The Safe Way to Get Rid of Bacon Grease
Learn easy ways to dispose of extra bacon fat.
Bacon transcends food. It’s a full-on obsession. Its distinct savory, salty, fattiness adds to everything – sandwiches, breakfasts, casseroles, skillet meals, salads, cooked greens, cocktails, you name it. This means inevitably, unless you follow a vegetarian diet, you’ll make a good amount of bacon in your kitchen. And a good amount of bacon means a good amount of grease.
3 Ways to Safely Dispose of Bacon Grease
Thankfully, bacon grease has a helpful quality that makes it easy to dispose of – it hardens when it cools. This hardening is the very same reason you can’t just pour it willy-nilly down your sink. (No, not even if you have a garbage disposal.)
Not only is the smell of bacon fat gone bad a smell you want to avoid, but it’ll also clog things up quickly. And, don’t put bacon grease or any other animal product in your compost. It contains dangerous pathogens and will attract predatory animals. Now that that’s settled, there are a few easy ways to get rid of that extra grease.
Related: How Long Does Bacon Last?
Leave it in the pan. Once cool and hard, use a paper towel or rubber spatula to scoop it into the trash. Then, use a good amount of grease-fighting dish soap to clean the pan and spatula (if used) to dissolve the grease properly. This will make sure your sink drain and pipes are unaffected.
Line a cup (or even the sink drain itself) well with heavy-duty foil. Carefully pour the hot fat into it and let it harden (or, if using a cup, place the cup in the freezer). Once the fat hardens, wrap the foil around the fat and toss it in the trash.
Strain the warm grease into a container left over from frozen juice, a soup can, a coffee can, or a coated beverage/take-out carton. Label the container with the date and “cooking grease – not for recycling” and store it in your fridge.
Related: Canadian Bacon vs. Ham: What's the Difference?
How to Save Bacon Grease for Cooking
Bacon fat is an excellent cooking companion. To save it for future use, you need to first strain the grease to remove any bits of cooked bacon or other debris. Do this while it’s still warm and in a liquid state. Then, store the grease in a sealable plastic container or a glass jar with a lid.
While you can leave bacon fat at room temperature, it’s not exactly recommended if you’re planning on reusing it. Bacon fat can go rancid, so always utilize the sniff test before spooning into it. A bad smell means it needs to go. Keeping the fat cold also aids in its use. When it’s firmer it’s easily spooned into a pan to use like you would any other oil.
Get the recipe: Bacon Gravy for Biscuits
Choose the fridge or freezer for storing your strained fat. It should remain usable in the fridge for 3-6 months, and in the freezer near indefinitely. The freezer certainly keeps the fat fresher tasting and, since it will inevitably be more solid than in the fridge, it’ll be even easier to work with.
Continue to add new grease to the container as you cook more bacon. For this reason (and depending on how much bacon you cook in your house), a medium to large coffee can works well.
Ways to Cook With Bacon Grease
Use your saved bacon grease as you would any other cooking oil – after all, what doesn’t taste better after adding the flavor of bacon?
Related: 20 Delicious Ways to Use Bacon Grease
- Add some to a skillet and cook vegetables, greens, or eggs in it.
- Melt a bit to pour over greens for a wilted salad side dish.
- Whisk some into a warm dressing, or use it as a base for bacon gravy.
- Bake it into bread like cornbread or even fold some into the butter for the bread.
- Toss popcorn in it instead of butter.
