Who has a jar of bacon fat in their fridge?

[garfish]

Just asking.

[steinpilz]

I have containers of bacon, chicken, and duck, fats in the freezer and lard in the refridgerator.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Have a 15 lb jug of goose fat forever, has been moved three times, only thing in freezer l move, used to be 25 lbs. Made a lot of confit and kept using the fat for the process

[The Professor]

ohhhh hell yeah...and some duck fat, goose fat, pork fat (non-bacon) and chicken fat as well.
I use less of these than my grandma did, but still do use them. In moderation, everything is fine. And no matter what anyone says, some things you just cant substitute out.

[ChefJune]

But of course! And duck fat, as well.

[TripChick]

I do! I do!

[CMASHEN]

Okay...I am convinced to start my bacon grease stash. Is cheap fatty bacon the best way to start?

[alanbarnes]

You'll get better-tasting bacon grease from better-tasting bacon. Less fat per pound, but patience will definitely be rewarded.

[PattiCakes]

My dad used to make this dish he called (God help me) "Gratz Town Dippy". I think he made the name up just because he needed a name for it, and he grew up near the town of Gratz in PA. And he was (to say the least) a little "dippy".

Anyway, he'd take the bacon fat & put it in a cast iron skillet. He'd saute some chopped onion, then make a roux -- bringing up to a light brown, Then he'd add a bunch of chopprd up fresh tomatoes from the garden. Then add milk. We ate it over toast for breakfast or for dinner. I always considered it a MAJOR treat, never once realizing that it was really a way to fill the family's hungry bellies for not a lot on money.

I tried to re-create it years later, but I used butter instead of the bacon fat. More politically correct, culinary-wise. It was OK, but never quite the same as my Dad's. THEN I changed to bacon fat. Viva la differance! Glenn's Gratz Town Dippy lives on!!

Oh, and you might want to try that bacon fat to saute a little onion before you make your SOS (creamed chipped beef). NOW you're talkin'.......

[caliking]

mmmmmmmmmmm... bacon.

Have 1 jar of bacon fat and 2 jars of duck fat. Try pomme frites made with the duck fat or the bacon fat... deelish. Hot Doug's in Chicago does fries fried in duck fat on Fri and Sat- they are fabulous.

[Pat Hammond]

I have a jar of duck fat in the freezer. Does that count?

[Eat_Nopal]

Not even close.

[FoodFuser]

The grease from Quacklin's just ain't the same as that from Cracklin's.

That being said, they've surely both had an historical place on the back ledge of country stoves.

[Eat_Nopal]

Ya know... if PH kept it on the table and used it like butter... very respectable... I would over look the lack of smokey wood myself... but freezer? It just serves no purpose there... it might as well be canned oil spray.

[chazzerking]

there's no real reason to freeze it. It will keep forever in the fridge, and for a pretty long while unrefrigerated, if it's clean. There is truly nothing like it for frying potatoes.

[archstreet]

I have a little ramekin of it, and I sneak a bit into everything! I also put some olive oil into everything and choose to believe its "good" fat cancels out bacon's "bad" fat. More importantly, it tastes good. I also have a peanut butter jar of chorizo fat in the freezer, but that's just because I don't want to put it down the garbage disposal.

[Veggo]

I have one for bacon fat and one for chorizo fat. At my mountain house in Cuchara, Colorado (elevation 9000 ft) I kept my bacon fat on the kitchen window sill behind the sink, and a black bear did a smash-and grab. Lots of damage. I'm wiser now, and more respectful of bears' olfactory senses.

[LA Buckeye Fan]

just curious...did the black bear also raid your tomato and lettuce crop?

[giddyrobin]

Oh I keep mine in a coffee cup uncovered (gasp) and unfiltered on shelf.

I use it in beans for flavor (especially if I have no hock in it).
Cornbread (half dripping, half butter)
Anything that needs some flavor!

[P Macias]

Jeeze, and I was TRYING to behave! A body could have a lethal coronary just reading this stuff. Oh, I love my bacon grease and the little aluminum can.
Fried potatoes or chicken in bacon fat. Fat in the beans.
And Christmas goose fat on homemade bread.
Cholesterol is merely a number.

