# Bacon drippings



## Silverstar7337 (Feb 10, 2012)

What do you use leftover bacon drippings for? I have been saving the liquid in a jar but don't know what to do with it.


----------



## sherry in Maine (Nov 22, 2007)

making cornbread . . . . & chop up a bit of spinach, throw in a fry pan w/ some bacon grease, yum! Use if you are cooking some cabbage. Making baked beans? throw in some bacon grease. (as you know, it not only adds flavor, but calories)

greasing a pan with (use your fingers or a folded up paper towel)

in cold weather, a little atop your dogs food can help him if he is an outdoors dog.

Put it in bread or crackers, when you are making them. The outcome doesn't necessarily taste like bacon, but can give a good taste to it.

Tons of uses like that.
If you're looking to turn it into fuel for autos or axle grease, I dont know about that.

Chickens like it in the winter time.

This will probably spring some even better ideas than I provided.


----------



## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Pie crust- maybe run it through a coffee filter to get out any bits of bacon or scrapings


----------



## Silverstar7337 (Feb 10, 2012)

whodunit said:


> Pie crust- maybe run it through a coffee filter to get out any bits of bacon or scrapings


Really?? How do I add it?


----------



## Silverstar7337 (Feb 10, 2012)

sherry in Maine said:


> making cornbread . . . . & chop up a bit of spinach, throw in a fry pan w/ some bacon grease, yum! Use if you are cooking some cabbage. Making baked beans? throw in some bacon grease. (as you know, it not only adds flavor, but calories)
> 
> greasing a pan with (use your fingers or a folded up paper towel)
> 
> ...


Those are some great ideas! I'm sure the chickens will love it!


----------



## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Put some in skillet when you fry potatoes, browns better than anything else and tastes great....James


----------



## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

I use it for everything, I never buy veggie oil any more. If you accumulate too much, do a batch of deep fried catfish or some such.

I like to clarify mine. Melt fat, whisk in equal amount of water, and let set in the fridge until solid. Cut loose, drain, un-mold, and wipe any contaminants off. Repeat if necessary. Clarified fats will keep a little longer as well as add fewer off flavors to the food.

I likewise save the fat off my broths for frying.

The first thing I tried with bacon fat was cheddar-chive biscuits. Did that for a long time as a treat before I came to believe bacon fat was actually good for me.

Polyunsaturated Fats: Are They Healthy? | Mark's Daily Apple


----------



## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

I add bacon grease when cooking green beans, along with a bit of liquid smoke flavoring, country ham pieces and onions. I hate green beans but like them better when cooked to almost mush with seasonings and small new potatoes. 

And I don't make it often but I use an old recipe for wilted lettuce salad that needs bacon grease for the dressing. Use a cast iron skillet and fry about a half pound of bacon. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels and leave about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet. Over medium heat add a quarter cup of all purpose flour and stir to make a roux. To this add a cup of water, a half cup of brown sugar, a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar, and a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir and cook this over medium heat until it makes a thickened gravy. Take off heat and cool about 10 minutes. In a large glass bowl tear up a head of leaf lettuce, slice a small onion and separate into rings, add the chopped up bacon, and the cooled skillet dressing and toss all together. I like to serve it with a sliced hard boiled egg on top of each serving.


----------



## Silverstar7337 (Feb 10, 2012)

All of these sound so yummy! Now we need to eat more bacon! Thanks!


----------



## Silverstar7337 (Feb 10, 2012)

dlskidmore said:


> I use it for everything, I never buy veggie oil any more. If you accumulate too much, do a batch of deep fried catfish or some such.
> 
> I like to clarify mine. Melt fat, whisk in equal amount of water, and let set in the fridge until solid. Cut loose, drain, un-mold, and wipe any contaminants off. Repeat if necessary. Clarified fats will keep a little longer as well as add fewer off flavors to the food.
> 
> ...


Do you have the biscuit recipe??? I would love to try them!


----------



## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

Silverstar7337 said:


> Do you have the biscuit recipe??? I would love to try them!


Let's see, I start with any old drop biscuit recipe, (I suppose you could do cut biscuits, but trickier to stir in lumpy ingredients) replace the fat in the recipe with bacon drippings, add enough chopped chives (garlic or onion) and rough shredded cheddar cheese for their color to show speckled in the batter. Bake according to original recipe, but may make one or two extra, may mess up the pan a bit if you put in too much cheese.


----------



## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

Once we had a food co op meeting at our house which involves an ordering meeting and then a big party and potluck.

The next morning I was enjoying some of the leftovers and came upon some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

After having a couple with my coffee I realize whomever made them had substituted bacon drippings for the butter or crisco in the recipe.

It was a somewhat strange combination of tastes but after I got used to it I wound up eating about a half dozen of them:happy:


----------



## Lilycatherine (Sep 2, 2011)

Hot bacon and vinegar dressing over wilted lettuce fresh from the garden. Using a small pan add a couple of tablespoons of bacon grease, a tablespoon or so of vinegar, a little water, maybe a tablespoon or two. Salt pepper and sugar and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking. Pour boiling liquid over clean and torn fresh leaf lettuce and sliced green onions to make "wilted lettuce salad" as we all call it. Use a lot of lettuce as it really does wilt down.


----------



## barnyardgal (Sep 21, 2009)

for my wilted lettuce i use bacon grease,apple cider vinegar(usually equal amounts) & sugar to taste & heat to boiling then pour over lettuce,sometimes radishes & green onions with bacon in a big bowl & toss & it does wilt... that's what i am having for supper....


