# Bacon grease - shelf life?



## SaskBound

...or rather, back-of-stove life?

I have a glass jar on the back of the stove that we drain bacon grease into. We use the fat later for frying and seasoning food. I started doing this last year. Grandma used to save bacon fat, but I don't recall if there was a 'use by' sort of date...we seem to scoop out the top 1/2 inch pretty frequently, but the stuff at the bottom is months old (maybe more than that, lol). 

Anyone know if bacon grease goes off / gets dangerous at any point?

Thanks!


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## *Andi

I do it the way my gramma done it ...... she was 101 when she passed over. Once a year (spring) she would clean her 'grease jar'. So I do as she did.:dunno:

I'm sure the gobberment will tell you not to use it at all. (It's bad for you )

I have a good 'LOL' when I remember a doctor visit which they told my grams to give up some of her 'fat foods' - she told him that once he got to be 95 then he could tell her what to eat!


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## UncleJoe

*Andi said:


> Once a year (spring) she would clean her 'grease jar'. So I do as she did. :dunno:


WOW. Never would have thought it could set out that long. Thanks.


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## *Andi

UncleJoe said:


> WOW. Never would have thought it could set out that long. Thanks.


Keep in mind ... grams used her grease jar a lot!


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## SaskBound

Perfect, thanks! I thought 'months' was probably okay, but I wasn't sure about 'years'. Come springtime, I'll clean out the grease jar


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## kyfarmer

I has my bacon jar on the stove now. I,ll clean it come spring just like my maw and paw use to do. My sister hate's any fat period, in any thing but she eats all that diet healthy crap. She keep's headaches and feels like crap 24-7. My grease sopping granny lived to 84 and grandpaw lived to 87. My point being if i make it to my mid eighties i,am fine with it.


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## Nina9mm

I'm surprised it can sit out at all beyond a couple of days! I would think it would go rancid! I have kept bacon grease in the fridge for awhile, but even then, if it gets to the point I can't remember the date I put it in, I get rid of it. I'm probably too cautious.


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## SaskBound

Nina9mm said:


> I'm surprised it can sit out at all beyond a couple of days! I would think it would go rancid! I have kept bacon grease in the fridge for awhile, but even then, if it gets to the point I can't remember the date I put it in, I get rid of it. I'm probably too cautious.


I used some today from the jar (mmmm refried beans  ). Tastes fine. Mind you, we only put bacon grease in, not any other grease / drippings, so it's also pretty salty, which probably helps. I'm sure the jar has been sitting on the counter / back of the stove for more than 6 months. It used to be a common practice, at least in rural Prairie areas.


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## *Andi

Nina9mm said:


> I'm surprised it can sit out at all beyond a couple of days! I would think it would go rancid! I have kept bacon grease in the fridge for awhile, but even then, if it gets to the point I can't remember the date I put it in, I get rid of it. I'm probably too cautious.


Maybe or maybe not ... like I said my grams "used" her grease jar 'each and every day'. I think that makes the difference. Now if I used my grease jar once in a blue moon ... I would think along a differnt line.  But that is just me thinking ... LOL ...


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## Lake Windsong

Bacon grease | Serious Eats : Talk : Cooking and Baking

The comments on this site have some great ways to use bacon grease in everyday cooking. Sounds like some of them really know their bacon! My favorite comment: Call it "exra virgin bacon oil". You'll feel better.

We strain and keep our grease in a glass jar in the fridge. When I get the notion, we make suet cakes for the birds out of whatever we haven't used and start over with a clean jar.


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## kogneto

your grams probably ate a lot healthier than we do today

no hotpockets in the great depression


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## Clarice

I keep my bacon grease in the fridge. Seems to me the back of the stove would get too hot at times. No need in tempting fate. Does anyone know the shelf life of lard. We will be rendering lard when we kill our hog this fall and I'm not sure how long lard will keep. I love using it for pie crust and biscuits.


