What to Do with Bacon Grease

Introduction

Knowledge is power. Skills are what might help you out in any survival situation. What is also important is proper survival gear and your ability to utilize it. Food is essential for emergencies: you need to know how to store, cook, grow, plant, and harvest foods to sustain yourself in danger. Also important is to be practical and leave no benefits behind.

Those who can call themselves meat lovers are aware of how amazing bacon is. Although it has its place in an “unhealthy food” rating and not everyone can afford to eat it due to health problems. Still, bacon is widely sold everywhere and used in plenty of delicious meals. If you cook bacon, you get bacon grease, but not everybody knows that bacon grease is a useful thing that you can use for various aims.

This fact becomes especially helpful if you face situations when you have to survive in the woods and somehow have taken some bacon from home. However, some ways of using bacon fat are also beneficial if you are cooking bacon at home in a relaxed atmosphere, without the need to survive. If you try to save money and spend less on food than you currently do, you will also find these things useful.

In our review, we have gathered over 20 different methods of using leftover bacon grease that will definitely impress you. But, probably, you have never known about some or most of them. So, here are the best ways to use bacon grease if you have some.

Possible options

1. Add It as Flavor

This is one of the most obvious ways of how to use bacon grease in the kitchen. It may become a great flavor for different dishes and dips: from sauces to biscuits. Try it once, and you will never stop adding it to some meals! The taste will be gorgeous as well as the smell.

2. Cook a Treat for Your Dog

There are plenty of recipes telling about how to make a great treat for your beloved dog and making it happy using some bacon grease.

3. Help Birds in Your Area Survive during Cold Winter

Animal and bird lovers will appreciate this recipe. Bacon grease can become a magnificent bird food! To make it, you shall take a used can (for instance, after you have eaten the fish) and carefully pour the grease inside. In a short time, it will become solid, and birds will be happy to eat it. Just hang the can outside of your window or on a tree in your yard.

To make the birds treat recipe even fancier, add half peanuts, half sunflower seeds (or some bird seeds) inside when you pour the grease, and it is not solid yet.

4. Help Your Puppies Gain Some Weight

If you feel that your puppy (or puppies) don’t eat enough, and you start worrying about their weight, bacon grease will help. It is an easy recipe: just pour some grease inside your puppy’s meal. Please note that it should be a bit chilled, not taken straight from the red-hot pan. This smoky flavor will blow your puppy away.

5. Use It instead of Oil for Cast Iron Pan

Many people prefer using cast iron pans for cooking, whether they are doing it in the wilderness or at home. To cook or warm up your dish, you will probably use regular oil. But what if you don’t have it at hand? Bacon grease will easily substitute the oil and help you cook.

You will need bacon grease, a pot, and a clean cloth (just a little piece). Heat the grease using the pot and soak the cloth. Be careful because the grease will be scalding. Then, wipe your cast iron pan and start cooking without any problem.

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6. Give It to the Chickens (If You Have Any)

You may be a farmer who has a farmhouse with chickens, cows, and a vegetable garden with all that follows... We have already mentioned that bacon grease is a great treat for birds, and chickens are not an exception. If you don’t mind that your chickens eat meat, give them some grease, and they will grow even better.

7. Fry Your Potatoes with It

Your fried potatoes recipe has never been tastier: you can use excess grease from bacon when cooking potatoes in a skillet, and the taste will be magnificent. We recommend adding grilled cheese, onions, and bacon itself (maybe a couple of crispy bacon strips or some crumbles) to make the dish even better.

Use medium heat not to overcook the dish; if you don’t want to fry, take a tray and a foil sheet and bake the mix. You may skip adding salt to your potatoes if you use the grease because they probably will be salty enough in the end.

8. Use It Instead of Oil and Butter

This will work for those who are fond of the bacon smell and taste. You can replace oil and even butter in your kitchen with bacon grease. However, remember that not all recipes may accept such a substitute, and you may still need butter in the kitchen. And again, be careful with the salt you add to the dish because the grease somehow replaces it as well.

You can also store your bacon fat in the freezer or refrigerator and use it in the future. Prepare a sealable container, so there is no smell in the refrigerator. Always check to provide a sniff test of the fat before cooking; if you store the fat for too long, you will get rancid fat.

9. Oil Your Oven Tray

Those who often bake in their kitchen will confirm: oiling or greasing oven trays is vital. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time washing them and withdrawing all the food pieces. With bacon grease, your baking sheet will be easy to wash after cooking. Pour a bit of the leftover grease of bacon before putting the dough or a pie crust on the sheet, and remember that your dish will then have a smoky bacon flavor.

10. Make a Tasty Gravy

With bacon grease, you can make a wonderful gravy for your dishes. You will not need any sophisticated products, only basic ingredients. Check out some easy-to-make and outstanding recipes: even if you are a newbie in cooking, you will be able to cook those with ease.

11. Cook Soup with Peas

Among other vegetables, split peas and lentils are easy to grow in your garden and keep in your house. And what’s more, you can cook an incredible soup with them, which will be especially delicious and sweet when the summer is over, and the weather is not that nice anymore. Bacon grease will be a great add-on to the soup, which will make it tastier and more nutritious.