[WCchopper]

Bacon fat makes good roux.

[sugarplumbs]

oh yes! i always keep the fat, especially from the good bacon. recently, i rendered some guanciale and put that in the mix. always good if i don't want to necessarily eat meat in something, but want that bacony good flavor! i think there are a couple ramekins/containters floating around in my fridge...

[Alacrity59]

Hate to admit it but I'm almost a criminal these days. Rather than take 20 minutes to cook my bacon I've been nuking it on a plate between two paper towels and finishing it in the pan I fry my eggs in. I'm glad the city I live in recycles greasy paper.

[alkapal]

alacrity, don't put a paper towel underneath the bacon-- just over to cover spatter. there's your grease! also, your bacon can sizzle a little.

this gadget is even better, as it raises bacon for drainage, and has a collection well, making it easy to pour and store the grease: http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details...

i use mine quite a bit. and it is so much cleaner and quicker than the skillet (and i don't want to heat up my oven for bacon -- unless it is some of that "caramelized bacon" with the light brown sugar crust!)

[lynnlato]

Exactly, alkapal. We have one of these bacon trays for the microwave too. My kids demand bacon on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The fat that accumulates in the tray is then poured into the fat jar.

Only now have I begun to put that fat to good use, though!

[ExercisetoEat]

Here's a recipe for all you bacon fat hoarders out there! It's my favorite salad recipe from my mom, however I only make it for special occasions due to the fat content. I just made it this week for a work event - and had to look away as I doubled the recipe and used 2/3 a cup of bacon fat in the dressing! However there wasn't a leaf of spinach left after lunch...so no one's complaining!

Hot Bacon Dressing

3 hard cooked egg yolks

1 ½ T yellow mustard

3 T cider vinegar

3 T sugar

1/3 c bacon drippings

Spinach Salad

3 bunches of spinach, washed

2 hard cooked eggs, sliced

Chopped egg whites left over from eggs in dressing

2 chopped green onions

4 -6 slices, cooked and torn bacon

Seasoned croutons

Mix the first five ingredients for dressing. Let flavors meld for 15-30 minutes.

Mix with the salad ingredients and serve.

[lynnlato]

Hot bacon dressing! We had an Italian deli that used to make this stuff and sell it. It was a jar of fat w/ diced bacon and sugar and a splash of vinegar. It was heavenly on spinach salads. Thanks for reminding me. I may have to whip up your recipe for dinner tonight.

I think it's hilarious that someone w/ the screen name "exercisetoeat" posted a hot bacon dressing recipe. I love it, it makes perfect sense!

[aurora50]

Ex, my sister and I made your Spinach Salad last night. It was simply delicious. We've tried to make other spinach salads before, and yours was by far the best. Thank you.

[ExercisetoEat]

Thanks Aurora! I'm so glad that it turned out for you. It's one of the few salads that I'll actually get a craving for now and then!

[ajcraig]

My mother made German Potato salad on special occasions. One of those occassions came up with no bacon in the house and no wiggle room in the budget. So she did what came naturally, browned diced onion in bacon fat til they were nice and crispy. Once they were tossed in the sweet/sour dressing no one knew the difference.

[lynnlato]

Just had it for dinner tonight! Delicious and perfect for a warm evening on our screened in porch. FYI, I left out the HB egg yolks (just put the eggs wedged in the salad) and used dijon mustard in the dressing. I also add a couple splashes of Tabasco and some shallots just for a little zing. It was a perfect dressing. Thanks so much for sharing.

[alanbarnes]

My God, we've created a monster!

[lynnlato]

Yep, I hope you're proud of yourselves too. My cholesterol levels are dangerously high right now.

Next up, bacon fat tiramisu. Lady fingers lovingly soaked in bacon fat and layered w/ a bacon fat mascarpone cream. Maybe a splash of espresso too.

Just kiddin' folks, relax. I'm comin' off my binge.

