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Bacon on a Pellet Grill

If you haven’t made bacon on a pellet grill yet, you’re in for a treat. Bacon cooked over the wood smoke of a pellet grill like a Traeger, Pit Boss or Camp Chef is smoky, crispy and amazingly flavorful.

Thick-sliced bacon cooks low and slow on the grill so the texture is crisp and tender, never tough. The smoke from the pellet grill adds another layer of flavor that is simply incredible. These tips will help you grill bacon on a pellet smoker that your friends and family will go crazy for!

Ten slices of pellet smoker cooked bacon on parchment paper.

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Contents

Want to get right to the good stuff? Click on any of these headings to jump ahead:

  1. Why This Recipe is Worth Making
  2. Ingredients and Substitutions
  3. Equipment Needed
  4. Step by Step Instructions
  5. Pro Recipe Tips
  6. Recipe Variations
  7. How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
  8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  9. More Popular Bacon Recipes
  10. Bacon on Pellet Grill Recipe
  11. Save for Later

Why This Recipe is Worth Making

Think it’s impossible to improve on the savory, delicious flavor of crispy bacon?

I made this pellet grill bacon for brunch recently, and our guests couldn’t believe how good it tasted. Here are some of the reasons you’ll love this easy recipe:

  • Great way to make bacon for a crowd
  • Incredible smoky flavor
  • No standing over a hot stove
  • Low and slow cooking equals perfect texture 
  • Easy clean up

Ingredients and Substitutions

Thick sliced bacon – the thicker slices are best for cooking in the smoker. They shrink less and take a little longer to cook than regular sliced bacon. This extra time in the grill helps infuse the bacon strips with the tasty smoky flavor.

Flavorings and/or Rubs – Feel free to sprinkle the bacon with an optional rub or seasoning before cooking. See the Variations section below for some of our favorites.

Equipment Needed

pellet smoker with smoke wafting from it into the air.

Pellet Grill â€“ We have this Camp Chef SmokePro model. If you’re in the market for a one, Outdoor Life recently tested a number of models and released a list of top pellet smokers.

Wood pellets – Choose your wood pellet type. Hickory, cherry are all delicious for this recipe, or you can use an all-around mix like Traeger’s Hardwood Signature Blend.

Baking sheet or disposable aluminum tray.

Aluminum foil – to line the baking sheet. If you use a disposable tray you won’t need this.

Heatproof oven rack â€“ like this one. Don’t be tempted to use a cookie cooling rack, as these are often not made for cooking and can have nonstick coatings or inferior metal. 

Tongs â€“ to turn the bacon.

Potholders â€“ to pull the hot pan out of the smoker. 

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat your pellet grill to 350 F and adjust the smoke setting to your preference, if that’s an option on your smoker. We set ours to medium smoke. 

We used a disposable baking sheet from the dollar store for this recipe. If you’re using a baking sheet, cover it with aluminum foil for easier cleanup. (You may need to fold two sheets of foil together to cover the whole pan.)

A baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, with a seam down the middle.

Top with a baking rack. This will help the bacon cook evenly. 

A disposable aluminum foil pan fitted with an oven proof baking rack.

If you’re using any kind of seasoning, sprinkle it on both sides of the bacon now and pat it lightly into the strips. 

Arrange the bacon directly on top of the baking rack. It’s okay if the slices overlap a little.

10 slices of thick cut bacon on a wire cooking rack set inside a disposable foil baking sheet.

Put it on the middle rack in the smoker and close the lid.

uncooked bacon on a foil baking sheet set inside a pellet smoker ready to be cooked.

Cook for 20 minutes and take a peek. If you like, you can flip the bacon strips over before continuing to cook until bacon is brown and crispy. Your exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of your bacon and how hot your pellet smoker cooks. In ours, total cooking time was about 30 minutes. 

A pan of browned, cooked bacon on the middle rack inside a pellet grill.

Remove from the smoker, drain bacon on paper towels and serve. 

Pro Recipe Tips

If you use regular sliced bacon instead of thick-sliced bacon, reduce heat to 350 degrees and start checking after the 15 minute mark so it doesn’t overcook.

Recipe Variations

Add a sweet or savory flavor to the bacon by sprinkling it with a rub or seasoning just before cooking. Some of our favorites include:

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

My favorite way to store this smoked bacon is to wrap it in parchment paper and put the packet inside a zip-lock bag. The parchment paper helps absorb any moisture and keeps the bacon nice and fresh. For the best flavor, plan to eat it within a day or two.

To reheat the bacon for maximum crispiness, arrange the strips in a skillet and cook over medium heat until they just start to sizzle, turning once. Or reheat on a cooking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for a few minutes, until hot and crispy.