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## NaeKid

Clarice said:


> I keep my bacon grease in the fridge. Seems to me the back of the stove would get too hot at times. No need in tempting fate. Does anyone know the shelf life of lard. We will be rendering lard when we kill our hog this fall and I'm not sure how long lard will keep. I love using it for pie crust and biscuits.


I buy "TenderFlake" lard from SafeWay from the "room-temperature" shelves. I don't believe that I have ever seen an expiry-date on the box - but - I store the boxes of "TenderFlake" in the back of my fridge. I try to buy between 4 and 6 boxes at a time and keep maximum of 8, minimum of 2 at a time.


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## backlash

My Grandparents ate fried pork 3 times a day.
They would put bacon grease in a bowl and dip their biscuits in it.
Both lived long happy lives.
They did work hard every day of their lives and that helped I'm sure.
Grandma had a container that was stamped bacon grease.
Don't know where she got it but I think I'll look for one.
We keep ours in a jar on the counter by the stove.
I have no idea how long it's been there but we used it tonight for re-fried beans and they tasted OK.


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## Emerald

I've got two jars in the fridge and have been using them for over a year now and they are still nice and clean looking and very good smelling.
But I do put two coffee filters over the mason jar that I drain the hot grease into and it strains out anything that could cause it to go rancid. 
I have used it in making my hamburger buns before and it makes the best BUNS EVER!


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## *Andi

Clarice said:


> I keep my bacon grease in the fridge. Seems to me the back of the stove would get too hot at times. No need in tempting fate. Does anyone know the shelf life of lard. We will be rendering lard when we kill our hog this fall and I'm not sure how long lard will keep. I love using it for pie crust and biscuits.


Most people say a year or 18 months ... (but I have some that is right at 2 years old ... that will be used for soap this fall)

The more water in your lard the less well it will keep.


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## HarleyRider

One of the best uses for bacon grease is frying up a mess of eggs for breakfast. No salt or pepper needed. I don't keep a bacon grease jar on the stove... when I cook up bacon for breakfast there is nothing left after I cook up the eggs. :2thumb:


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## UncleJoe

When this thread was started, back in Feb, I poured the hot bacon grease into a pint canning jar to save it for later. As it cooled the (used) lid sealed. It's been sitting on the counter ever since. I am going to assume that it will still be safe to use. I'll probably open it this winter when we're home and inside more often and see how it fared. If I disappear from the board, you'll know it wasn't any good.


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## *Andi

UncleJoe said:


> When this thread was started, back in Feb, I poured the hot bacon grease into a pint canning jar to save it for later. As it cooled the (used) lid sealed. It's been sitting on the counter ever since. I am going to assume that it will still be safe to use. I'll probably open it this winter when we're home and inside more often and see how it fared. If I disappear from the board, you'll know it wasn't any good.


:gaah: Toss it now!!!!!!!!! I can't have that on my head!!!!!!!!! ()

Remember the point I made about :quote: Grams used her grease jar every day ...  :quote: Just to say ... you know ...

Also Emerald brought up a good point about the filters. A true "grease Jar" has a filter to keep the big stuff out and like Emerald you can use a coffee filter or something like that if you do not have a grease jar.


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## UncleJoe

*Andi said:


> :gaah: Toss it now!!!!!!!!! I can't have that on my head!!!!!!!!! ()


Thanks Andi. I'm touched.  :kiss:


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## Magus

Bacon grease and other fats can be canned and will keep up to a year,maybe longer.


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## UncleJoe

Thanks Magus. I really had no idea if it would be any good.

I'll be careful Andi; I promise.


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## *Andi

UncleJoe said:


> Thanks Magus. I really had no idea if it would be any good.
> 
> I'll be careful Andi; I promise.


You had better!!!!!!!  Your nose will know ... 

Keep on the safe side! :2thumb:


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## Tirediron

A lot of the "old school" methods like the grease can/jar don't support the modern throw away marketing method so they have to be bad for you right?? 
I think as far as fats go *Andi hit it on the head , "your nose"
The other thing about peoples health ,Have you noticed that the super clean people are always sick??:scratch


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## backlash

After reading this thread I went looking for a bacon grease container.
One with a built in strainer.
None locally so I went on line.
'They are expensive.
$29.95 is way to much for a container to replace our mason jar.
I'll keep my eyes open at yard sales.
If anyone knows of a place to get a cheaper one please let me know.

