Bacon grease is a versatile and flavorful cooking fat that many cooks like to keep on hand However, it can go rancid quickly at room temperature. Canning bacon grease allows you to store it long term so it’s available whenever you need it
Why Can Bacon Grease?
There are several benefits to canning bacon grease
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Long shelf life – Properly canned bacon grease will keep for years without spoiling. This means you can cook with it even when you don’t have fresh bacon on hand.
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Convenience – Canned bacon grease is ready to use right from the jar. No need to slowly render fresh bacon each time.
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Bacon grease is versatile because it can be used to cook eggs, potatoes, meats, cornbread, and more. Having it canned means you always have some available.
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Preparedness – Canned fats are an important part of a well-stocked pantry. Bacon grease provides calories and cooking fat if fresh ingredients are limited.
Is Canning Bacon Grease Safe?
There is some debate about the safety of canning bacon grease at home. The USDA does not provide canning instructions for fats like lard or bacon grease. However, many homesteaders have safely canned these products for generations using proper techniques.
The keys to safe canning are:
- Getting the grease hot enough to kill bacteria before canning
- Keeping the grease hot while filling the jars
- Achieving a proper seal
- Processing the sealed jars at pressure high enough to kill any remaining bacteria
- Storing the canned grease in a cool, dark place
When these guidelines are followed, canned bacon grease can be safely preserved at home. Be sure to inspect jars and test seals before use. If any signs of spoilage are detected, discard the jar.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these instructions for safely canning bacon grease at home:
Supplies Needed
- Quart or pint size mason jars with new lids and bands
- Pressure canner
- Fine mesh strainer
- Cheesecloth or coffee filter
- Jar lifter
- Bubble removal tool
- Clean towels or rags
Prepare the Bacon Grease
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Slowly render the bacon fat by cooking it over low heat. Pour off the clear liquid fat, leaving any food particles in the pan.
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Line a fine mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Pour the hot grease through to remove any remaining solids or impurities.
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Bring the strained grease up to at least 240°F on the stove. Hold this temperature for at least 10 minutes to pasteurize.
Fill the Jars
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While the grease is heating, place mason jars in oven at 200°F to warm. Leave jars in the oven for at least 10 minutes.
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Using a jar lifter, carefully remove warm jars from oven one at a time. Fill each jar with hot grease, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
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Remove air bubbles using a bubble removal tool or other non-metal utensil. Wipe rim and threads clean with a hot, damp rag.
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Place preheated lid on jar and screw band on just fingertip tight. Do not overtighten.
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Repeat until all jars are filled. Keep jars hot until ready to process.
Process the Jars
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Place rack in the bottom of a pressure canner. Add 2-3 inches of hot water to canner.
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Use jar lifter to carefully place filled jars on rack in canner. Jars should not touch each other or sides of canner.
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Follow manufacturer instructions to achieve required pressure (10-15 PSI) for your elevation. Process pints for 1 hour 30 minutes, quarts for 1 hour 45 minutes at the required pressure.
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Allow canner to fully depressurize according to manufacturer instructions. Carefully remove jars from canner and set aside to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours.
Check Seals and Store
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After cooling completely, test seals on jars by pressing down on center of each lid. Lid should not flex up and down. Remove bands and try gently lifting lids off with your fingertips. Sealed lids should remain in place.
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Wash and dry sealed jars. Apply new bands if desired. Label jars with content and processing date.
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Store sealed bacon grease in a cool, dark place like a pantry for up to 2 years. For best quality, use within 1 year.
It’s the “ultimate” food storage: BACON!!
Do you agree that having bacon in your food storage pantry is a treat? What a better way to dress up all those beans you’ve been saving than with bacon! I’ve been reading blogs and articles about how to can bacon for months now.
Then I found an article on Rural Spin that got me excited and so I tried it!
Some people have been canning bacon for years, but others say that there are “no safe and approved methods for canning bacon” right now and that this is not a safe thing to do. I encourage you to do your own research and bottle at your own risk. ***.
- Each pint jar can hold about 1 pound of raw bacon. I got my 24 lbs of bacon at Costco.