FAQs

How do you get bacon crispy in a smoker?

If you want your bacon extra crispy after cooking this recipe, increase the heat of the pellet grill to 400 degrees F. Return the pan to the grill and cook for a few more minutes until the bacon sizzles and is crispy to your liking. The exact timing will vary.

How long do wood pellets last in a smoker?

When stored properly in a sealed container, wood pellets will last for several years. If they’re kept inside the smoker, they may be susceptible to moisture. This not only damages the pellets, it can gum up the works of your pellet grill. So if you’re not going to use them within a week or two, it’s a good idea to empty the pellets from the grill hopper into a container for storage.

What temp for bacon on pellet grill?

We like to cook bacon at a temperature of about 350 degrees F. This ensures that the bacon gets nice and crisp, but it’s still a moderate temperature that minimizes bacon shrinkage and maximizes flavor.

More Popular Bacon Recipes

If you love the smoky flavor of bacon cooked on a pellet grill, you’ll love our Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin.

For more meat wrapped in meat, try our Bacon Weave Meatloaf or Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies.

If you love super crispy bacon, you’ll go crazy for our Extra Crunchy Bacon with Flour in the Oven.

Homemade Bacon Jerky is the tastiest snack – chewy, bacon-y and low carb, too. 

You might also enjoy delectable Maple Candied Bacon, always one of our most-clicked recipes! 

Here’s the full, printable recipe:

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ten strips of crispy golden brown bacon cooked on a pellet grill.

Bacon on Pellet Grill

Eliza Cross
Bacon cooked on a pellet grill is smoky, crispy and amazingly flavorful. These tips will help you make grilled bacon on a pellet smoker that your friends and family will love.
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Bacon Basics
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 349 kcal

Equipment

  • Pellet Grill Smoker
  • 1 baking sheet
  • 1 oven safe baking rack
  • aluminum foil
  • tongs
  • pot holders

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound thick cut bacon
  • seasoning rub of your choice (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the pellet grill to 350 degrees F. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, and insert a heat-proof baking rack.
  • Sprinkle bacon with your rub of choice (if using), and pat it lightly into the strips. Arrange the bacon on top of the baking rack. It’s okay if the strips overlap a little, as they will shrink slightly during cooking.
  • Put the tray on the middle rack in the smoker and close the lid.
  • Cook for 20 minutes and take a peek. If you like, you can flip the bacon strips over before continuing to cook until bacon is brown and crispy. Your exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of your bacon and how hot your pellet smoker cooks. In ours, total cooking time was about 30 minutes. 
  • Remove from smoker and drain bacon on paper towels. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

To store leftovers: Wrap the cooked bacon in parchment paper, put the packet inside a zip-lock bag, and refrigerate. For the best flavor, eat within two days

ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES

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Nutrition

Serving: 2slicesCalories: 349kcalProtein: 23.3gFat: 29.1gSaturated Fat: 11.6gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 1105mgPotassium: 375mg
Nutritional Information Disclosure
Keyword bacon, bacon cooking methods
Did you make this recipe? We love seeing what you made! Be sure to leave a review, and show us your bacon creations on Instagram! Tag us at @BensaBaconLovers!

Got questions? Just ask! I’m happy to help. You might also enjoy the web story for cooking bacon in a smoker.

If you enjoy this Pellet Smoker Bacon recipe, I’d be thrilled if you clicked the little stars above and gave the recipe a 5-star rating. If you post your creations on social media, tag #BENSABaconLovers so I can share! Thank you for your support. – Eliza

Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist, and any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline.

Save for Later

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Bacon cooked on a pellet grill, a pellet smoker outside, and a tray of cooked bacon inside a pellet grill.
eliza cross

About Eliza & BENSA

BENSA was founded by bacon expert Eliza Cross, author of more than a dozen cookbooks. She has written three bacon cookbooks including the award-winning Bacon Beans and Beer, the bestselling 101 Things to Do With Bacon, and the popular sequel 101 More Things to Do With Bacon. Learn more about BENSA...

12 thoughts on “Bacon on a Pellet Grill”

      • Thank you for your comment, and I’m so glad you enjoyed bacon prepared this way! It’s SO tasty, and I’m glad your friends enjoyed it, too. ~Eliza

        Reply
  1. 5 stars
    Hubs gave this a go last weekend with some super thick cut bacon and it was AMAZING! Took about 35-40 minutes. We used it to make amazing BLTs!!!!

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    Thanks for such a lovely reminder of enjoying some crispy grilled Bacon. Looks so mouth melting delicious.

    Reply
  3. 5 stars
    I love no food more than bacon. I typically bake a big batch, but I love the idea of cooking it on a pellet grill. Anything that gets a more smoky flavor into bacon is awesome.

    Reply

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