Frying bacon is out! Learn how to cook bacon on the grill so there’s no grease splattered all over your stove top or bacon smelling up your house for hours. The method is so easy you won’t believe it!

Grilled bacon on a hamburger with yellow cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mayonnaise. The burger is on a wheat bun set on a round white plate with a pile of thick cut French fries on the side.

I’d like to put it out there right up front that ordinarily, I would never write a post on how to cook bacon. Most people are all set with knowing how to cook bacon.

However, when you throw out a new technique on how to cook something, the story changes. Or am I the last one on Earth to consider grilling bacon and this isn’t a new way to cook bacon after all?

Raw bacon slices laid out on a hot gas grill grate.

It’s a technique I’ve been contemplating for the past few weeks. 

Can you actually grill bacon? Will it completely stick to the grill? Will I set myself on fire? 

I was willing to test it out at the expense of a) not having to clean up bacon grease off the stove, counter, floor, and my shirt and b) not having to turn the oven on when it’s 95° outside. 

And then I saw this grilled bacon salad fly through my radar and I knew you can definitely grill bacon. YES!!

A pile of grilled bacon set on a white paper towel to drain.

And you guys! Grilling bacon is so easy and so quick, you almost wouldn’t believe it! 

How to Grill Bacon

All you need to grill bacon is some bacon and 5 minutes on a medium heat grill! That’s right, it only takes about 5 minutes to grill bacon!

  1. Simply lay out the bacon slices on the hot grill grates with a long pair of tongs.
  2. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Reduce the heat to low.
  4. Flip the bacon over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
  5. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

What’s the Best Kind of Bacon to Grill?

Any variety of thick-cut bacon will be perfect for the grill. Don’t use “regular” cut bacon for this – it will stick!

Benefits of Grilling Bacon

  • No need to oil the grill grates prior to grilling
  • No messy clean-up afterwards. All of the drippings end up in the grill’s drip pan!
  • Your whole house/apartment/condo won’t smell like bacon
  • You don’t have to heat up the kitchen by using the stove or oven (especially in the summer!)
  • No hot bacon grease to figure out how to get rid of
  • No hot bacon grease popping at you from the skillet while cooking
  • You can grill a large amount of bacon at a time rather than just a few strips in multiple batches in a messy and spitting skillet of hot bacon grease. 

You’re left with strips of smoky grilled bacon that will just blow you away! I don’t think I’ve been so excited about a new cooking technique in years! 

BLT Panzanella Salad

Recipes that Use Grilled Bacon

If you’ve tried grilling bacon, let me know how it works for you!

A pile of grilled bacon set on a white paper towel to drain.

How to Cook Bacon on the Grill

Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Cooking bacon on the grill is a THING! And I've got you covered with some great tips and tricks! Forget the greasy mess on your stove top and learn how to grill bacon.

Ingredients

  • Thick-cut or "butcher's cut" bacon (regular bacon will be too thin and flimsy to withstand the heat of the grill)

Instructions

  1. Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to medium. Lay the bacon slices out on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn the grill to low heat and flip the bacon with long tongs; cook for another 1-2 minutes. Take note: If the grill is too hot, there will be flare-ups from the bacon drippings. Keeping the heat low once you flip the bacon or turning at least one of the burners off will help reduce flare-ups. Make sure you watch the bacon carefully after you flip it as it will cook quickly at this point and will burn easily.
  2. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and use as desired.

Notes

inspired by Smitten Kitchen

Recommended Products

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Leave a Comment

  • Tracey
    July 22, 2013 at 6:57 AM

    I love doing the bacon on the grill, but I’m usually not careful/patient enough and either wind up with lots of flare-ups or burn it 🙂 Yours looks perfect, I have to try this technique!

  • Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
    July 22, 2013 at 11:26 AM

    oh man….grilled bacon…YES

  • Melissa
    October 3, 2019 at 6:19 PM

    I’ve often wondered if grilling bacon would work! Thanks for trying it! I’m going to give it a try this weekend

    • Tara
      October 4, 2019 at 8:26 AM

      Grilled bacon is the best! I hope you love it! Just be sure to keep an eye on it and be careful of the flames. Fatty bacon = lots of flames.

  • Roger Burghdorf
    June 10, 2021 at 3:07 PM

    If you can believe it, smoked bacon on the Trager is even better… same recipe but it takes a little longer…. WOW

    • Tara
      August 4, 2021 at 12:48 PM

      Good to know!! I haven’t dipped my toes into smoking meat yet but I’ll keep that in mind when I do!

  • Kp
    September 21, 2022 at 7:37 PM

    Tried it tonight. Worked perfectly! Thank you.

    • Tara
      October 13, 2022 at 10:12 AM

      Fantastic to hear!