So, I have this jar of Beef Bacon Fat, that has been growing in my fridge for the last few months. Now originally this was merely for disposal purposes, better than clogging the drains, or makin a mess of the trash can. However, valid culinary uses for a jar of Beef Bacon Fat came apparent, but even so, more fat was being pored into the jar than scooped out. The time is fast approaching where this jar shall be declared full, and a new jar is to be used as my pour in/ scoop out jar. So the question is begged, what do I do with a Jar of Beef Bacon Fat™?
I thought about making soap, but I’m pretty sure bacon may not be the best scent base to be starting from. I’m sure it’ll be lovely on the skin, tho.
I could give it as a gift to a friend. I have a friend who fancies himself a redneck gourmet, but I’m not sure of the continued edibility of said Jar of Bacon Fat™ since the stuff on the bottom of the jar is like three to four months old.
So dopers, I leave it to you, help me determine the fate of Jar of Beef Bacon Fat™ or leave us with tales of your “jars of”
Rendered animal fats stored in the fridge typically last a long long time - spoilage would tend to happen in two ways:
-Oxidation - this is the process that causes fat to turn ‘rancid’, but it’s pretty slow for hard animal fats, especially in the fridge.
-Spoilage of non-fat components; this is more of a concern - if the liquid you poured into the can was not entirely fat, but actually a mixture of fat and meat juices, then the meat juices could become a culture medium for pathogenic bacteria, except that if it was all poured into the can while it was boiling hot, the fat layer floating on top may have quite effectively sealed it, preventing bacteria from getting in.
If what you’ve got is a can full of relatively pure white, hard animal fat, I’d be using it for roasting potatoes, otherwise, a winter treat for the birds is an excellent suggestion (melt it, mix with seeds etc, then set it in yoghurt pots or some such). Or you could make candles, but probably not for Christmas gifts.
Well, I doubt any of this fat is pure, it’s what was left in the pan after I took my cooked bacon out. Meat juices, yeah, little carred bits of meat, yeah, but that stuff just adds character.
making candles, huh? Would they smell like cooking beef bacon? Cause that might increase the production of Jar of Beef Bacon Fat™