[GodfatherofLunch]

And to attract that special someone
New Chanel #5 Bacon Scent

[LA Buckeye Fan]

^ that cracked me up!

[ExercisetoEat]

Glad you liked it! Shallots would be a terrific addition. Sometimes I add chopped red onion to the salad for more of a "bite". The HB egg yolks in the dressing make a difference in the consistency, giving it a "creamy" texture when they are whisked in. However I'm sure that it tasted just great with them in the salad too!

[chazzerking]

I used to make a salad of young red leaf lettuce and spinach with a hot bacon fat, vinegar, a little prepared dijon mustard and a little sugar dressing, with the crumbled bacon and some chopped hard boiled egg and sliced red onion. the hot dressing would wilt the greens, being responsible for the name(from the ozarks); wilted lettuce

[mrsbuffer]

Wasn't there an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond that was centered around Frank throwing out Marie's fat container that she has been saving for months because he needed the can to store nails?

[viperlush]

Never occurred to me not to have one. Both sets of grandparents (from the south) and my mother always had a can/dish in the fridge. Does make it interesting though when cooking for my vegetarian SIL. It took us a couple of years to remember to fry her eggs/potatoes/ etc. in a separate pan with butter. But I have found that it perfect to fry vegetarian sausage in. :)

[shallots]

Yes to Bacon Fat.
Separate from Pork Shoulder Fat.
Separate from Chicken Fat

The rest of the fats get saved for making soap.

Any comments on that small amount of fat that can be rendered from legs of lamb?

[Sherri]

I use it to brown onions before making flagelots or white beans to serve w/ lamb. I've found that a handful of fresh parsley and like amount of fresh chopped tomatoes added just at the end of the bean cooking brings a freshness to the "lamb-y" beans like nothing else. Fresh thyme also, if you have it.

[LA Buckeye Fan]

make some spaghetti....with tomato paste, lamb fat...oregano and garlic. My greek friend always made this as a side with her leg of lamb. Yum.

[chef chicklet]

About a year ago, I started saving it. What a difference it can make in sauces, beans and dressings. Oh yea and this Fall I'm going to work on Duck fat, I'll try to make confit, and then perhaps also schmalz (hoping for help with both!).
And why not? Our parents kept and used these things and their parents before them. Everything in moderation is all.

[aurora50]

We use our bacon fat to sautee lamb shanks, for heavenly "breakfast potatoes", and the way our stepfather taught us: to liberally baste Sunday sunny-side-up eggs.
- sigh-

[smtucker]

That reminds me of one of my father's great small lies. As I child, I loved fried eggs, but we only had them twice a year around Christmas. Christmas was also the only time of the year we had bacon. And for those two days, my father would happily fry our eggs with the remaining bacon fat. One year, when I was about 8, I asked for a fried egg in June and my father's face crumbled as he explained "you can't fry an egg without bacon fat." And you know, I believed him for years. Then I didn't. And now I do again.

[aurora50]

Yep - we looked forward to our stepfather's basted eggs every Christmas morning - God rest his soul.
Now we carry on the tradition.

[garfish]

btw...thanks for the insparation from your BBQ post.

[chef chicklet]

welcome! Are you making some? Really bacon fat?I am SO trying that!

[garfish]

Yea...it's a tart bbq sauce with just a touch of sweet. Think of it as a base and take it where you like. When I can it I leave the bacon fat out and add it when I warm it up.

[chazzerking]

Sad to say, one jar of bacon fat, one of duck fat

[Sherri]

The only thing better for cooking potatoes than duck fat is foie gras fat! Now we're talking h-e-a-v-e-n.

[chazzerking]

I can convince my DW to let me occasionaly fry potatoes in duckfat. Foie Gras fat is out of the question even thaough I agree with your assessment. I fried parsnip cubes in it on one occasion and served them with port poached pears and seared foie gras and it was delicious.

[lynnlato]

Are you trying to kill me? Good God that sounds delicious.

[Sherri]

"Fat is what makes food taste good"
my grandmother's quote

[mlukan]

You people are evil, I gotta try this!

