The best SECRET Ingredient!

Does your family have a famous recipe that they won’t share with others? Is there that one secret ingredient that you just won’t give away so someone else can make your dish?

I think everyone has a secret! I have a few that I like to keep under wraps, and use as my secret weapon when I’m making certain things.

One of my favorites is nutmeg! (Woops the secret is out!) I love to add just a bit of nutmeg to my cream based sauces. It just adds that little extra “something” that makes people ask ..hmmmm what is that? ! Try it sometime 🙂

My biggest and my most favorite secret ingredient …. don’t tell! … is BACON FAT !!

The BEST Secret Ingredient - Daily DIY Life (dailydiylife.com)

I know I know bacon fat is not good for you. And I’m sure I will get loads of people to tell me that. I am aware of its risks and warnings believe me. But used in moderation it can add wonderful salty flavor to so many things! Just a little goes a long way when it comes to using bacon fat.
I’m not suggesting you run out and grab some twinkies, dip them in pancake batter and drop them in a big vat of bubbling bacon fat! (Have you ever had a fried twinkie?? )

The next time you cook bacon, save that grease!!  So many people just toss it. And they are throwing away one of the best parts of the  bacon.
Bacon fat has a good shelf life too. If kept covered it can be stored for months.  Many people leave their bacon grease out at room temperature and covered in an air tight container. For some reason I just cant do that. I keep mine covered and in the fridge. It will last longer in there as well.

The Best Secret Ingredient - Daily DIY Life (dailydiylife.com)

I don’t strain my bacon grease. I like having those little bits of crispy fried pork goodness in my food. If you don’t strain it, it wont last as long. The actual bacon pieces will go bad long before the fat. So if you don’t plan on using it very often, I recommend straining out the bits so you get a longer shelf life.

Now on to the best part !! …….What can you use it for??

Here are some wonderful recipes and links for you to use up that wonderful secret ingredient! Please remember if you pin any of the recipes or links please pin from the original source. If you want to pin or save this great flavorful tip please pin from here! Thanks 🙂

Eggs! Eggs and bacon go hand n hand! use a little bacon grease to coat your pan when cooking your eggs instead of butter.
Veggies! Saute your veggies in a spoonful of bacon grease with a little garlic for a great new twist and a lot of added flavor.
Meat! Something about a steak seared in bacon grease makes my mouth water. I mean who doesn’t like a steak wrapped in bacon? This adds the flavor all through it, with out the added pork.
Salad Dressing base!  Use bacon grease instead of oil in your favorite dressing
Beans! Beans love bacon!! Especially refried beans. Adds another dimension of flavor.

A few great recipes!

Southern Cornbread – Courtesy of Local Milk
Fried Potatoes – Courtesy of Just Cooking
Southern White Gravy – Courtesy of CBSOP
Maple Bacon Cupcakes – Courtesy of Swanky Recipes
Bacon Fat Biscuits – Courtesy of Domestic Fits
Bacon Cheese Sticks – Courtesy of Whiskey Bacon
Spinach Salad with warm Bacon Dressing – Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman
Bacon Peanut Caramel Corn – Courtesy of Buzzfeed
Bacon Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies – Courtesy of Tidy Mom
Bacon and Cheddar Beer Bread – Courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker

TIP : 
Get a little bacon grease on your clothes when you were cooking??
Try this – Use Chalk to Get Rid of Grease Stains Instead of using  pre-treaters to treat stains, use white chalk instead. Simply rub it on greasy stains and the chalk powder will absorb the grease, making the stain easily removable by the laundry soap in the wash. It works wonders !

Do you have a container of bacon grease at home? How do you store it? Send us a picture and we will add it to this post … Would love to see how everyone keeps theirs!

Show me your bacon!!!!!! ….grease that is 🙂

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