15 Uses For Bacon Grease
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Today we’re talking about the infinite uses for bacon grease in the kitchen, as well as answering all your bacon grease FAQs.
Oh, the wonders of bacon grease!
Southerners are known for our love of bacon grease and the zeal with which we save this “liquid gold”. But I’ve found that a lot of folks are saving bacon fat without really knowing what to do with it. So I decided to write this post in hopes of giving you some ideas and letting you know how it was used in days gone by – and can still be used today.
Note: keep in mind that bacon itself is processed meat, so it is important to limit or for some completely eliminate it in the diet. Some people have to avoid it altogether. This post is strictly for informational purposes and since none of us at southernplate.com are dieticians, doctors, or nutritionists we always encourage you to follow your health professional’s guidance about what the best diet is for you.
The same goes for cooking with homemade bacon grease. It’s probably not a great idea to use straight-up bacon fat with every meal you make that needs oil. You could if you are allowed to in your eating plan use it when you are sauteing vegetables or in baking and combine it with a dash of olive oil or coconut oil too.
15 Uses For Bacon Grease
Here are many, many uses for bacon grease:
1. Substitute for oils in recipes and in frying.
Bacon grease is the perfect and can be used in place of oils (like or in recipes and in frying.
2. Grease muffin tins or cast-iron skillets for bread dishes.
Before you put your cornbread or hoecake batter in that skillet, grease it with a little solidified bacon fat. To make this mess-free, fold a paper towel in fourths and cover your index and middle finger with it. Dip your covered fingers into the bacon grease and wipe the inside of your skillet. Toss the paper towel away when done.
3. Make milk gravy.
Milk gravy begins with a base of two tablespoons of bacon grease. Heat them in a large skillet, add two or three tablespoons of flour, and cook until flour is browned. Slowly add milk while stirring constantly and continue cooking until gravy is thickened over medium heat. For photos of making gravy, click here.
4. Make cornbread.
Many cornbread recipes call for a tablespoon or so of melted bacon grease added to the batter for extra flavor. This makes such a big difference that it’s worth it to save your baking grease for cornbread alone! Click here for my recipe. You can also add it to biscuits and a homemade pie crust as well to make them extra flaky.
5. Season dried beans.
Traditional we season beans in the South with a ham bone or bits of ham to add flavor. If you find yourself without any of these, just add two or three tablespoons of bacon grease to the cooking water and they’ll taste just as good. Click here for my recipe.
6. Make fried corn.
Fried corn is often called creamed corn. No matter what you call it, adding a tablespoon of bacon grease makes it better than ever and enhances the . Click here for my recipe.
7. Add it to any vegetable side dish.
Whether they’re from the can, garden, or freezer, green beans taste just like Grandma’s when you add a tablespoon of bacon grease! Click here for my recipe. Just about any type of vegetable can be made better with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of bacon grease added while cooking. Try it with cabbage or I’ve even seen folks fry green tomatoes in it!
Another option is to fry up some bacon and set the aside. Pour a little bit of the hot over fresh dark greens and then top with crumbled bacon bits for a wilted lettuce salad like we had in the old days. Check out our fried turnip greens here.
8. Fry eggs
I really and truly will not make fried eggs without a for added . I place a tablespoon or so in my skillet and let it melt, then fry my eggs in it.
9. Make delicious oven-fried potatoes.
Spread some bacon grease into the bottom of a jelly roll pan. Cut potatoes into long wedges with the skin still on them and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place on top of the bacon grease and put in a 400-degree oven until browned, about 45 minutes to an hour. Turn every 15 minutes so they get evenly brown and the bottoms have the chance to oven fry in that delicious grease.
10. Spread it on toast.
Yep, bacon grease tastes absolutely delicious spread on a piece of crusty sourdough or even cinnamon raisin bread (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!).
11. Drizzle it on popcorn.
If you’re a savory popcorn fan, heat up a bit of bacon grease on the stove or in the microwave and drizzle it over your popcorn.
12. Add it to your pancake batter.
Pancake and bacon go together like peanut butter and jelly. So obviously one of the best uses for bacon grease is to add either a tablespoon to your pancake batter or spread it on top of your pancake before you drizzle with maple syrup.
15. Fry grilled cheese.
Make the best grilled cheese ever by frying it in bacon grease rather than butter.
FAQs on Uses for Bacon Grease
Does turkey bacon grease work just as well as regular bacon?
With turkey bacon, you will typically have less grease because there is less fat. So although it works very well for the uses described above, I often add a bit of olive oil or coconut oil when I am using it. Both bring some additionally great flavors.
How do you store bacon grease?
Allow it to cool slightly and then pour it into a container. It is important to have one specific container for just bacon grease and make sure not to put any other type of grease in it. Many people strain theirs too. You can use a cheesecloth for draining or an unbleached coffee filter works too. I enjoy all those little yummy bits of bacon and since I store mine in the fridge or freezer, they’re fine in there. My grandmother always kept a metal soup can on the back of her stove with her grease in it.
