Storing rendered bacon fat

[drumenigma]

So a while ago my wife read a blog post or something about keeping your bacon fat as part of a SHTF/survival strategy. I think it was last year that we started keeping it. We would cook our bacon, often in a baking tray in the oven, then pour the fat through some cheese cloth in to a mason jar then close that off and let it solidify. I had just used some of it a few weeks ago and I didn't die. I am curious if anyone else on here has done the same and how long you have kept it for. The post she had read I believe had stated it has pretty much an indefinite shelf life but I was poking around a few internet searches and I think the longest I saw they recommend holding on to it was about 9 months. Before I used it I did give it a whiff and nothing came off as particularly concerning before I used it. I would think with the curing process most bacon goes through that it would have a pretty long shelf life once it's cooked down.

 

[pj150]

Pour it on dog poop deposited from the dogs in the neighborhood. Poop will magically disappear from the front yard when they come around again. Contain the laughter when you see your neighbors dogs wet kiss their owners.

 

[pj150]

Seriously though, if it is pure fat, then yes. A pretty long shelf life if kept clean. But contaminated, you are at risk for botulinum. I wouldn't keep it more than a few days myself.

 

[saltydude]

People have been doing it for thousands of years.
I keep mine in the fridge and use it often for cooking.
People have kept and used Bear fat as a weather predictor/ indicator.

ETA: I only keep the high quality natural unprocessed bacon that you get from the deli.
The processed store brand crap is awful and barely even solidifies.

 

[4xharley]

My wife makes and sells soap using our goats milk and rendered lard from our pigs. The lard will go rancid, how long it takes depends on storage temp and purity. We keep ours frozen since we keep such a large quantity. I imagine bacon fat would be quite similar.

 

[jasons]

My grandmother always had a jar of bacon fat in the fridge when I was growing up. She'd use it to pan fry all sorts of stuff and it was delicious. I think it was a pretty common thing back in those days.

These days with everyone freaking out about heart disease and childhood obesity she'd probably get thrown in jail for child endangerment if she fried up some potatoes and eggs in bacon fat for breakfast.

Seriously though, if it is pure fat, then yes. A pretty long shelf life if kept clean. But contaminated, you are at risk for botulinum. I wouldn't keep it more than a few days myself.

I don't think botulinum would survive frying temperatures.

 

[jtnf]

[STRIKE=As far as LONG term storage goes... Why not try pressure canning? 45 minutes at 220 Fahrenheit should thoroughly pasteurize whatever might be in there.]As far as LONG term storage goes... Why not try pressure canning? 45 minutes at 220 Fahrenheit should thoroughly pasteurize whatever might be in there.[/STRIKE]


--Edit - According to this site, pure fat cannot be canned:

http://www.permies.com/t/18854/food-preservation/Canning-Bacon-Grease

 

[teaser452]

We keep bacon fat in the fridge. I don't know how long it will last since we rotate it regularly and use it up as fast as we create it. Bacon fat makes everything taste better.

My friend keeps it in his pantry. He mixes any used oil in with the bacon fat and uses it when he fries fish. Reuses the oil/bacon fat over and over again, and tops off the jars. Has had that fat for decades. Nobody has ever gotten sick from using it (frying at high temps) and nobody makes better fried fish (he only fries fresh fish).

Fat, in a SHTF scenario will be in high demand. And it is unfortunate that Fat is named fat since people think eating fat makes you fat, when in reality, it's the carbs that will build your belly.

 

[ochmude]

Until reading this thread I thought keeping a jar of bacon fat in the fridge for cooking purposes was something pretty much everyone did. How do you people make pancakes?

 

[Boghog1]

http://www.southernplate.com/2012/0...-photo-gallery-of-your-bacon-grease-jars.html

I use a paint can you can get empty ones at Home Depot they seal up tight

 

[drumenigma]

People have been doing it for thousands of years.
I keep mine in the fridge and use it often for cooking.
People have kept and used Bear fat as a weather predictor/ indicator.

ETA: I only keep the high quality natural unprocessed bacon that you get from the deli.
The processed store brand crap is awful and barely even solidifies.

Most of the stuff we had was from store brand bacon and I did notice it took a while for some of it to solidify. There was a batch of homemade stuff in there at some point which we got the grease off. For the most part this would only be used for high temp cooking so mostly pan frying type meals. Maybe what I will do is start trying to rotate through the older stuff and start a new jar next time we cook some up so I am not constantly dumping fresh stuff on top of older fat.

 

[MAGG]

i dont eat bacon or pancakes...que the NES Neg rep points in 3....2....1

 

[saltydude]

Most of the stuff we had was from store brand bacon and I did notice it took a while for some of it to solidify. There was a batch of homemade stuff in there at some point which we got the grease off. For the most part this would only be used for high temp cooking so mostly pan frying type meals. Maybe what I will do is start trying to rotate through the older stuff and start a new jar next time we cook some up so I am not constantly dumping fresh stuff on top of older fat.

