# Have you ever canned bacon? I have seen



## illinoisguy (Sep 4, 2011)

several places online that show that you can do it. However, do you have to use the thick slab bacon or the thin? Theres a market close to us that has 1o pounds for 20 bucks. But I have wondered if the thick bacon is what is required.


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## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

No.

When/if you do it, please let us know how it turns out.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

I've canned bacon a couple of times. I find that thicker slices of bacon holds up a little better and peels off the paper easier. I've also found that crisping the bacon in the oven, with a weight on it to keep it flat, rather than on the stove makes it much easier to work with.

If you want to can true slab bacon, you can do that just like ham and slice it later when you take it out of the jar; our cube it and brown it first. You don't have to do bacon in slices is you don't want slices.


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2011)

Video demonstration of canning bacon.

[YOUTUBE]zo9BwawYEpI&NR=1[/YOUTUBE]


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I canned a few jars as an experiment a couple of months ago. I used thick sliced bacon. I don't think I would do it again. I reuse my bacon drippings for frying eggs and such and the grease in the canning jar had water in it. The bacon wanted to fall apart when I tried removing it from the paper it was put on. It turned out very thin after it was canned. It tasted ok, but was not like the commercial canned bacon that I remember from the 80's.


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## Debbie in Wa (Dec 28, 2007)

I too have canned bacon with the parchment paper but had problems with the bacon falling apart. I am now going to try doing it with the painters paper instead. It's just like thin brown paper bags on a roll.


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

BexarPrepper on you-tube has a couple videos on canning bacon. 

In one she cans regular, sliced bacon. In the other, she cans bacon ends and pieces. You might enjoy watching her.


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## hardworkingwoman (Jun 4, 2009)

what would happen if you just fry the bacon and put it in the jar then pressure cook it? Just pour the fat on it before you do can it. I have bacon to can but want to do it the right way.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Debbie in Wa said:


> I too have canned bacon with the parchment paper but had problems with the bacon falling apart. I am now going to try doing it with the painters paper instead. It's just like thin brown paper bags on a roll.


I tried it with that paper (painters paper). I had the bad results.....bacon cooked to the point of being thin and tightly attached to the paper. Peeled it off the paper in what ended up being bacon bits.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

We canned some recently to experiment. Thick slices, parchment paper. Didn't stick to the paper, but it does fall apart as you cook it. I haven't been able to hold it in a slice when cooking it. But it tastes fine, and if you're using it on something like bacon/egg sandwich, the fact it's in pcs. makes little difference. 

We canned 6 slices per wide mouth pint jar. I'm really curious how it holds up over the course of a year or so. Bacon in the freezer tends to get rancid we find after a few months, and if it works out this doesn't, we plan to can a lot more in the future.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Do you cook it first or can it raw?


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## coup (Feb 28, 2007)

granpa said he saw the neighbors cellar once and they had canned stillborn pigs in gallon jars,,this was away back 20's-30's....


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## Guest (Oct 31, 2012)

Coup, that is disgusting. Yuck!!!


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

We fry our bacon first then lay it on paper towel and roll it up tight and fit as much in a pint jar as we can. We don't put anything else in now water or brine, just dry and process.

Bob


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## MichaelK! (Oct 22, 2010)

I tried it with thick-cut bacon in paper, and like other responders, found the finished product falling apart after taking it back out of the jar.

Thought I'd mention a fantastic new alternative to canned bacon, Canned Bacon Jam. OMG this stuff is soooooo good! The advantage I see it having over jars of bacon is that you can open a jar without heating on the stove or cooking anything. It's wonderful on top of slices of freshly baked French bagette! Just open the jar and spread it on like peanut butter. Here's the recipe I tried.

_2 lbs sliced bacon
1 medium onion
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup strong black coffee (I used an eppresso shot)
1 teaspoon black pepper.

Cut the bacon into 1" strips and fry in batches till brown and very crisp. Pour off rendered oil and save for another use. Place browned bacon in a bowl. 

Use a little of the retained fat to fry the onion and garlic. Once browned, add the sugar, vinegar, syrup, coffee and pepper. Mix, bring to a boil, then return the browned bacon to the boiling mix. Cover and turn down to a very low simmer for 2 hours. Some, but not all of the liquid should have boiled away in that time. Turn off the stove and allow the mix to cool.

Purree the bacon mix in a food processor for 30-60 seconds, till you get a fine even blend the thickness of thin peanut butter. Add a bit of water if it's too thick to spoon. You want it thick enough to be a spread but not so wet it's runny.

I processed the jam in three 1/2 pint jars for 60 minutes at 15psi. Process for 75 minutes if your canner only goes to 10psi. Leave lots of headspace because of the amount of oil in the jars. The jam is now shelf-stable and needs no refrigeration. Refrigerate after opening._

I'm going to make a bigger batch this weekend. I think I'll tweek the recipe just a bit, with a little less sugar and a little more salt.


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## aftermidnite (Dec 8, 2005)

I canned some this summer .I didnt use paper and mine was thin slices ..I find it doesnt hold its shape and has a very smokey flavor .Next I would like to do thick slices but figure the smokwy flavor will still be there..I too found the grease had water in it .I am going to ask my neighbor to have her SIL to bring some bacon grease home from his work and try to can it next ..His work goes thru 3 cases of bacon a day thru the week and 6 cases on the weekends so there is a good supply of bacon grease for me to use since they bake it in a convection oven .


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## Catalpa (Dec 18, 2011)

I just bought 15 pounds of thick sliced bacon through the food co-op; it's in the freezer until I have time to get creative. I want to try both canning it and making the spread. I'm wondering does anyone have any ideas for a replacement for the coffee? Does the coffee serve any purpose besides flavoring? I don't drink coffee; don't have any idea how to make it and don't even have a coffee pot. Not sure I'd want to buy coffee just to experiment with the jam.


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