Should I Re-Melt Bacon Grease?
May 27, 2022 9:02 AM Subscribe
When I cook bacon I run the grease through a paper coffee filter into a Mason jar. The grease cools into distinct layers in the jar. Should I do something about that?
I've got a small rotation of pint-sized Mason jars for bacon grease, and I recently finished filling one, one batch of bacon at a time. I let it cool at room temperature, then put the jar in the fridge until next time. If you look at the jar from the side you can see the layers from each batch. In cooking with previous jars, I've noticed that the layers don't all have a uniform texture, and sometimes they don't scoop the same way. It's a minor problem at most, but I have the ability to gently reheat a full jar so it unifies into one liquid. Presumably this would cool into one homogenized texture. My question is, should I do this?
I've got a "simmer" burner on the stove, and I have an immersion circulator, so I can definitely manage a specific controlled temperature if necessary. I just haven't had any luck searching for an answer to the question of whether I should bother. Will this improve my bacon grease, will it be a waste of effort and time, or will it in fact make things worse?
I've got a small rotation of pint-sized Mason jars for bacon grease, and I recently finished filling one, one batch of bacon at a time. I let it cool at room temperature, then put the jar in the fridge until next time. If you look at the jar from the side you can see the layers from each batch. In cooking with previous jars, I've noticed that the layers don't all have a uniform texture, and sometimes they don't scoop the same way. It's a minor problem at most, but I have the ability to gently reheat a full jar so it unifies into one liquid. Presumably this would cool into one homogenized texture. My question is, should I do this?
I've got a "simmer" burner on the stove, and I have an immersion circulator, so I can definitely manage a specific controlled temperature if necessary. I just haven't had any luck searching for an answer to the question of whether I should bother. Will this improve my bacon grease, will it be a waste of effort and time, or will it in fact make things worse?
Response by poster: My mom never filtered hers, but I learned from experience that the solids would cause it to go rancid before I finished a jar. I haven't had any of it go bad on me since I started filtering it, and it's not that inconvenient, so that part doesn't need to change. I'm really just curious if melting it would improve the consistency over the life of the jar, and/or if doing so would degrade the fats enough to make it a bad idea.
posted by fedward at 9:32 AM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by fedward at 9:32 AM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
The issue I could see with mixing would be that any fats going rancid at the lowest layer would be introduced to the rest and contaminate everything. If anything I would suggest using several smaller jars and using them in reverse order.
posted by Ferreous at 9:43 AM on May 27, 2022
posted by Ferreous at 9:43 AM on May 27, 2022
Leave it layered, because
Grease On Top Is Always Freshest
(First In Last Out).
posted by the Real Dan at 9:44 AM on May 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
Grease On Top Is Always Freshest
(First In Last Out).
posted by the Real Dan at 9:44 AM on May 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
It won't go rancid (on the scale of a year or so) if you store it in the fridge, even unfiltered.
I also vote not bothering to remelt: more work, no obvious upside, and it may actually make it go bad faster (ie FILO mentioned above)
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:48 AM on May 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I also vote not bothering to remelt: more work, no obvious upside, and it may actually make it go bad faster (ie FILO mentioned above)
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:48 AM on May 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
other than straining out the chunks I don't do anything to my bacon grease jar. If i'm not using as much bacon grease for a while I stop saving it until the jar gets used up. This seems to keep the jars fresh enough for my liking.
posted by Dr. Twist at 1:32 PM on May 27, 2022
posted by Dr. Twist at 1:32 PM on May 27, 2022
I've dealt with this a couple different ways. Once I had a quart of bacon grease which I clarified by pouring into roughly double the amount of boiling water. Killed the heat once I was sure all the bacon fat would liquefy, stirred it up and let the whole mass of it settle. Scooped the fat off the top once it all cooled. The I re-melted and filtered it like you did, through coffee filters.
Probably the filtering was unnecessary; the water rendering allowed the heavier bits to settle out, any water-soluble pieces to get absorbed by the water. The result was less firm, more spreadable, after both processes. Clarifying was an interesting learning experience but not worth the effort.
Nowadays I heat the whole jar if I bother to do anything.
That said, I do make note of different bacon cooking methods and the grease. By far, the cleanest grease comes from baking the bacon in the oven on a grate over a foil-lined pan. (Don't kid yourself, the grease always gets past the foil.) You can pour the fat right off the pan and it's the cleanest method I've seen. If you pour it off the fan into a filter, you're going to have just about the cleanest bacon fat you're likely to get with any method.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:17 PM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Probably the filtering was unnecessary; the water rendering allowed the heavier bits to settle out, any water-soluble pieces to get absorbed by the water. The result was less firm, more spreadable, after both processes. Clarifying was an interesting learning experience but not worth the effort.
Nowadays I heat the whole jar if I bother to do anything.
That said, I do make note of different bacon cooking methods and the grease. By far, the cleanest grease comes from baking the bacon in the oven on a grate over a foil-lined pan. (Don't kid yourself, the grease always gets past the foil.) You can pour the fat right off the pan and it's the cleanest method I've seen. If you pour it off the fan into a filter, you're going to have just about the cleanest bacon fat you're likely to get with any method.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:17 PM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by theora55 at 9:11 AM on May 27, 2022 [2 favorites]