Do You Cook Bacon Before Putting It on Pizza?
Yes. Cook bacon before it goes on a pizza. A pizza bakes for 8 to 12 minutes, which is not long enough to render raw bacon, so it comes out limp and greasy instead of crisp.
That is the short answer, and it is the same answer in a home oven and in our deck oven at 960 US-9. The longer answer is about heat and fat, and it explains the one case where part-cooked bacon is the better call.
Why raw bacon does not work on a pizza
Bacon is roughly half fat. Making it good means rendering that fat out slowly so the meat crisps. That takes longer at a lower heat than a pizza gives you.
A pizza goes into a very hot oven for a short time. The top of the bacon browns quickly, but the fat underneath never gets the time it needs to render. What you get is a strip that is dark on top, soft and fatty underneath, and sitting in a pool of grease that soaks into the cheese and the crust.
There is a food safety side too. Pork should reach 145F. A thick cut buried under cheese on a 10 minute bake may not get there, and you cannot tell by looking.
How to cook bacon for pizza
Cook it about three quarters of the way, not all the way.
- Lay the strips flat in a pan or on a sheet and cook over medium heat.
- Stop when the fat has turned clear and the bacon is still bendy, not brittle. It should look done but flop when you lift it.
- Drain it well on paper, then chop or crumble.
- Put it on top of the cheese, not under it. Under the cheese it steams.
The bacon finishes in the oven. If you crisp it fully first, the pizza bake takes it past crisp and into burnt, which tastes bitter.
The one exception
Very thin cut bacon, the kind that is almost translucent, can go on raw if the pizza is thin crust and the oven is hot enough that the bake is short and fierce. The fat is thin enough to render in that window. It is a narrow case, and if you are unsure which kind you have, part-cook it. Nothing is lost by cooking it first.
Common mistakes
Bacon under the cheese
- Traps steam, so it never crisps
- Fat has nowhere to go
- Put it on top instead
Fully cooked first
- Burns during the pizza bake
- Goes bitter and brittle
- Stop while it still bends
Not drained
- Grease pools on the cheese
- Crust goes soggy underneath
- Drain on paper before it goes on
How we do it at Pronto
The bacon on our pizzas is cooked before it goes near a pie, drained, and added on top so it crisps in the last part of the bake. You will find it on the chicken bacon pan pizza and on the meat lovers, and you can add it to any pie you build yourself. Prices for every pizza are on the menu price list.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put raw bacon on pizza?
You can, but you should not. A pizza bakes for 8 to 12 minutes, which is not long enough to render raw bacon properly. You get limp, pale, fatty strips sitting in grease, and the bacon may not reach a safe internal temperature.
Will raw bacon cook on a pizza?
Partly, and that is the problem. The outside browns while the fat stays unrendered, so the texture is chewy rather than crisp and the fat runs out onto the cheese.
How do you cook bacon before putting it on pizza?
Cook it about three quarters of the way, until the fat has rendered but the bacon is still bendy, then drain it and chop it. It finishes crisping in the oven on the pizza. Fully crisping it first makes it burn.
Is raw bacon on pizza safe?
Not reliably. Pork needs to reach 145F, and a thick cut buried under cheese on a short bake may not get there. Cooking it first removes the question.
Should bacon go on top of the cheese or under it?
On top. Under the cheese it steams instead of crisping. On top it browns in the last few minutes, which is what you want.
Does Pronto Pizza put bacon on pizza?
Yes. The chicken bacon pan pizza and the meat lovers both use bacon, and it is cooked before it goes on the pie. Order online or call (732) 316-1000.
Last Thoughts on Bacon and Pizza
Cook it first, stop while it still bends, drain it, and put it on top of the cheese. That is the whole method, and it is the difference between bacon that crisps on the pie and bacon that leaks grease into it. If you would rather someone else handled it, we are at 960 US-9 in South Amboy and we deliver free over $10. Call (732) 316-1000.