12. Make Soap

Okay, we have seen enough eatable things you can do with bacon fat. How about making something with rendered bacon fat that you can use in the household? That may sound interesting, but you really can make a great piece of soap with rendered bacon fat. Don’t forget to get rid of all the smell before you finish. Here are some instructions and tips so you can get more details.

13. Produce Some Lamp Fuel with Bacon Fat

It might be hard to believe, but bacon fat may help you produce lamp fuel. You will need a quarter glass of bacon fat, a bit of sand, a can, a stick, and a bit of cotton. The procedure will require a couple of minutes of your time. Check out more details about making a bacon fat lamp.

14. Produce Biodiesel Fuel

This type of fuel is also available if you have some bacon fat. However, you have to store bacon fat in huge quantities to make the fuel. But it is still possible!

15. Entrap Unwelcome Animals

If you live in the countryside and sometimes face unwelcome animals visits to your garden, bacon fat can help. You can bait traps with it: simply pour it inside a small container and let the container chill. Put the grease container closer to an installed trap, and the animals will be attracted easily.

16. Make a Trap for Insects

You may have not only undesired animals in your garden but also unwelcome insects in your house. Bacon fat will work here as well. Take some veggie (like olive) oil and infuse bacon fat with it. Pour the mixture into an open container and then put it in the place where you have bugs.

They will be attracted by an amazing flavor and get stuck in the mixture. Remember to substitute the whole thing with a new one rather often; otherwise, you will get a rancid substance and a disgusting smell.

17. Set Up a Candle

This knowledge becomes instrumental if you get stuck in the woods or if your camping trip has been unexpectedly prolonged. Yes, bacon fat can make you a great emergency case candle if you know how to make one.

Take red-hot bacon grease and put it into a glass jar or a can that can resist heat. Be careful because the substance and the jar will both be very hot. To make a wick, you shall take a piece of cloth made of cotton, attach it to a pencil from one end and place the pencil on the jar, so another end goes inside the fresh-made wax.

After a while, the bacon fat will get solid and chilled enough to remove the unnecessary pieces of cotton and the pencil. Now you can light your bacon fat candle up and enjoy the light with a slight meat flavor.

18. Use It as a Moisturising Lotion

Yes, it works! You can use bacon fat in your beauty routine. Those who have cracks on their legs or heels can try putting on some grease (warm, not hot) and wearing socks when going to sleep. The result will impress you if you have such cracks, so don’t hesitate to try this method.

19. Start a Fire

Another camping lifehack: if you don’t have any special liquid to start a fire, use some bacon fat. Take a little piece of paper towel, wipe it with bacon fat, and throw the piece in a pit where you plan to start a fire. Set the piece on fire and watch how your fire starts quickly.

20. Repair Your Boots

Before you find a pair of boots and start experimenting with bacon fat, please note that this method will work only on a pair of true leather boots. For instance, if you are in the woods and you have no idea when you will make it to the city and visit a professional shoemaker, this is a fantastic option. Start your morning with frying bacon and eggs, and then use excess fat to glue your boots or make them waterproof. However, if you are surrounded by wild animals, this might not be a good idea.

21. Store Your Food

This may sound weird, but some people, especially experienced preppers, say that using bacon fat (or other animals’ fat) helps preserve food. Maybe this will be a great lifehack for you, too!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How Can I Use Bacon Grease?

There are plenty of ways to use bacon grease after you cook your crispy bacon strips or crumbs: from making a survival candle to repairing your boots, not mentioning all the things you can do with the bacon fat while cooking amazing recipes in the kitchen. Check out all the possible ways of using bacon grease above and save them for later.

Should I always have a fresh new grease for all those lifehacks?

Usually, yes. Almost all methods of using bacon fat we have described above require it to be hot. However, in some cases, you should let it chill to save yourself and your pets from harmful burns. So, anytime you think of cooking bacon and putting it inside your pan, think of all the new things you can make with the fat you get.

What is the best way to use bacon fat?

As you can see, there are so many ways of using it that we can’t define which one is best. After all, everyone has their own goals, so one may need some advice for their recipes, while another is looking for useful survival tips. Anyway, every tip we have provided you with might be helpful, so we recommend you to make yourself familiar with all the tips above and save them for the future.

Can I store bacon fat for later?

Yes, you can. If you want to store some fat for the future, prepare a container or a jar that doesn’t let the air inside. Save the fat by putting the jar in your refrigerator or freezer. We recommend you save it for not more than a month.

How to get rid of the bacon fat?

If you don’t want to keep the fat in your refrigerator or are afraid that it will become rancid, here are some tips for throwing the fat into the trash. Don’t use your toilet or bathroom, or kitchen sink because your pipes will later become trash, too, especially if there is no toilet paper.

Let the fat chill, so you don’t get burnt. Before you throw the fat in the trash, pour it on a foil sheet, so you don’t spoil anything in the kitchen. Also, the foil will help you cook bacon without spoiling an oven tray. If the tray or pan, or skillet are still covered with fat, try using a rubber spatula to get rid of it.

What is the best recipe for bacon?

Every cooker has its own taste. Some prefer frying bacon with eggs and make it quick and simple, while others enjoy creating some kitchen masterpieces. We recommend you start with adding something sweet to your fried bacon, like maple syrup, to discover a new taste.