Butter is great, but if youve cooked with lard you know that pork fat can be even better. Really good leaf lard is easy to make at home while you make breakfast if you don’t have any on hand or can’t find it. Bacon grease is functionally the same thing as lard. Its rendered pork fat and you can use it in so many different ways.
The main difference between lard and rendered bacon fat is the taste. The fat that drips off of bacon when you cook it is called bacon drippings. It has a strong bacon flavor, while lard has no taste. You can use the fact that bacon tastes good to your advantage when cooking some things, though.
First things first, though. You need to cook bacon low and slow so that you can save the bacon fat. While you can do it on the stovetop, be careful not to burn the bacon. Putting a rack inside a sheet pan and cooking the bacon that way is the best way to do it. The bacon cooks on the rack, and the pan catches the rendered fat.
Pour the bacon grease into a glass jar with an airtight lid. Make sure the jar you use is safe for high temperatures before you pour the fat in. The fat should still be warm and liquid. Its best to pour the fat through a strainer or cheesecloth to catch all the bacon bits. Put the jar of bacon grease in the fridge. It will stay good for up to a month if you keep it in an airtight container.
As someone who enjoys cooking, I often see recipes calling for ingredients like lard or bacon grease. They seem to be used interchangeably in some dishes. But are lard and bacon grease really the same thing? I decided to dig into this pork fat puzzle and find out once and for all!
Being health-conscious, I try to limit how much saturated fat my family eats. But small amounts of heart-healthy fats can be okay. Knowing the differences between lard and bacon grease would help me make better choices about when to use them in my cooking.
After doing some research, I uncovered the interesting differences between these two pig-derived fats. Keep reading to learn what I found out!
What is Lard Exactly?
Let’s start by looking at what lard actually is
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Lard comes from fatty pig tissue Most lard is rendered from fat around the pig’s kidneys and loin
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To make lard, the raw pork fat is heated until it melts Impurities and water are strained out, leaving pure lard
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The resulting lard is soft and spreadable at room temperature, with a creamy white color and mild flavor.
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Lard has a high smoke point of around 370°F, so it works well for frying and baking.
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It’s mostly made up of monounsaturated and saturated fat, but the type of fat varies depending on the part of the pig it comes from.
What About Bacon Grease?
Now let’s look at what bacon grease actually is:
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Bacon grease is the fatty oil that’s left over after cooking bacon.
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It’s made up of about 50% saturated fat, 40% monounsaturated fat and 10% polyunsaturated fat.
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Bacon grease has a lower smoke point, around 325°F, so it can’t be used for as high heat cooking.
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It contains bacon’s signature smoky, salty, meaty flavor.
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Bits of cooked bacon may remain in the grease, unlike pure liquid lard.
So bacon grease is simply the cooked fat leftover from cooking bacon, with all that delicious bacon flavor. It’s less refined than lard.
Key Differences Between Lard and Bacon Grease
Now that we understand what each one is individually, let’s directly compare lard vs. bacon grease:
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Source – Lard comes from raw pork fat while bacon grease comes from cooked bacon.
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Parts of the pig – Lard uses specific fatty parts like around the kidneys or loin. Bacon can come from varied pork bellies.
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Processing – Lard is rendered and strained. Bacon grease is just the leftover fat after cooking bacon.
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Purity – Lard is purified pork fat. Bacon grease contains bacon bits and impurities.
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Flavor – Lard has a neutral flavor. Bacon grease has a smoky, salty, meaty bacon taste.
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Fat profile – Lard is higher in monounsaturated fat. Bacon grease contains more saturated fat.
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Smoke point – Lard has a smoke point of 370°F. Bacon grease’s smoke point is only 325°F.
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Storage – Lard can be stored for months. Bacon grease goes rancid quicker if not refrigerated.
So while they both come from pigs, lard and bacon grease have some distinct differences that set them apart. Lard is more versatile for cooking methods and keeps longer.
Is It OK to Use Them Interchangeably?
With their differences in mind, can you use lard and bacon grease interchangeably in recipes?
In some cases, yes:
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If a recipe calls for just a small amount of fat for flavor, either would work fine.
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For gentle cooking methods like sautéing, their different smoke points don’t matter.
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Adding a spoonful to roast potatoes or cornbread would impart richness and moisture.
However, for other cooking uses, they are not interchangeable:
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Frying or roasting at higher heats would require lard’s higher smoke point.
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If you want bacon’s signature flavor in a dish, only bacon grease would work.
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Baking delicate pastries depends on lard’s pure fat; bits in bacon grease could affect texture.
So in recipes where fat content or smoke point matters, lard and bacon grease cannot be used interchangeably. But for many uses, their subtle differences won’t impact the dish.
Healthfulness of Lard vs. Bacon Grease
From a health perspective, lard offers some advantages over bacon grease:
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Lard contains 45% monounsaturated fat. Bacon grease is 50% saturated fat.
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American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats more than monounsaturated fats.
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Some types of lard (like manteca) contain high amounts of vitamin D.
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Lard’s neutral taste makes it easier to use smaller amounts. Bacon grease tempts you to use more.
However, both should be eaten in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet. Neither lard nor bacon grease is considered a “health food.”
The Bottom Line
While lard and bacon grease come from the same animal, they are definitely not the same thing! Lard is more versatile for cooking methods and types of recipes.
In some cases, their differences in smoke point, flavor and fat content make lard and bacon grease non-interchangeable. But in many recipes, using one versus the other makes little overall difference.
Both contain a mix of saturated and unsaturated fats, so enjoy them in moderation. Lard may have a slight edge from a health perspective. But for the best flavor, you just can’t substitute pure lard when that smoky bacon essence is what the dish needs!
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
The only way to make grilled cheese better is to add bacon. Swap bacon grease in for butter and make your grilled cheese extra special.
Using lard in your pie crusts makes for tender, flaky crusts. The same thing is bacon fat, but you should only use it for savory pies like pot pies.
Instead of olive oil, use bacon grease to roast your sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans, red potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and any other vegetable that likes high heat.
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Swap the vegetable oil or butter in your cornbread for bacon grease. Its such a simple change, but it adds such a depth of flavor to your cornbread.
Drop a spoonful of bacon grease in your cast iron skillet and use it to fry, well, anything. Eggs. Hash browns. Fried rice. Quesadillas. Anything youd use oil for, try leftover bacon grease instead.
In Appalachia, theres an early spring dish known as killed lettuce. You take early spring greens and wilt them by pouring hot bacon grease on the greens. There are different ways to make this into a dressing, but you can also toss the greens in vinegar and simply pour hot bacon fat over your salad. Add some eggs (either fried or hard-boiled) and chopped bacon and youve got an excellent salad. And you dont have to only use lettuce; this idea makes for a tasty spinach salad as well.
10 Delicious Ways to Use Bacon Grease
If you make your popcorn on the stovetop, use bacon fat instead of vegetable oil or butter. The flavor is outstanding. You can also use the same idea for roasted nuts or a snack mix.