[chazzerking]

actually it was even more involved than that, as I also reduced a half bottle of late harvest port to a thick syrup and served the seared Foie gras with a crumble of toasted pistachios along with the dice of fried parsnips and poached pear slices. I called it foie gras with "P's". served it with a 6 puttanyos Tokaj azu. made a wonderful starter.

[Davwud]

Next time you do this, we're all coming over. So make lots!!

DT

[GodfatherofLunch]

Did u know on the weekend you can get potatoes fried in duck fat at Big Daddy's Burger Bar.
Foie Gras Fat HOLLY LARD ASS BATMAN that sound like edible sin itself. We are getting into the food porn area now.

[lynnlato]

Bring it on, baby! I heard about the duck fat fries... I need to get me some a 'dem.

[hill food]

we always do latkes with at least some duck fat

[chowmel]

My mother always kept a can of fat in the fridge. We didnt cook with it, just to solidify it for easy tossing. The best part was her asking, as she was cooking "Is my fat can in the fridge ?" Cracked us up ! Today, my "fat can" is in the fridge and I try to keep it keep it bacon and use it occassionally.

[chocchipcookie]

Me, but I forget it is there and forget to use it in cooking!!

[alkapal]

yes, and i just got more bacon fat today after making a nice juicy BLT. don't even ask how many pieces of bacon i ate BEFORE i made the sandwich (but it was a small sandwich!) ;-)

i was thinking, is there anything better than bacon? i really don't think so......

my bacon grease stays near the stove, just like where my mom keeps hers.

[cocktailhour]

yes, but I keep mine in the freezer. There is a separate one for duck fat.

[jvozoff]

I have several - I always keep chopped cooked bacon in the freezer and every time I fry a pound of bacon, I put the fat in a separate container so I can toss the really old ones (which I haven't done yet. )

Better than butter.

My mom never kept it in the fridge - just in a crock next to the stove. Guess we used it fast enough we didn't worry about it going rancid. That's farm life...

[Pampatz]

I inherited an old 1950's grease can with a lid from my mother-in-law that I lovingly save my bacon grease in. It has a special place in the refrigerator door.
Once a year I clean out all unused fat into an empty milk carton and start again.

[FoodFuser]

Ah, the memories of the grease can.

If that grease can: 1) is made of thin pressed aluminum, 2) has the 3 letters "fat" embossed on the front, and 3) has a filter basket of same metal to catch the brown bits (with a central nubbin of black bakelite plastic for easy removal), then it is indeed the original article.

As to placement: it should rest on the stove's backshelf, for instant access.

[chef chicklet]

My parents had a canister set, and I sure do remember that tiny can. My parents used it often for bacon fat, and I wish I had that little can now.

[ideabaker]

Is it possible to fashion a similar can using modern objects? I'm thinking of some kind of coffee can with a lid, but a piece of cheesecloth or screening mesh (pushed in about an inch) rubber banded around the outside of the can...so it can be closed with the lid, but still have a strainer?

[WCchopper]

What about those tea strainer things made of a metal mesh? Maybe a dedicated strainer and a jar or can with a more domed lid would work.

[meatn3]

Here are some sources for new ones:

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=178492&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efanbuzz%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ephtml%2Fcooking%2Ecom%5Fother%5Fcook%27s%2520tools%2Ehtml

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku6937296/index.cfm?bnrid=3100117&cm_ven=WS&cm_cat=General&cm_pla=SiteMap&cm_ite=Products&CM_REF=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fhl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla%253Aen-US%253Aofficial%26hs%3DalH%26q%3Dbacon%2Bfat%2Bkeeper%26btnG%3DSearch

http://cgi.ebay.com/RSVP-Black-Stonew...

[SoulFoodie]

Yes, the grease can(s)! I've got 3...all made of Crisco/shortening aluminum cans: bacon grease, chicken grease and fish grease. The bacon grease stays on the back of the stove and the other 2 sit to the right of the stove, on the counter..within easy reach.