----------



## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

We used to run out of oil and butter often but for some reason my mom always had lard on hand. I remember her popping popcorn in lard. That was gross. I would imagine popping popcorn in bacon grease might be a bad idea too LOL.


----------



## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

As someone suggested, use the bacon grease to fry potatoes. I also use bacon grease to season any kind of beans.

P. S.: You can clean it and use it in soap making.

http://voices.yahoo.com/using-kitchen-grease-homemade-5534705.html?cat=24


----------



## TJN66 (Aug 29, 2004)

dlskidmore said:


> Let's see, I start with any old drop biscuit recipe, (I suppose you could do cut biscuits, but trickier to stir in lumpy ingredients) replace the fat in the recipe with bacon drippings, add enough chopped chives (garlic or onion) and rough shredded cheddar cheese for their color to show speckled in the batter. Bake according to original recipe, but may make one or two extra, may mess up the pan a bit if you put in too much cheese.


Oh my..that does sound good!


----------



## wanda1950 (Jan 18, 2009)

fffarmergirl said:


> We used to run out of oil and butter often but for some reason my mom always had lard on hand. I remember her popping popcorn in lard. That was gross. I would imagine popping popcorn in bacon grease might be a bad idea too LOL.


Oh, I love popcorn popped in bacon grease!!!


----------



## homefire2007 (Sep 21, 2007)

Bacon grease brings back so many memories of my mother. We always had a can of bacon drippings in a can on the stove. It was used to flavor just about everything. I still save bacon drippings, but I keep it refrigerated between uses.


----------



## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

fffarmergirl said:


> We used to run out of oil and butter often but for some reason my mom always had lard on hand. I remember her popping popcorn in lard. That was gross. I would imagine popping popcorn in bacon grease might be a bad idea too LOL.


When I was growing up we always popped popcorn in lard. Dad raised hogs, so lard was a staple around the house. It's really good unless you use too much grease to start with.


----------



## bonnycow (Feb 3, 2011)

Then there is always bacon grease gravy to pour over those bacon grease biscuits .. made just like sausage gravy but sub out water for milk ... I make it for myself and the dogs ....


----------



## bluemoonluck (Oct 28, 2008)

I keep a container of bacon grease in my freezer!

I use it when I pan-fry chicken, and in place of butter when roasting chickens/turkeys. Also good to add to the pan when frying steaks or hamburgers.


----------



## BACOG (May 17, 2012)

I use bacon drippings for making biscuits where it calls for oil. Makes a right good biscuit.


----------



## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

makes a very smooth soft soap.


----------



## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

This week I used bacon drippings to saute onions, hot pepper, and garlic, then added ground pork, a mess of spices (um... salt, pepper, mustard, and paprika), and a bunch of chopped collard greens. Simmered that until the greens were tender, and then stirred in enough bread crumbs to absorb the excess moisture.

Hubby, who objected strongly when I bought the collard greens said: "This is not objectionable" and ate his full portion.


----------



## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Bacon dripping, just spread it in fresh white bread and lot of pepper and eat.


----------



## ovendoctor (Jun 28, 2006)

Mmmmmmmmmmmm bacon grease 

can be used on about anything from making breakfast to spit patching your muzzle loader for deer hunting

Doc.:gaptooth:


----------



## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Most recently, used some bacon grease to brown off some venison steaks, then braised them in red wine and beef broth and simmered til tender. Seemed to add more flavor than just using cooking oil.


----------



## Calhoon (May 25, 2012)

Silverstar7337 said:


> What do you use leftover bacon drippings for? I have been saving the liquid in a jar but don't know what to do with it.


 
well , you asked ... 

anything you use cooking oil or lard for . same , only better.


----------



## Silverstar7337 (Feb 10, 2012)

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm thinking I will use it mostly in cooking our garden greens. Now we just need to eat more bacon!


----------



## Calhoon (May 25, 2012)

Mountain Mick said:


> Bacon dripping, just spread it in fresh white bread and lot of pepper and eat.


I like to fry up a big pan of sliced potatoes & onions in bacon grease , as well as fry my fresh caught fish . 

and then use bread to sop up the drippings with black coffe for my desert.


----------



## 88beast (Jun 4, 2012)

rub your potatoes in it texas roadhouse does it for theirs makes the skins softer and taste way better


----------



## summerdaze (Jun 11, 2009)

My most common thing to do with bacon grease is to just make gravy with it. Fresh fried corn is really, really good! (Just cut it off the cob into a skillet with a little bacon grease)
It's great to season any greens out of the garden.


----------



## woodsy (Oct 13, 2008)

Cowboy biscuits:

dip sourdough biscuits in heated bacon drippings before baking. 

Best biscuits ever !


----------



## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Corn on the cob spread with bacon grease instead of butter is good too.


----------



## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Now that summer's on I've gone to cold ham for sandwiches, but the same-o same-o got to me pretty quick even with change ups.

I frizzled some up in a little bacon fat for a BLT thing and it was just like bacon! Then I threw in some zucchini slices & that was great too. Fast food! :lonergr:


----------



## haunted (Jul 24, 2011)

I fry potatoes in it, grease the cornbread skillet with it, use it in green beans, also use it in boiling dried beans. It's good for frying chicken or beef or pork too, or for frying sliced onions to top baked potatoes.


----------



## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

I just rened a pot of beef dripping . so I can bake a few spuds tonight. MM


----------



## airwolftruker (Jul 15, 2011)

Pork fat rules!!!!!!!


----------



## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

Mountain Mick said:


> Bacon dripping, just spread it in fresh white bread and lot of pepper and eat.


My mother told me that they did that years ago when they ran out of butter.


----------