On a side note I read this today.
Recent floods in the midwest have led to the loss of many crops. This loss means a tremendous shortage of feed for farm animals and by that, less bacon for folks like us. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bacon prices are already up 7 percent this year.

Read more:Bacon Prices Rising Sharply*|*Bacon Today


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## *Andi

backlash said:


> After reading this thread I went looking for a bacon grease container.
> One with a built in strainer.
> None locally so I went on line.
> 'They are expensive.
> $29.95 is way to much for a container to replace our mason jar.
> I'll keep my eyes open at yard sales.
> If anyone knows of a place to get a cheaper one please let me know.
> 
> On a side note I read this today.
> Recent floods in the midwest have led to the loss of many crops. This loss means a tremendous shortage of feed for farm animals and by that, less bacon for folks like us. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bacon prices are already up 7 percent this year.
> 
> Read more:Bacon Prices Rising Sharply*|*Bacon Today


As for the grease jar ... check your dollar store or big lots (if you have one) or I have seen them at our k-mart ... but just so you know ... a mason jar with a"coffee filter "does work"

Thanks for the extra info on the floods... :gaah:


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## The_Blob

*Andi said:


> As for the grease jar ... check your dollar store or big lots (if you have one) or I have seen them at our k-mart ... but just so you know ... a mason jar with a"coffee filter "does work"
> 
> Thanks for the extra info on the floods... :gaah:


coffee filters are gREAT for so many things... I always include 1/2 a dozen in any BOB


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## *Andi

The_Blob said:


> coffee filters are gREAT for so many things... I always include 1/2 a dozen in any BOB


So true!!!!!!!!!


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## Emerald

If you can look for one of those gold coffee filters that is more like a cone than the round basket ones and get the filters for that too-I think that they are called #4's and they are so much easier to put on a mason jar for straining the grease.. And if you use them with the gold coffee filter holder it makes a great strainer for making yocheese. 
I bought the #4 filters by mistake one day and my mom had the gold filter(It is just gold colored I don't think it is gold lol) so I decided to use them and found all kinds of uses for them- their funnel shape really works well straining grease and oils that you use for frying things. The more gunk you keep out of the strained grease/oil the longer it keeps.


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## UncleJoe

*Andi said:


> You had better!!!!!!!  Your nose will know ...
> 
> Keep on the safe side! :2thumb:


I noticed today that I lost the seal on the jar. I'm not even going to smell it. Out it goes!


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## The_Blob

UncleJoe said:


> I noticed today that I lost the seal on the jar. I'm not even going to smell it. Out it goes!


I use the kind with a rubber gasket & wires to lock the lid down tight, those are getting harder to find :dunno:


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## NaeKid

The_Blob said:


> I use the kind with a rubber gasket & wires to lock the lid down tight, those are getting harder to find :dunno:


I have purchased lots of those from the local LoonyBins and from Ikea .. those jar-things are still fairly popular around here ..


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## Jarhead0311

UncleJoe said:


> I noticed today that I lost the seal on the jar. I'm not even going to smell it. Out it goes!


We have as my parents before us have always saved bacon grease,we don't use it every day or even every week. We don't seal it (just screw a lid on it) and we don't refrigerate it. I've never had any problems with it.


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## *Andi

I was cleaning out my bacon grease jar and thought of this thread ... lol


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## partdeux

*Andi said:


> I was cleaning out my bacon grease jar and thought of this thread ... lol


necro grease?


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## diannamarsolek

get rid of it it can get bocholinum toxin if the lid sealed we use a jar on the back of the stove as well but it DO NOT have a lid that seales win pore boiling oil in the jar it is mostly sterile but there is just bit of crap in it so you cant seale the jar or it can kill you


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