- Not bleached parchment paper (a 17-square-foot roll should hold 24 pints)
- Pressure Canner
- Electric griddle or stove skillet to cook bacon
- Sterilized wide mouth pint jars with lids and rings
- Real maple syrup (optional) and brush
- Optional – digital scale. I had planned to use this, but I didn’t.
- Unwrap your bacon and cut the strips in HALF.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it’s almost done. For it to start to brown all over and get crispy around the edges, that’s what I was going for. (It cooks after you take it out, and you don’t want it to be too done)
- Lay bacon on paper towels to soak up the grease. Note: You can put the bacon grease from your pan in the fridge and use it in other recipes later.
- Put down a 24″ long piece of brown parchment paper on your table. Place your mostly cooked bacon strips on the parchment paper so that they are lined up below the middle and going from one side to the other.
- Now you can spread a lot of that maple syrup on top (optional). Make sure you use real maple syrup so it can handle being canned under pressure.
- To cover all of the bacon, fold the paper in thirds and bring the bottom fold up over it. Then, fold the top fold down over it.
- Start rolling the bacon up from one end, making sure the first few rolls are tight.
- It fits nicely into your clean wide-mouth pint jars when it’s all rolled up. Just push it down below the rim if it sticks out a bit so the lid fits well on top. Then, use a paper towel dipped in vinegar to clean the rims of your jars. Vinegar will get rid of any bacon fat on the rim that might get in the way of a good seal. Don’t forget this part; it’s important for a good seal.
- Put lids on your jars that have been warmed up in a pan of water on low heat. Put the rings on with the screws snug enough to touch, and then put them in a pressure canner with a few inches of water.
- Use the canning guide here to determine the processing time. “Raw” meat in pint jars needs to be pressure cooked for 75 minutes, and quarts need to be pressure cooked for 90 minutes. Find out what pressure level your canner needs by looking at how high you live. It’s 14 to 15 pounds on me because I live 6K above sea level. Then process your jars.
- When it is done, take out the jars. Let them cool off and make sure they seal. After a few hours or even the next day, I take the rings off and wash the jars and rings in warm soapy water to get rid of any oil. Then make sure to write the date and what’s inside on them.
- To eat the bacon, just open the jar and slide it out. Take the parchment out of the roll; it will be messy, but peel it off. You can eat it right away or fry it for a little while to warm it up.
One blog said it would last between 6 and 8 months, or even a year. However, Yoders Bacon has been opened more than 3 years after it was canned and is still good. I’ll let you determine how long you think yours will store for.
I began with 24 pounds of bacon. I didn’t have time to can it all, but 25-pint jars were mostly full. I ran out of parchment paper at that point, or I would have finished another 1-2 jars. If you do decide to can a lot of this bacon, make sure you have help because it takes a long time to cook all of it and then put it in the jars. I would think smaller batches would be less exhausting.
How to Save Your Bacon Grease
FAQ
How long does canned bacon grease last?
Can bacon grease be pressure canned?
Can mason jars hold bacon grease?
Can you put bacon grease in a can?
Once the bacon fat is cooled to nearly room temperature, but not solidified, pour it through the strainer and cheesecloth. You want it to still be pourable, but cool enough to handle. Now, chances are, you remember your mom or grandmother storing bacon grease in a can right on the counter or on the back of the stove.
How do you store bacon grease?
2.**Storage Recommendations**: – **Refrigerator or Freezer**: Unlike previous generations who kept bacon grease on the counter, experts now recommend storing it in the **refrigerator or freezer**. Microparticles
How do you strain bacon grease?
“To strain the bacon grease, set a fine mesh strainer over a heat safe bowl or vessel,” like a spouted glass measuring cup, says Abbott. (Chavez uses a coffee filter or cheesecloth.) “Pour the slightly cooled grease through the strainer,” says Abbott. Use a heat-proof spatula to scrape every last drop.
How do you keep bacon grease from going rancid?
Removing the bacon bits will also help prevent the grease from going rancid. Although many of us grew up with relatives who stored their bacon grease in a jar or can set on the counter or on the back of the stovetop, food safety experts don’t recommend storing it that way now.