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boomchakabowwow

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talk about an easy discussion topic. i buy very good bacon from a local butcher. it's not to much more expensive than the big stores. but it blows it all away.

i rarely eat bacon strips. maybe in a BLT(A), but that needs tomato season to get under way.

mostly it is an ingredient. last night i made a quick pasta sauce. burned my last jar of last season's tomatos. basically, bacon, diced onion, pepper flakes..salt/pepper. finished with a few capers.

tossed it all in pasta and served it to my wife..with fresh parm.

it do that dish all the time..but not always with the bacon. what a difference!! the smokey porkyness!!

i think bacon's superpower is it as an ingredient. a little goes a long ways.

i dont save the grease tho..you?
 
Whenever I use bacon (usually cubed) in one-pot meals or stews, I usually start with the bacon first, then fry the aromatics and whatever comes after in the bacon fat (with maybe some added butter if needed).
The key is always to find bacon that isn't pumped full of water. It may look cheap, but in the end you're just getting ripped off and all you're doing is boiling all that water out trying to fry it. Over here I'd say about 90% of bacon in supermarkets is water-pumped crap.
 
I pretty much only use bacon for pasta dishes or in burgers. I always save the fat for frying other stuff. Oh yeah, and if I'm making a cheaters version of a Danish dish called æbleflæsk. I'll cook the bacon into the apples instead of making the pork belly component. Basically savory apple sauce with bacon in it.

My go-to quick dinner is this recipe from Marco Pierre White, minus the knorr stuff. Just pasta, bacon, tomato puree, onion, and garlic. I do tend to put in a little chili and thyme or oregano.

[video=youtube;l-P9G3s3kb0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-P9G3s3kb0[/video]
 
I think I'd get reprimanded by my pork farmer if I tossed the fat out lol
 
I forgot to say this since I don't make bloody marys that often, but I stick a slice of crispy bacon into the glass as garnish when serving.
 
DamageInc said:
I forgot to say this since I don't make bloody marys that often, but I stick a slice of crispy bacon into the glass as garnish when serving.
Click to expand...

you my friend, almost won the internet!!

IMHO, there is no better smell in the kitchen that bacon and onions cooking to soft..
 
I don't save all of the grease, but save enough to occasionally cook with for me. My wife and daughters don't love the smokiness. I like to do the trinity or just onions / mushrooms with bacon fat. Nice that my freezer is full of Neuske's goodness also.
 
Anyone have some guidelines for good practices on storing bacon grease? We do cook bacon very often (one every few months?), so the saved bacon grease generally sits in a glass bowl on the counter for a couple of days, and whatever is left after that gets tossed. Can it be stored longer in fridge or freezer (I would guess freezer is a 'duh! Of course it can!'). Should it ideally be strained to increase the storage life?

Sorry for the questions, but I am not sure how easily it goes rancid.
 
Strain out particles, let cool to room temp in a jar with lid off. Then transfer to fridge in jar with lid on. Will stay good for a few months.
 
I let bacon grease cool just enough to still be liquid (or re-heat to that point). Then strain it through cheesecloth into a quart zip-lock bag. Then seal the bag and toss it in the freezer. It thaws out fine, and this way I don't have to track the storage date. I'll always use frozen bacon grease before it has a chance to go bad in the freezer.
 
I've never had any issues storing rendered animal fats outside of the fridge for up to a month.
In the fridge...several months. Never had any issue. But who knows.. maybe it's just blind luck I haven't died yet. ;)
If you're worried you can always just reheat it to sterilize it.

My favorite way to strain the fats is... disposable hairnets (lined in a metal strainer). There's a certain type that's quite tight-woven which makes it perfect for straining pretty much anything. They're also dirtcheap and disposable.
 
While I love having the fat/grease I usually just buy it off the breakfast.buffet at Whole Foods... by far the least expensive way for a cheapskate like me and I don't have to clean up afterwards.
 
I buy bacon scrap (or at least rejected pieces) by the kilo at a local shop where my friend is working. This is a 10 kg box so about 22 lbs. (it cost me 30 bucks)

This is high quality apple smoked bacon. (there is other flavor too)

Here is a picture of the box.

e1TjNh0.jpg


I am a little bit too excited lol

I0CMWZb.jpg


This is too much so I share the box with 1 or 2 friends each time.
 
charlesquik said:
I buy bacon scrap (or at least rejected pieces) by the kilo at a local shop where my friend is working. This is a 10 kg box so about 22 lbs. (it cost me 30 bucks)

This is high quality apple smoked bacon. (there is other flavor too)

Here is a picture of the box.

e1TjNh0.jpg


I am a little bit too excited lol

I0CMWZb.jpg


This is too much so I share the box with 1 or 2 friends each time.
Click to expand...

Now that's a good way to spend 30 bucks!
 
I have to say I wanna be your friend just so I can have part of that box. [emoji23]
 
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