My bacon and potato soup has soft vegetable chunks, a bacon bone broth, and no added flavorings that are bad for you. It’s great for lazy days and can be made in two hours.
I pair this, with homemade bread rolls which can be made from start to serve in an hour. they are wonderfully soft and so easy to make!.
Bacon bones are the often forgotten crunchy remnants left over after cooking up tasty bacon. While most people discard them, these smoked pork bones are actually packed with flavor and can be used to make delicious soups, beans, stocks, and more.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to cook bacon bones to extract maximum taste. With just some simple simmering techniques, you can transform leftover bacon bones into versatile ingredients that make other dishes even better.
What are Bacon Bones?
Bacon bones are the bones that run through a slice of bacon before it is cut They are longest in the center slices of bacon, These bones are part of the pig’s rib structure and contain marrow inside that is full of pork essence
You’ll find two parallel bones in most bacon slices They become crunchy and edible after cooking But many people don’t consume them and toss them out after cooking up a batch of bacon,
However just like ham hocks or other smoked meat bones bacon bones can be simmered to impart delicious smoky, salty, pork flavor into soups, beans, stocks, and more. The collagen-rich bones also help thicken and add body.
Why Cook with Bacon Bones?
Here are some of the benefits of using bacon bones in your cooking:
- Adds deep smoky and savory pork flavors
- Natural source of umami, making dishes more craveable
- Thickens soups and stews thanks to collagen
- Nutritious bone marrow and minerals leach out
- Makes use of an often discarded ingredient
- Provides substance and texture
The next time you cook up bacon for breakfast or a BLT, save those crunchy bones for later use in the kitchen. They provide budget-friendly flavor.
Tips for Preparing Bacon Bones
To get the most out of your bacon bones, follow these preparation tips:
- Rinse bones to remove excess salt if needed
- Store properly in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks
- Freeze extras for months in freezer bags
- Soak bones in water for 30 mins to soften before cooking
- Roast bones at 400°F for 15 mins to intensify flavor
- Simmer bones at least 1-2 hours to fully extract flavor/collagen
Proper storage and soaking allows you to keep bones on hand for whenever inspiration strikes. Roasting and long simmering times are key for maximum flavor extraction.
How to Make Bacon Bone Broth or Stock
One of the easiest ways to use leftover bacon bones is to simmer them into a smoky, pork-flavored broth or stock.
Here is a simple recipe to get started:
Ingredients:
- Bacon bones from 1 pound of bacon
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 5 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 cups water
Instructions:
- If desired, roast bones and vegetables at 400°F for 15 minutes.
- Place bones and all ingredients in large pot.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to gentle simmer.
- Simmer uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours, adding water as needed.
- Strain liquid through a mesh sieve.
- Use bacon bone broth immediately or let cool and refrigerate up to 5 days.
This smoky pork bone broth is delicious in pasta, risotto, soups, stews, and more. The veggies can be discarded after straining.
Bacon Bone Soup Recipes
Bacon bones excel at providing a rich, hearty base for many soup recipes. Try them in these ideas:
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Split Pea Soup – Simmer bones with split peas, onions, carrots and seasonings. Blend half the peas to thicken.
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Potato Soup – Boil bacon bones with potatoes, onions, celery and broth. Puree some of the potatoes as a thickener.
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Navy Bean Soup – Cook bones with soaked navy beans, tomatoes, garlic, and spices.
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Cabbage Soup – Add smoky depth to veggie packed cabbage soup.
-
Ramen Soup – Use bacon bone broth as the flavorful base for homemade ramen bowls.
The smoky savoriness of the bacon bones gives unique flavor to otherwise ordinary soup recipes.
How to Make Baked Beans with Bacon Bones
Baked beans are another way to put those leftover bacon bones to use. The bones infuse the beans with indulgent bacon flavor as they cook low and slow.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dried beans, soaked overnight
- 4-6 bacon bones
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Instructions:
- Drain the soaked beans and place in a Dutch oven pot. Add bacon bones.
- Add remaining ingredients and enough water to cover beans by 2-3 inches.
- Bring to a boil, then cover pot and bake at 325°F for 2-3 hours until beans are tender; stir occasionally and add water as needed.
