How to Can Bacon Grease

Canning bacon grease allows you to preserve the flavors and fats from bacon to use in cooking and baking all year long. With properly canned grease, you can say goodbye to wasting bacon drippings and hello to enhancing flavors in your dishes. While canning any meat product requires care, with a pressure canner, sterilized jars, and the proper processing time and pressure, you can safely preserve bacon grease at home.

Why Can Bacon Grease?

There are several good reasons to can bacon grease

• Preserve flavors – Canning locks in the smoky, salty umami flavors of bacon fat so you can add them to recipes down the road.

• Reduce waste – Rather than pouring those drippings down the drain, you can save them for later use.

• Enhance cooking – The small bit of bacon flavor from canned grease can really boost soups, beans, greens, and even sweets like cornbread.

• Use as cooking fat – Bacon grease is a tasty fat for sautéing veggies, frying eggs, or roasting potatoes.

• Longer shelf life – Properly canned, bacon grease will keep for 1-2 years on the shelf versus a few months in the fridge.

Steps for Canning Bacon Grease

Canning bacon grease takes a little time but it’s a relatively simple process. Here are the basic steps:

1. Start with rendered drippings

• Cook bacon and drain off the drippings into a heat-safe container.

• Let cool slightly. Then pour into a saucepan and heat over low heat.

• The solids will separate – strain these out with a fine mesh strainer.

2. Sterilize jars and lids

• Wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Rinse well.

• Submerge the jars and lids in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.

• Use tongs to transfer them to a clean tea towel to dry.

3. Pour grease into jars

• Carefully ladle the hot grease into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.

• Wipe rims with a clean cloth. Apply heated lids and rings finger tight.

4. Process the jars

• Place jars on the rack in the pressure canner and add 2-3 inches of warm water to the canner.

• Lock the lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Once steam escapes steadily, add the weight.

• Process at 10 lbs pressure for 1.5 hours for pints or 1 hour for half pints.

• Allow the pressure to drop naturally before opening the canner.

• Check seals, label, and store in a cool, dark place.

Tips for Safe Canning

Because fat density poses a botulism risk, take care to handle bacon grease safely:

• Use a calibrated pressure canner, not a water bath. Pressure is required to bring the inside of jars to 240°F needed to kill C. botulinum bacteria.

• Make sure your pressure canner reaches the correct PSI pressure specified in the recipe during processing.

• Only use recipes tested for home canning safety. USDA and Extension Office recipes have undergone testing.

• Inspect seals carefully before storing. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal properly.

• Look for signs of spoilage before use – bulging lids, sliminess, mold, etc. Discard anything abnormal.

• Refrigerate after opening. Use opened bacon grease within 1-2 months.

How to Use Canned Bacon Grease

The uses for canned bacon grease are endless! Here are some delicious ways to use it:

• Add a tablespoon to bean or vegetable soups

• Sauté greens like kale or chard

• Roast potatoes or Brussels sprouts

• Fry eggs or pancakes

• Flavor corn bread or biscuits

• Toss with pasta along with parmesan

• Sauté cabbage for bacon fried rice

• Add richness to sausage gravy

• Use in place of oil to dress hearty greens salads

With some care and planning, canning bacon grease is a great way to make use of a delicious cooking fat and add flavor to dishes for months to come. Give it a try and see how bacon grease can enhance your cooking!