Sunday, March 9, 2008

Bacon grease



A word on materials, or, how I became known as a person who is really into bacon. Props to my friend Max for introducing me to this idea.

Lots of people pour off the grease from cooking bacon into some kind of receptacle, because they worry it's screw up the drain on their sink, so they drain it into some kind of container instead. However, they then THROW IT AWAY. This is a goddamn crying shame, because bacon grease is GREAT. So rather than toss it, I urge you to pour it into a bowl of some sort and stick it in the fridge. On a cold winter night, cut a thick slice of some good bread and slather on the bacon grease instead of your normal bland butter. Look, I know it makes you a little squeamish and may seem gross. But try it. Trust me on this one. It's delicious. Or smear it onto a baguette with a slice of tomato and a dash of salt and pepper. Greatness.

For a real culinary delight, grab 2 or 3 strips of bacon and chop a fourth one up fine. Fry them together with a finely chopped onion. Eat the full strips as you would regularly, and pour the grease, along with onion and bacon bits, into a bowl. Put it in the refrigerator and smear THAT on bread later - delicious.

Added bonuses of bacon grease in the fridge - first off, it keeps forever, so that's not a concern. Secondly, you can use it instead of whatever other grease you generally use when frying, and it'll add a hint of bacon flavor to your dish. Steak fried in bacon grease, for instance, is amazing, as are hash browns. And you'll be amazed to discover all the other things you can cook with it... stay tuned.

1 comment:

ness said...

here's something you may want to try: candied bacon. how do you do it? start by cooking your bacon slices on the usual griddle pan over medium heat. get some brown sugar and when you go to flip the slices so that the other sides can cook, sprinkle some over the cooked sides. as your second side is cooking, your brown sugar has time to melt. mmmm, yummy yummy breakfast treat. if you don't want the brown sugar, do a little bit of maple syrup.