Yup it's like a yellowed oil more than a fat. You'll notice the good stuff solidifies quickly and is mostly white in color. Depending on the temp you cook it at.
I cook it low and slow. When it comes to something as important as BACON you can't screw it up.

 

[Buggin]

So a while ago my wife read a blog post or something about keeping your bacon fat as part of a SHTF/survival strategy. I think it was last year that we started keeping it. We would cook our bacon, often in a baking tray in the oven, then pour the fat through some cheese cloth in to a mason jar then close that off and let it solidify. I had just used some of it a few weeks ago and I didn't die. I am curious if anyone else on here has done the same and how long you have kept it for. The post she had read I believe had stated it has pretty much an indefinite shelf life but I was poking around a few internet searches and I think the longest I saw they recommend holding on to it was about 9 months. Before I used it I did give it a whiff and nothing came off as particularly concerning before I used it. I would think with the curing process most bacon goes through that it would have a pretty long shelf life once it's cooked down.

I grew up with my parents storing bacon fat on the shelf above the stove. I lived. I may get an eye twitch if someone makes a squealing noise, but I lived.

i dont eat bacon or pancakes...que the NES Neg rep points in 3....2....1

I regret that I only have a single neg rep to give

 

[jasons]

Until reading this thread I thought keeping a jar of bacon fat in the fridge for cooking purposes was something pretty much everyone did. How do you people make pancakes?

Who you calling "you people?"

 

[MisterHappy]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/emeril-live/97-series/pork-fat-rules.html

 

[HTRN]

I store my bacon fat in the fridge.
Now for something truly magical, use goose fat.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[KBCraig]

Until reading this thread I thought keeping a jar of bacon fat in the fridge for cooking purposes was something pretty much everyone did.

Until reading this thread, I had no idea that anyone kept bacon fat in the fridge. I thought they kept it at room temperature, just like I do, and like pretty much everyone has done safely for hundreds of years.

 

[Christian]

It amazes me that folks throw out bacon fat, that stuff is the real liquid gold.

Ages ago when I was a teenager I caught my mother tossing it in the trash and I asked her if she was insane. She wanted to know why she should keep it so I rattled off a bunch of reasons, the most important being for chowder of course.

Until reading this thread I thought keeping a jar of bacon fat in the fridge for cooking purposes was something pretty much everyone did. How do you people make pancakes?

Reason enough for a NES door kicker raid? Flash bang followed by a tactical roll to the table while pulling powdered sugar and whipped butter from mag pouches, syrup bottle from the holster?

 

[Pinion]

F'ing Brilliant!

Pour it on dog poop deposited from the dogs in the neighborhood. Poop will magically disappear from the front yard when they come around again. Contain the laughter when you see your neighbors dogs wet kiss their owners.

 

[CTpatriot]

My wife makes and sells soap using our goats milk and rendered lard from our pigs. The lard will go rancid, how long it takes depends on storage temp and purity. We keep ours frozen since we keep such a large quantity. I imagine bacon fat would be quite similar.

the salt and sugar in store bacon keeps it from going bad quickly

- - - Updated - - -

Pour it on dog poop deposited from the dogs in the neighborhood. Poop will magically disappear from the front yard when they come around again. Contain the laughter when you see your neighbors dogs wet kiss their owners.

this would be great entertainment, i wish i had a front yard like that.

 

[CTpatriot]

i dont eat bacon or pancakes...que the NES Neg rep points in 3....2....1

dont worry about neg points, you might just get banned before they accumulate.

 

[ARV]

I don't think botulinum would survive frying temperatures.

The bacteria may not, but does heat destroy the toxins it produces?

 

[Buggin]

The bacteria may not, but does heat destroy the toxins it produces?

It's safe...... twitch, twitch....

 

[AHM]

... I don't think botulinum would survive frying temperatures.

The bacteria may not, but does heat destroy the toxins it produces?

You tell me.

 

[CTpatriot]

damn it now i'm going to go fry some bacon.

 

[drumenigma]

I'm going to do a bacon fat roasted chicken for dinner today.

http://chicagoist.com/2012/05/30/simple_cooking_bacon_fat_roasted_ch.php#photo-5

 

[JohnZ]

the salt and sugar in store bacon keeps it from going bad quickly

- - - Updated - - -

this would be great entertainment, i wish i had a front yard like that.

+1 on the great idea and the entertainment value but trust me, you don't want a yard like that. You would realize this after the first time you have to dig dog crap out of the fractal pattern that all modern shoe soles seem to have.

 

[drumenigma]

Holy crap did the chicken come out good. I didn't quite follow the recipe exactly. I basted the chicken every fifteen minutes or so while it was roasting to ensure the bacon fat and other juices coated it evenly. I'll definitely be doing this again.

 

[CTpatriot]

Holy crap did the chicken come out good. I didn't quite follow the recipe exactly. I basted the chicken every fifteen minutes or so while it was roasting to ensure the bacon fat and other juices coated it evenly. I'll definitely be doing this again.

how about a recipe, it sounds good.