17 Tasty Ways Southerners Use Up Bacon Grease
Don't waste a drop of that liquid gold.
For generations, Southern cooks have been using leftover bacon grease to add layers of smoky, salty flavor to their favorite recipes. What started out as a thrifty practice has become an unofficial commandment of Southern kitchens—don't waste one drop of tasty bacon grease. Whether you're making breakfast, dinner, or dessert, try these Southern secrets for using up leftover bacon grease to take your cooking to the next level.
Related: How To Safely Store Bacon Grease
Our Favorite Ways To Use Up Bacon Grease
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
1. Fry Chicken In It
The last time I fried chicken, I dropped a couple of tablespoons of bacon fat into the frying oil before I added the chicken. The smoky flavor it added was subtle, but it made the crispy crust even more delectable.
2. Add It To Cheese Straws
A little bacon fat can make your cheese straws taste even better. Make sure the bacon fat is nice and cold, and just substitute it for 2 tablespoons of the butter to keep the cheese straws from spreading too much during baking.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
3. Fold It Into Brownie Batter
If you love dark chocolate topped with a little flaky sea salt, then you should stir a little melted bacon fat into your brownie batter. Start by using half bacon fat and half oil; work your way up for more bacony flavor.
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell; Food Stylist:Ruth Blackburn
4. Use It To Flavor Bourbon
Combine 2 cups bourbon and ¼ cup liquid bacon fat in a sealable, freezer-safe container. Seal tightly, then shake vigorously to combine. Freeze until the fat solidies, then strain it out and use the bacon-washed spirit in your favorite bourbon cocktail recipes.
5. Add It To Biscuit Dough
Try replacing some of the butter in your go-to biscuit recipe with chilled bacon fat. For best results, freeze the bacon fat until firm, then cut it into small pieces. I recommend using half butter and half bacon fat to add flavor and keep your biscuits flaky.
6. Use It To Toast Pecans
Salads are so much tastier with a crunchy topping, and toasted pecans are the perfect Southern addition. How much you use is up to you; feel free to use all bacon fat instead of butter in this recipe.
7. Sear Pork Chops In It
Wanna make your favorite pork chop even better? Sear them in your favorite cast-iron skillet with a tablespoon or two of bacon fat—it’ll add a smoky, salty richness to their already delicious crust. You can also use this trick for steaks.
8. Spoon It Into Salad Dressings
Homemade salad dressings are easy to make, and taste way better than store-bought ones. Salad dressings can be made with any oil, and liquid bacon fat is no exception. Start with using half bacon fat and half oil, and work your way up from there. If you're in a hurry, you can also add it to store-bought dressings.
9. Cream It Into Cookie Dough
If you like to mix sweet and savory, you should definitely add some bacon fat to chocolate chip cookies. Replace 2 to 4 tablespoons of the butter with chilled bacon fat; add it when creaming the butter and sugar together.
Molly Bolton
10. Make Cornbread With It
If you’re not adding bacon fat to your cornbread batter, you should be. I like to cook a few bacon slices in my skillet, remove the bacon and crumble it into the batter, then pour the batter into the hot bacon fat in the skillet. It makes the crust AMAZING.
11. Stir It Into Snack Mix
There’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t stir bacon fat into your favorite snack mix before baking it. Liquid bacon fat works best in this scenario; feel free to substitute it for all of the oil or melted better in your recipe.
12. Make Pasta Sauce With It
Southerners may not have invented pasta, but we sure love it. Many pasta sauces start by combining olive oil or butter and cheese with starchy pasta water. Bacon fat is a perfectly delicious substitute for either or both—and you can use it in liquid or solid form.
13. Use It To Saute Veggies
We all know we need to eat our veggies, but you can turn the chore into pleasure with the help of a little bacon fat. Try this with Brussels sprouts, asparagus, green beans, carrots, or any fresh or frozen vegetable that needs a flavor boost.
Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
14. Brush It On Roasted Potatoes
Baked potatoes and bacon are already best buds; take their flavor friendship to the next level by brushing roasted potatoes with a little liquid bacon fat. Go on and add a little crumbled bacon on top while you're at it.
15. Scramble Eggs With It
No matter how you like your eggs, bacon fat makes them taste better! When I fry or scramble eggs, instead of using butter, I always use bacon fat. The extra layer of smoky, salty flavor it adds to the eggs makes a simple breakfast taste like a special occasion.
16. Simmer Black-Eyed Peas In It
It’s not against the law to cook black-eyed peas without bacon fat, but maybe it should be. I like to saute diced onions in bacon fat to infuse them with flavor, then I add the peas, broth, and extra flavorings and give it a good long simmer to soak up all the goodness.
17. Cook Pancakes With It
If you’ve got a good griddle or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, use a little bacon fat to cook your Saturday morning pancakes. In fact, cook your bacon first, reserve most of the fat, then cook your pancakes in it, adding more in between batches as needed.
Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Related: 32 Recipes To Prove That Bacon Makes Everything Better
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