Do you eat bacon? Do you have memories of your grandmother saving the leftover grease? If so, this post on how to store bacon grease is for you. I always save my bacon grease because it’s a “free” fat and food cooked in it tastes so darn good! Here’s how I save it as well as twelve delicious uses for bacon grease. You’re welcome. 🙂

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How to Store Bacon Grease & What to do with it

I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal that claims most people simply pour their bacon fat down the drain. I consider that just blasphemy! First of all, it’s terrible for your pipes, but second of all, bacon grease is useful in a multitude of ways. According to the article, “In 2017, Roto-Rooter plumbers unclogged almost 211,000 residential kitchen sinks, caused by a variety of reasons, costing American homeowners over $30 million.” Instead of pouring it down the drain – learn how to safely store bacon grease and start cooking with it.

How to Bake Bacon

First, cook the bacon. Batch cooking bacon is a serious time saver at my house. I buy bacon at Costco in bulk and then cook it all at once. My favorite is to bake bacon in the oven. I bake it on my favorite sheet pans at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. I set my timer for 15 minutes and then watch it closely because it cooks really quickly at the end, and I don’t want to burn it.

After it’s cooked, I take it out of the oven and drain the bacon grease in a Pyrex freezer container {my favorite freezer safe glass containers} while it’s still hot. I keep it in the fridge. I’m sure you’ve seen people put bacon grease in cans or mugs, but that doesn’t work for me. In fact, it kind of grosses me out for some reason. If I put it in anything other than my glass bowl, it gets thrown out and that shouldn’t happen because bacon grease is both free and really useful!

How to Strain Bacon Grease

Some people like to strain all the little bits of bacon out of the grease. I’m personally too lazy AND I love the little bits of bacon that end up in my grease, but here’s how to do it if you want to take the extra step.

Carefully pour the still-warm bacon grease through a fine mesh strainer or coffee filter lined funnel into a storage container. This will trap the little bacon bits and give you a “purer” form of bacon grease. Let it come to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator.

As it cools, the bits will actually sink to the bottom of the container so straining is optional.

I put the bacon in another Pyrex container and freeze it for 5 minute breakfast sandwiches later in the week. I have to freeze it, or it ends up disappearing. I’m not sure where it goes – it just vanishes into thin air. 😀

How Long Can You Store Bacon Grease?

Bacon grease can be stored for several months if handled and stored properly. Use a clean, airtight container to prolong the life of bacon grease. Using an old can or open mug will decrease appropriate storage time.

Keep your bacon grease in a cool, dark place. Light and heat increases rancidity.

Bacon grease absorbs odors from other foods. Keep the lid tightly closed and keep it away from strong-smelling foods like onions to prevent this.

Many people have asked me what I use bacon grease for, so here goes – 12 delicious ways to use all that liquid gold.

12 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Bacon Grease

1. Frying Eggs –

I fry and scramble all my eggs in bacon grease! It’s a cheap hack way of getting the bacon flavor in my eggs, without actually using bacon. Quality bacon’s expensive – and I have 6 hungry mouths to feed. I also slice up 1/4 to 1/2 lb. bacon into small pieces the French call lardon, cook them, and then scramble eggs in their grease and add the bacon pieces to the eggs. Tip: It’s also helpful to scramble a lot of eggs at once and then reheat the leftovers for quick breakfasts!

2. Corn Bread –

There is not much better than corn bread cooked in bacon grease. I melt a a couple TBS in my cast iron skillet and use it in place of butter. YUM!

3. Sauté Veggies –

All sorts of veggies taste great fried in bacon grease instead of using olive oil or butter. In fact, two out of four of my children love this cauliflower recipe and it tastes great made with both butter AND bacon grease. I also love the flavor of brussel sprouts made with bacon grease.

4. Wilted Lettuce –

Have you ever had a wilted lettuce salad? If not, you’re missing out. My grandma used to make this recipe all the time and we love it! It uses hot bacon grease to wilt the lettuce.

5. Popcorn seasoning

Pop popcorn in bacon grease instead of oil for a nice popcorn treat! If you like your popcorn just a little saltier, go ahead and add extra salt as you don’t need more than 1-2 TBS of bacon grease.

6. Grilled cheese Sandwich

Grilled cheese is one of our favorite lunches. I like mine with pesto and tomato but it’s also really good with bacon. If you add bacon to your grilled cheese, you may as well cook it in the bacon grease too instead of using butter! Delicious.

7. Fried Rice

Whenever I have leftover rice, fried rice is a quick, go-to meal. I add leftover ham bits to my fried rice. Cooking it in bacon grease is a natural extension. Just use the bacon grease instead of other oil.

8. Pancakes / Waffles / German Pancakes

You eat bacon WITH pancakes and waffles, right? Why not fry them in the bacon grease too? It just adds another taste dimension and is a real crowd pleaser. I’ve also used bacon grease instead of butter in my German Pancakes too, and it’s yummy.

9. Fried Potatoes

 Another way I use leftover ham is to add it to fried potatoes. Fried potatoes are really one of my favorite ways to eat potatoes and they are simply wonderful when cooked in bacon grease.

10. Gravy – 

You can also make bacon gravy for biscuits. I’m honestly not much of a biscuits and gravy person, but if it floats your boat, you should give it a try. Fans tell me it’s delicious.

11. Warm Bacon Salad Dressing

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing is also really good. I prefer wilted lettuce, but Alton Brown’s recipe using red wine vinegar, bacon grease, and dijon mustard makes a great salad.

12. Seasoning cast iron skillets

Finally, if you don’t want to eat bacon grease, it’s also a fabulous way to season your cast iron skillets and keep them looking nice! Epicurious explains how to use bacon grease for your cast iron if you’re not familiar with the process.

All right! Now that you see all of these delicious ways to use bacon grease, you might understand why I save mine and how I use it. I hope you found this post helpful! I love that bacon grease is free for the taking. Waste not, want not as my dad and grandma used to say. Use your bacon grease and save money on other fats. 

Do you use bacon grease in another way that I didn’t cover? Please share!