Bacon grease questions

(Cynthia Anderson) #1

Does it have to be refrigerated?
How long does it last at room temperature? At 80-100 degrees?
In the fridge?
In the freezer?
If I have too much and want to offer to send it to someone is it allowed and would anyone want it?

So many questions. What? Why?

I am thinking of getting a bag of bacon ends and pieces and they have alot of fat. I’m planning on going on a 6 month hike next year and want to take dehydrated bacon. I won’t be home to use all the grease.

I don’t even use all the grease I make now.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #2

Refrigerator or freezer is good. I never built up more than a pint because I use it cooking. My house is about 65-75 degrees F usually and I don’t refrigerate it. I throw some out if I get too much but I am intrigued by the bacon grease mayo recipes floating around! Been planning to try it. I also have used it to deep fry some chicken legs when I had a bunch. Then I throw it out because it gets brownish. I usually throw out the real heavy stuff that settles to the bottom of the jar.

A six month hike sounds very impressive, where will you be doing that? Sounds like Canada to Mexico on the Pacific Crest John Muir trail or something like that. No fresh bacon on route sounds like uncivilized wilderness to me!

(The amazing autoimmune 🦄) #3

My grandma kept the bacon grease jar on the counter next to the stove (it would be cool and then when she cooked it softened) with no problems. My mom used to do that but now keeps it in the fridge.

My understanding is that if fat is a solid at room temperature you can leave it out. No science here just anecdotal.

(Cynthia Anderson) #4

Close. Wrong coast. East coast. Appalachian trail. I might do sections of the other one but can’t handle freezing weather.

With the bacon grease how long do you think it will stay safe on the trail?

(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

Weeks if it’s not terribly hot. Be aware of how it smells, rancid oils have a very distinctive odor. I’d carry coconut oil for sure. You can eat it straight from the jar, not bad once you get a taste for it.

(Cynthia Anderson) #6

Thank you.

(Ken) #7

Bacon doesn’t really dehydrate very well, but if you’re consuming it in a few days or so it’s OK. A better solution is to make your own Pemmican.

Beef with bacon fat Pemmican sounds pretty tasty.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

I have never seen bacon grease in the refrigerator. My mother and her mother kept a jar on the stove and it was always fine. My sister and I are both keto, and we have two jars on the counter next to the stove. (We eat a lot of bacon, yum!)

I have no idea whether postal regulations in the U.S. permit bacon grease to be mailed, but you’d want to be sure it was carefully and tightly packed. No carrier is going to be happy with a grease leak! I suppose you could offer bacon grease to a nearby friend, but if they are (a) keto, they are going to have plenty of their own, or (b) on the SAD, they’re going to be avoiding saturated fat like the plague. (Random fact: plague is endemic in the American southwest. Fortunately, it’s treatable with antibiotics.)

You can drink bacon grease. I recommend letting it cool down a bit first, but that’s just me. :grin::rofl:

P.S.—Bacon grease is a lot more flavorful than coconut oil.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #9

I keep mine in the fridge. I also strain it a few times to clean it up, mix it with bird seed and stick it in the freezer until hard and break portions off for the birds and squirrels so mine never goes to waste. I also saw a tip about pouring it into ice cube trays and freezing it and popping one out for easy skillet frying. I did it, it works.

Oh, and I use mine if I’m making a fat bomb in place of butter. Chocolate and bacon grease go well together.

(UsedToBeT2D) #10

Here’s what I’m doing with extra bacon grease. Wash/boil a couple times with water, then strain, then candle. Surprisingly it has no noticeable odor, and burns quite well, and long. Mix in about 1/5 paraffin wax and it sets up rather nice. This one is pure lard.

image
F89B60E6-3FB4-4D0B-977E-4BDA993E3972.jpeg2592×1936 762 KB