Where do you store bacon grease?
Bacon grease is traditionally stored on the stovetop or next to the stove, but nowadays it’s recommended to store it in the refrigerator or freezer. If left on the counter indefinitely, bacon grease will go rancid. This used to not be a problem because it was used and replenished so often back in the old days. But now that we aren’t using it as often, it’s best to store it safely in the fridge or freezer. If bacon grease goes rancid, you WILL know it and you will not want to use it. The refrigerator guards against this and your bacon grease will last for months and months and months!
Another bonus to storing bacon grease in the fridge is that room-temperature bacon grease remains a little on the liquid side. Refrigerated bacon grease solidifies and becomes the consistency of shortening, making it super easy to measure and scoop out whatever you need for recipes.
How long does bacon grease last?
When stored in the fridge, bacon grease lasts for up to three months.
Can you freeze bacon grease?
Yes, bacon grease can last indefinitely in the freezer if sealed well. Every now and then a jar will fill up and I just seal it and put it in the freezer. Then, I start another jar in the fridge. It never hurts to have extra.
How do you know if bacon grease has gone bad?
- Has it changed color? Don’t trust it if it has. And keep in mind, blue, green, gray, or brown tinge in the fat definitely indicates rotten fat. Throw it away if you see any of that.
- Smell: Does it smell different than bacon? If yes, don’t use it. Once it goes bad it can smell sour, fishy, or have a rotten-like smell. Now that last one should be a dead giveaway. When in doubt, throw it out!
- Texture: If you aren’t sure, touch it with a clean finger and if it’s slimy or sticky then just do not use it.
- Mold: If stored well you probably won’t see this but if you do see any mold well then, say see ya later alligator.
Remember, when in doubt, throw it out!
If you are looking for some more information about bacon and bacon grease check out this Healthline article here.
Be sure and tell me how you use bacon grease in the comments section below!
“If it can’t be fried in bacon grease, it ain’t worth cooking, let alone eating.”
~ Southern proverb
I agree that bacon grease has a wonderful taste, however, it is a saturated fat and a real artery clogger. For those of us who found this important fact out to late, it is to much of a sacriface to harm ones health to consider eating but a minimal amount of bacon and certainly never bacon fat no matter how good the taste. The detrmental effect on our health outweights the enjoyment of the taste.
Ama there is new thinking that perhaps saturated fat is not the villain its been portrayed as. People who eat paleo (lots of meat and vegetables, little grain, sugars, or processed foods) see lots of good things, health-wise.
My husband has to have annual physicals for his job. In March this year, he eliminated wheat and sugar. Eats loads of meat and vegetables. All of his lipids improved dramatically.
You might check out WheatBelly – the book and the blog – by Dr. William Davis – a cardiologist……we found it eye-opening!
Here’s another good article – “What if it’s all been a big fat lie” – http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
My favorite thing to cook in bacon grease is yellow squash. I learned how to do this when we lived at Ft. Campbell, Ky. A wonderful cook that ran the air base club restaurant shared the secret with me. As a kid, I always hated squash until then. Pilots came from all over just to eat her cooking.
My favorite thing to cook in bacon grease is liver and onions. When I was growing up Mom always used bacon grease to fry liver and onions in, which gave it such a great flavor. I couldn’t imagine fixing it any other way.
Also great for sauteing chicken livers with mushrooms and/or onions. Add a little chicken broth and some dry sherry to the drippings and you have the best sauce ever for your mashed potatoes.
My favorite recipe is one handed down through the family from my great-grandmother, who was born in 1854.
cook a 12 oz. bag of elbow macaroni in salted water, drain then return macaroni to pot. Add 2-3 tablespoons bacon grease, stir. Add 3 small cans tomato sauce and stir. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan, sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese (I lik a LOT of cheese, about 2 cups, but you can use as much or as little as you want). Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Enjoy.
I use a mason jar as that is what fits on my JennAir, then keep it on the counter. It does not last long enough to go bad as we don’t cook bacon often
I use it for beans, cornbread, gravy, and really anything that just needs a boost of flavor. I usually save it in a mason jar or more recently I purchased a little wide mouth crock that I keep on my counter by the stove. I do give my dog some of the bacon grease over her dry food almost every time I fry bacon (unless I am running low in my jar & need all of it to replenish!).
A a kid my mom always had a bacon grease can with a strainer that fit on the top of the can, it was made that way. It always sat next to the stove for easy access. Today I wish I still had that bacon grease can, instead I have 3 containers in the fridge and just tonight I cooked 3 lbs. of bacon to have on hand and now have a bowl next to the stove just cooling and ready to use. Nothing better than bacon grease for cooking!