[Pampatz]

Mine says "grease", but otherwise it is the same. Came with a salt and pepper shaker.

[meadandale]

Yep....

[oldbaycupcake]

Yep. And proud of it! It's often my secret ingredient in recipes that get raves. My health conscious friends would probably be appalled but they are usually the first to go back for seconds. Guess they aren't getting enough flavor in their lives! Cheers!

[firecooked]

I figure that if you eat lots more vegetables beause of a bit of bacon fat, that's as much health conscious as you need!

[alkapal]

i'd certainly go for that.

[chefathome]

Lots 'n lots of it! Love bacon fat. In addition to using it when sauteeing I use it to replace other fats when I make breads and buns. Instead of using olive oil to coat when the dough is rising I rub it with bacon fat. It makes all the difference in flavour in yeast breads.

[TNExplorer]

Not only the bacon grease, but also my own home-rendered lard, both leaf lard and from backfat. Yum!

[Potomac Bob]

TNExplorer,
WHERE, exactly, do you get leaf lard, please?

[alanbarnes]

From around the pig's kidneys.

[Potomac Bob]

Was looking for a source to buy it.

[Hobsons Choice]

I have a freezer jar of bacon fat, but no lard. I should try to render my own lard. I have read that, believe it or not, fresh rendered lard has less saturated fat than butter. The stuff in the stores, though, isn't the real thing... its hydrogenated and filled with trans-fats.

[hill food]

J. Child did an episode with a well regarded chef from LA (whose name escapes me) and they also maintained the position that properly rendered lard is really not bad for you, within reason of course.

[LJS]

I have a little jar of chicken fat and big tin of bacon/pork fat, just like my mom did...but I was brought up and live no where near The South...in fact, you can't get much furhter north than where I am from: Newfoundland.

I thought that saving bacon 'drippings' was an English inheritence?

[Davwud]

Mrs. Sippi feels that Newfies are the closest thing to southerners in Canada.

DT

[LJS]

Then, on behalf of all Newfoundlanders, I am deeply complimented! My thanks to Mrs. Sippi...

[kimeats]

Anyone have an idea of how long bacon fat can stay in the fridge before it goes bad?

[alanbarnes]

It'll outlast the fridge.

[jword2001]

you're kidding, right?, i thought it was a law we keep bacon fat here in the south!, I use it from flavoring a package of ramen, adding to ground chuck for burgers, meatballs,to flavoring a pot of beans, i try to keep a little pork sausage fat on hand for gravy too.

[HillJ]

bacon, chicken & duck fat all occupy space in our fridge.

[greedygirl]

Not bacon fat, but pork dripping, which is similar.

[azhotdish]

I started saving bacon fat about a year ago, and now combined with grapeseed oil, I very rarely use olive oil for sautéing, braising, etc. like I used to. And it's a lot cheaper!

[Eat_Nopal]

Who doesn't???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Craterellus]

Also guilty as charged. Who could know the age of the lower reaches of that jar? I peel off the upper strata as needed, sometimes dipping down into what must be the Paleozoic.

[alanbarnes]

I'm going to try Potomac Bob's method. It lets you know that the grease is younger than your kids.

[chloe103]

Oh yeah. One of bacon fat, and one of schmaltz.

(Now I'm craving a fried egg, and having a hard time imagining which jar I'd dip into to make it.)

[meatn3]

Yep - filtered bacon fat, a jar of home rendered chicken schmaltz, and another with some goose fat. None are used that often, but when you need it, you need it! I was once out of the schmaltz and used bacon fat in potato kugel...had to eat it with the curtain drawn tight, but it tasted pretty good!

