How many reasons do you need for saving your bacon grease? Really, the first one should be the only one needed. Saving and then reusing bacon grease adds that delicious bacon flavor to other dishes that can’t be beat. Bacon lovers, you know what I’m talking about.
There are a couple of ingredients that always make things taste better. For me, those foods are butter, bacon, bacon grease, cream, coconut milk or coconut cream. My husband and kids would add tamari to that list.
Bacon grease – especially when it’s not from the cheap bacon – can add a subtle bacon or smoky flavor to dishes that would otherwise be plain Jane.
The second reason to save it is an obvious one – why waste food that makes everything taste so wonderful? I think people only stopped saving bacon grease when fears about animal fats appeared. (You can read about that controversy here.) Since we choose to eat a more traditional diet (including animal fats) and research is not pointing to animal fats not being a problem, it’s time to bring back the bacon grease!
All you need to do is have a designated bacon grease jar. I just keep adding the liquid gold to the jar, and then putting it back into the refrigerator. I even keep a spoon in the jar for easy scooping when I need a spoonful for a dish. You can strain the bacon bits out of the grease, and that’s probably a good practice (but I never bother because #whohastimeforthat). I find that this method works quite well for me, but you can buy something like this stainless steel bacon grease container (affiliate link) that comes with a strainer to use for it. However you choose to save it, here are some great ways to use it.
6 Delicious Ways to Use Bacon Grease
Fried Rice
Now we like this best with bacon bits in the fried rice, but even without, it’s delicious. My husband showed me how to make it as it was a family dish he had growing up. You re-fry rice with shredded carrots, thinly sliced celery, and thinly sliced green onions with bacon grease, and then add some crumbled bacon and peas in the last couple minutes of cooking. It’s so good! I want to make a cauliflower rice version soon for a grain-free version. Yum.
Yummy Veggies
I still think that the reason that so many people don’t like vegetables is that they’ve had steamed frozen vegetables served to them one too many times. There are many delicious ways to enjoy vegetables. They can be fancy, like this Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Butter Sauce, or they can be simple – like a simple one vegetable sauté. But when you sauté your vegetables, try using bacon grease! Vegetables that are cooked in a touch of bacon grease are delicious and have a much richer flavor.
Gingery Broccoli and Mushroom Beef Stir-Fry
There are many main dishes that are even better when you use bacon grease. For example, I love it when I have bacon grease on hand when I make this dish. It adds a great smoky touch to the dish.
Eggs
Scramble or fry your eggs in bacon grease. Because bacon and eggs just go together.
Wilted Spinach Salad
Spinach salad never tasted so good! This old fashioned salad is a great way to use bacon grease. You can get my version in my cookbook, Fresh: Nourishing Salads for all Seasons.
Baked Goods
I have tried this yet, but you can also use bacon grease as the fat in pie crusts, biscuits, muffins, pancakes, etc. It could be delicious if used in the right recipe. Think of corn muffins made with bacon grease instead of oil served with hot chili. Yum!
Do you save your bacon grease? If so, how do you use yours?
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Other than cooking eggs the only thing I’ve used it for was mayonnaise. I used half bacon grease and half olive oil I believe and then used the mayo in potato salad. It was so delicious.
Oh. My. Word.
That sounds so scrumptious! I will have to try it.
I did that years ago, and it was tasty! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Spread a little bacon grease on quesadillas and fry them
With flour for thickener for gravy and wet burrito sauce
1:1 with coconut oil for savory pastry
Refried beans
Sauteed onions and/or mushrooms (to pile on sandwiches or steak, etc)
Fried potatoes (1:1 with coconut oil)
Sauteed greens (saute some shallots, add chopped greens, s&p, sprinkle of balsamic vinegar when done)
Dollop in embellished ramen (my guys add meats, cheese, veggies, sauces and seasonings and make it gourmet)
I have to hide the bacon grease jar in the way-back of the fridge or the guys will use it all up and I won’t have it for planned meals!
Yum, yum, and yum! Thanks for all of the great ideas. Bacon grease makes the best refried beans. Yum!
It makes the best gravy to put over biscuits.
Great idea!
What if I use bacon that has nitrates in it? I don’t always spend the money for the best quality bacon. Should I still save the grease?
