Air Fryer Bacon (No Smoke) - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep bacon from smoking in an air fryer? ›

Once your air fryer is cool, wipe it out with a damp cloth to prevent further smoking. I have also read you can place a slice of bread in the air fryer basket when making bacon to absorb excess grease and prevent smoke.

I cook my bacon in a pan at medium/low temperature. That is number 4/5 on the range up to 10. At this temperature, very little smoke is produced and the bacon crisps up nicely. It will also benefit you to use a hood vent or fan the entire time.

In just nine minutes, you can have hot bacon ready to serve. The best part about the air fryer is that the grease collects underneath the basket in the drawer, so there's no grease splatters in the kitchen and the grease is a cinch to discard (simply tip the drawer to pour off).

If you need to stop your air fryer from smoking right away, My Forking Life recommends using water. All you need to do is place a couple of tablespoons in the bottom of the appliance to end the smoking. The water will quickly convert to steam and prevent the greasy food from causing more smoke as it finishes cooking.

It's too hot. Medium/low heat will keep climbing to high temps (approaching the temp of the burners themselves), it just takes longer than higher heat. If there isn't food in the pan to absorb heat, the pan and fat / residue will get hotter and smoke.

Sometimes, you choose a wood that is just too strong. Mesquite and hickory can overpower delicate meats, leaving you with nothing but smoky flavor.

White vinegar and baking soda are both incredibly effective deodorizers. Pour either of these household ingredients into a couple bowls and place them throughout the rooms where the smoke smell is the worst. Leave them out for a couple of hours or overnight. Boil citrus and spices to make a simmer pot.

Excess grease is one of the primary reasons for a smoky air fryer. Meats with a higher fat content can put out a lot of greases as they cook at 360F or above. When this grease splatters and circulates onto the hot heating element, it begins to burn and emit fumes. The more grease, the more fumes.

Preheat the air fryer at 320°F for 5 minutes. Pour 1/4 cup of water into the bottom of the air fryer to minimize smoke. Place bacon in a single layer into the preheated air fryer basket.

The fat drips down in the bottom of the tray so your bacon isn't fat-logged, just perfectly cooked.

Should I use foil in air fryer for bacon? ›

Place bacon in air fryer

If you're using an oven-style air fryer, you'll want to put the bacon on an air-fry basket (basically a mesh rack) with either a solid pan or a piece of aluminum foil folded up on the edges underneath to catch any bacon grease drippings.

If you want to reduce the mess you have to clean after air-frying your bacon, place a parchment paper liner in the bottom of your air fryer. You can use parchment paper from a roll, but premade air fryer liners are perforated with holes to ensure air can still flow around the bacon and crisp it evenly.

Preheat an air fryer to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C) according to manufacturer's instructions. Lay bacon in the air fryer basket in a single layer; some overlap is okay. Fry for 8 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until bacon is crisp, about 7 minutes more.

Air fryer bacon is so crispy, and the grate in the air fryer allows some of the bacon fat to drip off as it cooks. This method is also a littler faster than baking bacon in the oven. The only downside to this method is unless you have a giant air fryer, you can't cook more than a few servings at once.

Foil is safe to use in an air fryer so long as you follow three basic rules: never let foil touch the heating element; make sure the foil is weighted so it doesn't blow around the basket; and avoid contact with acidic ingredients, which can cause the foil to leach onto your food.