[Potomac Bob]

Bacon fat goes bad? Don't think so. I keep it the way my grandmother taught me - in two cans that once held coffee (my grandmother insisted that it be Maxwell House coffee, but I'm not certain the brand makes much difference). Granny kept it covered with a small linen cloth kept secure with a rubber band. I just use the plastic lid that comes with the can (Granny didn't have that option). It does not go into the fridge - just on the counter top. I've never had it go bad. Why two cans? So you don't mix old with new. Save your bacon fat in one can while you use it from the other. When the can you're using is empty, clean it and switch cans. Bacon fat improves the taste of many things. A tablespoon added to any oil or shortening will change the flavor dramatically. A tablespoon added to any kind of beans while cooking provide just the right "Seasoning." Just saw recently on one of these boards a recipe for bacon vodka and another for bacon-flavored bloody Mary. Even Granny wouldn't have gone that far, but I did see a chef in Charleston, S.C, quoted as saying "Bacon improves the taste of everything."

[jword2001]

"Bacon improves the taste of everything.",yes it does!, I've even had it in ice cream....and yes it was good.

[LJS]

A very wise cook once said: "You can improve the tast of anything with the addition of either bacon or chocolate, but rarely both..."

[Davwud]

On DD&D a couple weeks ago one place Guy was at makes bacon infused bourbon.

DT

[kathryn]

Yes -- that is mainly what ours is for.

http://nymag.com/restaurants/recipes/inseason/45776/
http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/04/m...

[WCchopper]

Perhaps we should just ask who DOESN'T and then snub them mercilessly.

[kathryn]

*raises hand slowly*

We....have four.

Four. Three in the freezer, one in the fridge. I'm paranoid about the fat going bad. Actually, that reminds me, I should check on the one in the fridge.

[kobetobiko]

Hi kathryn,

I have one (small ramekin) of pork belly fat from making Momofuku's pork buns! :D

It is so flavorful! I just used some to mix it with plain noodle and scallions and sweet soy today. I was in heaven!

I do have cubes and cubes of beef fat and lamb fat in the freezer.

[MMRuth]

Did you post about making the pork buns? I've been thinking of trying it myself but wasn't sure where to start, particularly for the buns.

(I too have bacon fat in a jar, but on the counter.)

[kobetobiko]

Hi MMRuth and Lynnlato,

Yes, I made Momofuku's pork buns and they came out much better than I expected! I will post it in the Home Cooking board soon. (and I have pictures too!) ;D

[MMRuth]

Excellent - thank you so much.

[kobetobiko]

Hi MMRuth,

I just posted the recipe on the Home Cooking board. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!

[MMRuth]

I saw it and replied - thanks! I'm sure lynnlato is going to be excited too!

[lynnlato]

Yea! I'm very excited. I've copied it and I already have the pork belly. Loved the pics too, thanks! I'll report back.

[lynnlato]

Oh quit it! You made those lovely pork buns? How? Please, enlighten us.

[CMASHEN]

How long can it keep in the fridge?

[alanbarnes]

Nope. Putting it in the fridge makes it too hard and too hard to get to. I keep it in the cupboard next to the stove.

[LaLa]

we keep it in the cabinet too,never stays around long enough to go bad!LOL!

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Slippery-M...

[diablo]

Of course! Times are tough and bacon fat is deeelicious. I use it for sauteeing meats and with greens, added to white beans and tomatoes, cooking eggs, etc. I tend to think of it as just being thrifty and using every bit we have rather than consider the caloric implications ;). I don't use *that* much anyway...heeheee

[Davwud]

I don't currently but that's mostly because I'm trying to cut down on my bacon intake and what I do have I've been seasoning my cast iron with.

I had built up some but I made gumbo the other night and used it in my roux.

However, at one time not too long ago I had a jar of bacon fat, a jar of duck fat and I still have the jar of fat from my pulled pork.

DT

www.davwudsfoodcourt.blogspot.com

[smtucker]

Absolutely. Twice a year I get fancy bacon, and I save the fat. It hangs out right next to the jar of duck fat. Is that bad?

[Father Kitchen]

We do. Couldn't do cornbread without it. And its so good with fried fish. But mostly I use a bit in a pot of beans.

[ola]

My first experience with bacon fat.... My first apartment in college, sharing with three other girls. It was my turn to clean the kitchen and when I found a can of bacon fat on the stove, I threw it out. Man, did I catch hell. One of the girls had brought it to California all the way from her home in South Carolina. Now, schmaltz, I understood...