Bacon grease used in cinnamon roll dough in place of shortening called for in the recipe is fantastic. I never strain my bacon grease and the bits of bacon just makes the rolls taste even better!
I love cooking things in bacon grease, but I’ve been nervous about the idea of keeping it in the fridge for long-term use. Does the grease not go bad the way the cooked bacon would?? How long do you think it’s safe for use?
Thanks!!
It looks like it’s safe up to 6 months, when refrigerated – at least when strained. 🙂
Oh my goodness…I have eaten all kinds of food seasoned with bacon grease. We NEVER throw it out. My mother lived to be 95, eating bacon grease all her life…but also eating lots of fruit and veggies.
Thank you for sharing Doris!
We have similar stories in our family! Our grandmothers that cooked with Lard and lived on farms with whole milk and lots of vegetables lived to be in their 100s!
Heard a world-famous chef (Canadian Michael Smith) say that most restaurants add a spoon of bacon grease to their house salad dressings–that undeterminable ingredient that elevates the dressing to seventh heaven.
As a child, living in a 100+ year old home, we kept the bacon grease in a can under the sink (coolest place). Nowadays, my jar of liquid gold stays in the refrigerator and is used judiciously but frequently.
Really enjoying this site!
Wow! I never thought to use it that way. I’ll have to try it. Thanks for sharing!
We used it on our bread(like butter) with syrop it mayby sounds grazy but its is so yummie!
This post about bacon grease certainly has opened my eyes about cooking healthy meals. It’s my daily goal to make sure my family gets the most nutrition out of every bite…but it’s equally important that they actually take that bite, lol. Taste matters. I would love to try high quality grade bacon as well as the drippings with my veggies. I can see my grandmother’s smug face saying, “I thought you said pork bacon is bad for you!” lol
Health conscience & health flexible.
I like to mix bacon grease with coconut oil for my stove popped popcorn … yummy right away, more bacony the longer it sits (next day, if that ever happens, is amazing!). I can’t tell you exactly how much because I eyeball it each time, but roughly half and half coconut oil/bacon grease.
Great idea!
Thanks for this! I am reminded of when I was a child and my mom would fry slices of bread in bacon fat for us and it was such a yummy treat. She also made wilted salads with it. Old ways are best!!
Yum!
I never make soup without sautéing my soup veggies in bacon grease… bacon makes every soup better!
We use it for Fried chicken! Seriously soooooo good add enough of that and butter to the pan and fry away
My family uses it for popcorn. If you’ve never had bacon popcorn, you are in for a treat!
Bacon grease is a necessity when making white gravy aka milk gravy. On a similar note, classic southern Red Eye gravy is made with ham drippings. (and brewed coffee!)
Oh thank you for this, I grew up in a household that loved bacon and saved bacon grease. I always feel guilty when I throw it out because of health concerns but used sparingly to season food is a wonderful idea.
I make large bowls of popcorn, then I melt 1 tbl spoon of oil, 2 tbl spoons of unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon on bacon grease, a half teaspoon of crushed pepper, and a dash of either liquid smoke or steak sauce. Pour over popcorn mix well. Add some course salt and shred some cheddar on top. i also save the course salt that remains in the bottom of a bag of pretzels. I shake it through a sieve to get rid of the small pretzel bits.
Also use bacon grease to oil my skillet when making cornbread.
How about German Potato Salad?!! Yum!
I’ve used bacon grease 50/50 with butter in biscuits, and I’ve done the same thing with pastry crust with chicken fat for a chicken turnover. Both were incredibly good. I use it really anywhere I can’t use butter; sautéing meat and fish, roasting vegetables, frying eggs and pancakes. We don’t eat so much bacon we never empty our jar, but it definitely helps to extend our budget. We already pay for the good stuff, and it’s a good source of vitamins and a great one of flavor. Why not use it?
I use bacon grease to fry just about anything: potatoes, eggs, pancakes, bull’s-eyes, eggplant, etc. I sometimes use it when I make mayo for baconnaise. And it is my favorite fat for greasing bread, cake or cookie pans. I get pasture-raised bacon from a local farm that is just delicious, though the main reason I buy bacon is for the fat. I can’t imagine a kitchen without bacon grease!
How high of a temperature can you heat bacon grease to fry in?