I’m supposed to start writing about Diet Rehab today. Instead I am writing about bacon! Do you see a problem here?
Actually, that's not bacon, it's hog jowls. We are out of bacon so I can't photograph any. But that's close enough, right?
When I was growing up, there was always a cup of bacon grease in the refrigerator, but the only time I remember my mother using it was when she made green beans. But I have recently discovered the joys of using bacon grease to cook practically everything!
What happened was that Weigel’s had a buy one get one free sale on bacon! We go to Weigel’s (that’s a local version of 7-11, which we don’t have here) every day, and if I make a pound of bacon it gets eaten in five minutes by someone–in fact, there are actual fights over bacon. Bacon is one of the few things William will eat, and Jake and Teddy are always ready for meat. So while it was on sale I bought it every time I went there.
So then I’d have a big frying pan full of bacon grease just sitting there on the stove looking lonely. After the fire, we received a gift of a whole lot of steaks. A WHOLE lot. Jake and Teddy eat steak almost every day. I don’t know what they will do when those are gone. So I discovered that a quick and yummy way to fix the steaks is to pan fry them in the bacon grease! John doesn’t like his pan fried, so I put a slice of raw bacon on it before I broil it. William won’t eat steak any more, but he does like boneless chicken, which also responds well to the bacon grease treatment.
Teddy and Jake will eat a plate full of steak and be satisfied, but for some reason John wants a side dish. How about spaghetti sauteed in the grease that remains after the steaks are done? (With some garlic and salt and pepper as well!) Sweet onions sauteed in bacon drippings are pretty delicious too.
What do I do with the actual bacon? Yesterday I made sandwiches: avocado, a little leftover tomato sauce, the sauteed onion, bacon, some pepper jack cheese. When Emily was home I made bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches. Mostly, though, people just eat slices off the plate the bacon is draining on.
Even the dog benefits from the bacon regime–when I think the grease has had enough, I mix it in his dog food! He hates plain dog food but he’ll eat that with gusto!
And don’t worry about my rehab–I actually get to consume very little of the bacon myself!
My mother always kept bacon drippings too. Besides putting a little in with vegetables, she used it to make gravy. Instead of making a roux with flour and oil or butter, she made it with flour and bacon drippings, then added the stock, milk, whatever. It’s really good. If anyone in your family likes chicken livers, broiled chicken livers wrapped in bacon are great! Unfortunately, I’m the lone liver-eater in my family, so I rarely have it unless we’re eating out.
Clisby, I’ve made roux with bacon grease as well! No chicken liver lovers here, I’m afraid, but I will try wrapping bacon around other things. What could it hurt?