[garfish]

You should start a thread on college roomate food eccentricities. I have a few stories.

[hill food]

oh, but don't we all.

it's a universal connector.

[mochi mochi]

Uh oh, me do.

[eggimedusa]

i always have a jar of bacon/sausage fat in my fridge... it's great for searing meats before braising, cooking onions instead of oil, grilling a sandwich instead of butter or olive oil. anything, really... i use it and add to it regularly.

[Sherri]

Always! My southern grandmother would roll right out of her grave and march me off by the ear if I didn't! How else can you get *the* right flavor for cornbread without some bacon fat? I shudder to think of the food police responding to this thread. We'll all be crucified; but well-fed, with our mouths humming happy bacon-flavored tunes.

Food Police be damned. Check out the September 2008 issue of Bon Appetit, pg. 33 for the "Green Lentil Salad with Bacon and Ham" with a note saying "The lentils are cooked in bacon fat ....". Now we've got some street creds and aren't just dumb rednecks. BTW, the dish is from the Auvergne region of France, not The Deep South. Just proves that good taste is worldwide.

[greenstate]

Doesn't everyone? My jar of bacon fat is also my jar of roasted chicken fat, (schmaltz), roast beef fat, and slow roasted pork fat. Needless to say it is never used for cooking, but rather for the preservation of my kitchen plumbing.

[lynnlato]

Me too, greenstate. But perhaps I need to rethink this and keep the bacon fat separate for the reasons mentioned in this post. After all, i would be pullling double duty in helping the environment by "recycling" my bacon fat, right? Forget about my cholesterol!

[hill food]

you mix fats? bacon, duck, etc. are all taking up too much room in mine.

[alanbarnes]

You missed the "needless to say it is never used for cooking" part. IMHO, that's like throwing away butter. But diff'rent strokes and all...

[lynnlato]

Clearly, I've been a big loser by not using my jarred & refrigerated bacon fat. I've even been living in the south for the past 13 yrs!

Worry not, I've learned the error of my ways and plan to use it proudly. I am a true, blue pork lover... I just never knew. I'd heard, but I just didn't give it much thought before. But, as CHers do, I've been inspired again!

Thanks y'all!

[alanbarnes]

If you're in the South, the first thing you should use bacon fat for is cornbread! Substitute it for whatever oil or butter you usually use in your favorite recipe. You'll never go back.

[FoodFuser]

Yep, poured hot into the batter, and also to grease that cast iron skillet.

[alanbarnes]

And you get a two-fer. You melt the fat in the skillet so you can pour it into the batter, which greases the skillet at the same time. Now that's what I call multi-tasking.

[Sherri]

........... and it results in a wonderfully crisp bottom crust when poured into the black iron skillet. Soft cornbread ought to have another designation since it is such a different food.

[lynnlato]

I did it! I'm no longer a bacon fat virgin! Okay, I didn't anything as impressive as cornbread in a cast iron skiller but I nonetheless utilized my bacon fat.

I made a grilled cheese & tomato sandwich and fried it up in bacon fat. Then, I had left over sauteed rosemary new potatoes and I sauteed them in some bacon fat. Both turned out w/ a lovely crunchy exterior. Much nicer than what would've of likely been produced w/ olive oil as I was able to turn the heat up.

I find it interesting that although there was that undeniably lovely aroma of bacon in the kitchen, the sandwich and potatoes weren't overwhelmed with bacon flavor.

Thanks y'all!

[gourmanda]

You are killing me! Cheese grilled in bacon fat, rosemary potatoes nice and crispy w/ bacon fat. . . OMG! Just wait til my husband goes out of town--I will be chowing down with glee.

[hill food]

that's actually an historically accurate use. in the 19th c. bacon fat was often used where we would use butter or mayo now.

[garfish]

Amen Sherri. Fellow redneck.

[Mattkn]

Sigh...me. Does it make it better that it is just one, teeny weeny, little ramkin full?

[garfish]

Not on my planet...the more the better:)