakfasts taste different from the home version. sour cream in loaded baked potato applications pairs particularly well with crispy bacon crumbles. Healthy Slow Cooker Crack Chicken uses crumbled bacon to add smoky depth to the slow-cooker chicken-and-cream-cheese mixture, demonstrating how chopped bacon works as a topping that finishes the dish rather than as the lead protein. On the site, recipes featuring this ingredient often appear alongside kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic.
For storage, raw bacon keeps 7-10 days in the fridge after opening and 6 months in the freezer (wrapped tightly in plastic and foil). Cooked bacon keeps 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container, and reheats best in a 350°F oven for 3-4 minutes rather than the microwave (which makes it rubbery). The parmesan cheese pairing on bacon-topped pasta dishes is the Italian-American take that turns a simple bowl into an indulgent weeknight dinner.
Bake bacon at 425°F on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 18 to 20 minutes. This method renders the fat slowly and produces even crispiness across the whole strip without burning. Starting bacon in a cold skillet over medium heat works the same way. Both methods beat high-heat pan-frying, which burns the outside before the fat renders.
Thick-cut bacon is sliced roughly twice as thick as standard grocery store bacon, usually from a butcher or premium brand. It holds up better in cooking applications where bacon is a main component rather than a topping. Regular sliced bacon works fine for crumbles, salad toppings, and recipes where the bacon cooks inside a dish.
Cooked bacon keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 3 to 4 minutes for the best texture. Microwaving reheated bacon makes it rubbery. Raw unopened bacon keeps 7 to 10 days in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer when wrapped tightly.
Yes. Baking bacon in the oven at 425°F on a sheet pan is one of the most reliable methods. Lay strips flat on a parchment-lined pan with no overlapping. Bake 18 to 20 minutes depending on thickness. The oven method requires no flipping and produces evenly cooked strips with less mess than stovetop frying.
For more cured and smoked protein options, see our prosciutto and smoked salmon recipes.