- Remove bones before serving richly flavored beans.
The bacon bones give these baked beans incredible smoky, salty flavor that enhances the sweetness of the sauce.
Methods for Cooking Other Foods with Bacon Bones
In addition to soups and beans, bacon bones can provide smoky depth to all kinds of dishes:
- Simmer in veggie dishes like greens, cabbage, beans, lentils
- Add to rice like jambalaya, risotto, pilaf
- Flavor savory oatmeal and grits
- Top mac and cheese for richness
- Season meat stews like chili, beef bourguignon
- Use in place of ham hocks in many recipes
Always remember to fish out and discard the bones before serving the finished dish.
Storing and Freezing Leftover Bones
- Refrigerate cooked bacon bones submerged in broth or water up to 4 days.
- Freeze leftover raw or cooked bones in bags up to 2-3 months.
- The bones and any meaty bits remaining can be used twice before losing flavor.
- Always thaw frozen bones fully in the refrigerator before using.
Proper storage lets you enjoy these flavor enhancers again and again.
Get More from Your Bacon
Bacon bones are an untapped flavor source that can add savory smoked essence, natural thickness, and porky richness to soups, stews, beans, stocks, and more.
With just a little simmering time, you can transform leftover bacon bones into incredible seasoning ingredients. Use these simple tips and recipes to start cooking with bacon bones instead of throwing them away.
Bacon and potato soupYield:
This is a tasty soup made with common ingredients. You can dress it up or keep it simple. Everyone loves it on a cold winter day with hot bread.
- 1 kg of smoked bacon bones or two ham hocks.
- two large brown onions
- 2 tsp garlic powder or 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of curry powder (optional)—add one tablespoon and taste it before adding the second.
- Add 6 to 8 cups of water, or if you made your own stock, add a few cups of that along with the water.
- 6 potatoes cut into quarters
- parsley to serve
- Chop the onion and put it in a big soup pot with the bacon bones or ham hocks, water, garlic, herbs, and pepper.
- Let it cook on medium heat for one hour and twenty minutes with the lid on. see note 1.
- After an hour and twenty minutes, the bacon bones will be almost crumbled. If you want to serve the food quickly, add the potatoes, carrots, and curry powder and cook for another twenty five minutes. see note 2.
- Put the soup on low or off when the potatoes are done. Take out the bacon bones and let it cool a bit until you can remove the meat. I just use my hands to do this. Put the meat back in the pot and serve with pepper, salt, and parsley.
- If not and you want to cook longer. At 1 hour and 20 minutes, take the bones out of the soup to cool. Once they are cool, remove the meat from the bones and add it back to the soup. Cook on low for as long as you want.
- Taking off the lid and letting some of the liquid cook off will make the smoked bacon taste stronger.
1. At this point, the bacon bones will start to break apart. There will be little bones in the soup, so I like to take them out and add the meat back in. If you don’t want to remove the ham hocks, you can leave them in for the whole cooking process.
2. You can add whatever vegetables you like to this soup. leeks, turnips, celery…. its very flexible.
Bacon bones for extra flavour
This recipe calls for bacon bones. In the winter, they are cheap and make any soup or stew taste just right, meaty and salty. They also give the soup or stew a strong stock flavor after only an hour of simmering.
You can use just salt, pepper, and dried herbs if you don’t want to add any other flavors. I add a touch of curry powder in this soup for a little extra kick.
You probably already have everything you need for this recipe in your pantry, maybe not the bacon bones. If you don’t have any, you can use bacon and beef, chicken, or homemade stock instead. Just add a little extra salt, and it will taste just as good.
You can find bacon bones at a good butcher or in the deli section of an Australian Coles or Woolworths.
curry powder (I use Clive of India, authentic curry powder.)
I like to cook for at least two hours, but you can cook your broth for as long as you want. Just add the bacon bones, onion, herbs, garlic, and carrots, and simmer for an hour or a little more. Then, if you used bacon bones, take them out, let them cool, and then take out the meat (there isn’t much, but it’s so soft and tasty!). About 40 minutes before you’re ready to serve, add the potatoes.
