Before we explore how to store bacon grease, it’s worth thinking about how amazing this byproduct of an already spectacular staple of most of our diets—trustworthy, delicious bacon—is.

It may seem like the dark arts are involved, but it’s far more heavenly than that. Bacon grease can be used to enhance many future dishes, long after the glory of the bacon that created it has faded. And as we’ll learn, the time-honored trick of reusing bacon grease is simple, eco-friendly, and saves unnecessary strain on your plumbing.

Why you should store bacon grease

The chaos of cooking for your loved ones, or just trying to get out the door to start your workday, can make it tempting to want to move on from the mess created by preparing bacon as quickly as possible. And while that’s understandable, here’s why it’s inadvisable:

It clogs your drains: Your plumber is shaking their head disapprovingly if your response to “What to do with leftover bacon grease?” is to just dump it down your drain. The grease hardens quickly and forms a sticky coating on your cold pipes. Over time, you’ll end up with clogs, an expensive plumbing bill, and a disappointed plumber.

There are flavor-boosting opportunities: Whether you’re using it to coat pans, sauté vegetables, or enhance baked goods with smoky goodness, bacon grease is a functional additive to your cooking experiments. Who doesn’t love an unexpected hint of an iconic flavor when they least expect it?

It’s environmentally friendly: You’re aware of the pipe-clogging potential bacon grease has, so you decide you’ll just compost it. Unfortunately, this isn’t how to dispose of bacon grease either. The high fat content of bacon grease will impede the microorganisms breaking down organic matter from doing their important work—and you’ll have undesirable critters waiting for their opportunity to create havoc in your bin.

How to store bacon fat: tips and tricks

Now that we’ve learned why it’s worth the (minimal) effort to do so, let’s take a deeper look into how to store bacon grease. Of course, “deeper” might be pushing it—thankfully, it’s not particularly complicated.

Straining

As bits of food left in the grease can lead to spoiling the grease, you’ll want to strain the fat before it heads to storage. A coffee filter, fine mesh strainer, or cheesecloth will do the trick. You should aim to do this while the grease is still mildly warm, as it makes for a smoother pouring process.

Sorting

Any container that has a tightly fastened lid is perfect for bacon grease storage. This isn’t something you need to purchase separately; peanut butter or jam jars will work beautifully here. If those aren’t available, any sort of glass jar will do — avoid plastic as it will absorb flavors and odors, and could be potentially harmful by adding microplastics to your bacon byproduct bounty.

Storing

If it’s not going to be very long before you augment some meals with bacon grease, you can store the jar on your countertop for around a week. In your refrigerator, the grease will last up to a month, and about a year if you store it in the freezer. Bacon grease does go bad — but you’ll know it’s spoiled, as the color will be off, and/or it will create a sour and unpleasant odor (highly un-baconlike).

What to do with your leftover bacon grease

Safely storing your leftover bacon grease is obviously important, but it’s not the fun part. Using it to take your cooking to the next level is where we discover why it’s worth the effort.

• Instead of using butter or shortening in your baking, use the bacon grease to give a savory, smoky note to delectables such as cookies, cornbread, or biscuits.
• Popcorn is versatile and easy-to-make, and can be given a bacon-inspired makeover by using bacon grease instead of butter or oil. Add your favorite topping — parmesan cheese, chili flakes, salt, and more — to experience a gourmet twist to an old snacking standard.
• What’s better than a grilled cheese sandwich or TBLT? A sandwich lightly touched by bacon grease. Just coat the frying pan, rotate when appropriate, and you’re good to go.
• It’s not just heavier food items that can benefit from bacon grease’s magic. Adding it to a warm vinaigrette can give your salad dressings a savory element you didn’t know was missing.

The Briny Benefits of a Beloved Byproduct

By being a precious presence in our mealtime adventures, bacon by itself proves its worth, over and over again. As we’ve seen, storing bacon grease requires minimal effort, avoids creating waste, and can save you a bit of money. With its big flavor, just a little bacon grease goes a long way—just another gift from an ingredient that already gives us so much.

We’ve learned how to store bacon grease, but what about bacon? Discover how to store bacon for extended freshness and a longer shelf life.