Bacon Grease?
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- fooler20
move over bacon now there's something leaner....
got the free paper today and it had a bunch of bacon grease recipes.
I guess we should have seen it coming with how popular this tasty meat has become..
- fooler20
Bacon-y Corn Bread
Published February 16, 2010
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
This corn bread is a nice cross between dense, cornmeal-laden Southern corn bread and its sweeter, cakier northern cousin. Serve it with chili or bean soups, and enjoy leftovers toasted, with a little butter and jam.
Ingredients
2 to 3 tablespoons rendered bacon fat
1 1/2 cups medium-grind cornmeal (I like Bob's Red Mill brand)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (use 2 if you like sweet corn bread)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the bacon fat in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) and heat over medium heat until very hot; remove from heat.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir in the buttermilk and egg until well combined; if too dry or stiff, add a few more tablespoons buttermilk or water. Pour into the preheated pan (the batter may sizzle), smooth out the top, if necessary, and bake until the sides of the corn bread pull away from the skillet and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes in the pan and serve hot or warm.
- fooler20
Smoky Mountain Molasses Cookies
Published February 16, 2010
MAKES ABOUT 32 COOKIES
The vanilla is an unusual addition to spice cookies, but it helps smooth out the bacon flavor so that it delivers a smoky finish rather than a wallop.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup solid rendered bacon fat, at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
About 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the bacon grease and brown sugar until fluffy and light-colored. Add the molasses, beat well, and then beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Chill dough for several hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into walnut-sized balls, then roll in granulated sugar to coat. Place 2 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets (or you can line them with parchment paper or silicone mats) and bake, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are slightly cracked (the centers will still be wet). Rest cookies on sheet for 1 to 2 minutes, then slide with a spatula onto a wire rack and let cool. Cookies will keep, tightly covered, for up to a week; their flavor is best a day after they have baked.
- fooler20
Crispy Roasted Potatoes
Published February 16, 2010
MAKES 4 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
These golden-brown, immensely addictive potatoes are much more than the sum of their parts. Tossed with chicken fat, they brown slowly in the oven at a low temperature for hours -- throw them in the oven early in the evening, and they emerge later gloriously transformed. Serve these with a copious sprinkling of salt.
Ingredients
About 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/4-inch chunks
3 tablespoons chicken fat, melted (preferably from accompanying Schmaltz and Gribenes)
Kosher salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Toss the potatoes and chicken fat together in a large baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, then turn the potatoes in the fat with a metal spatula. Return to the oven and bake for another hour. Season generously with salt and serve.
- brains0
I made this for thanksgiving this year in lieu of a turkey, as it was for only 2 people.
Bacon, apple and thyme-butter stuffed turkey breast, with a thyme mornay sauce. All with roasted baby potatoes tossed in bacon grease and garlic and brussels sprouts.
- ********0
- fugged0
Seriously, wtf is that? A Foreskin?
- ok_not_ok0
Pirate Cat Radio Cafe's Maple Bacon Latte
- ********0
_
Can't believe americans eat so much bacon when their bacon defaults to that disgusting cheap streaky shit- Worrrd, it looks synthetic, typical for most american food I've encountered.rascuache
- ********0
Cracklins
Light the fire (medium). Put the lard and 1 cup of water in the pot. When the grease gets to about 200ºF add the meat. Get the grease up to about 250ºF and try to keep it there. This will be hot enough to render the fat and not burn the oil. I found that the lower temperature also keeps sticking to a minimum. Stir every five minutes or so. Stay with it...
After the water is cooked off keep cooking until the bubbles almost stop; this could take an hour or more.
You'll notice that the more you cook them the hotter the grease will get. Try to keep the grease below 325ºF until they are done.
Take the cracklin out and put it on some paper towels with newspaper below. Shake them around a little. Let the cracklin cool for about 15 minutes.
You're going to fry the Cracklin again to make the skin pop.
Rendering the fat will produce more oil. Judge how much oil you have in the pot against how much oil you'll need when you put the cracklin back in. Take out what you think you don't need. You just need enough to float the Cracklin.
This next step is going to get messy and dangerous. Keep the kids at a distance and be sure this is outside... please. Your oil level in your pot should be about 1/4 full, that's it. If it's more than that you're going to have a fire hazard.
Heat the oil back up to about 365ºF. Once the oil is up to temp put the cracklin back in and let them start to fry again. Get the oil back up to 365ºF then turn off the fire. That's in case the grease boils over to the point it hits the flame.
Now put one cup of ice in the oil. It's going to roar and pop within about 3 seconds.. stand back. The ice makes the skin pop and softens it so it chews easier. Again, this is going to be a violent reaction when the ice is added... stay clear!
Once it all settles down relight the fire and cook for about 5 minutes and take them out. Don't let the oil get over 350ºF.
Put them in a pan with a new batch of newspaper and paper towels. Lightly season with Tony's and salt and move the pan around briskly to absorb the liquid fat. Put in a paper bag next with paper towels and shake every few minutes. This will help get even more liquid fat out.
Let cool to room temperature then put in a glass jar and close the lid. This preserves them very well. Oh, you can eat them if you want too!
