Don't Throw Out Your Bacon Grease, Use It To Make A Savory Butter Instead

Cooking bacon is, inevitably, a messy business. After pan frying or baking these little strips of meaty goodness, one is inevitably left with pools of bacon grease. It's tempting to simply sop up the leftover fat and toss it in the trash. However, this is a huge waste of an incredibly dynamic ingredient. There are a myriad of ways to use leftover bacon grease, and we have the best option yet: mixing it with butter. That's right, we're talking bacon butter.

The concept of mixing ingredients into butter is hardly new. In fact, you can find many compound butters at your local grocery store. But this porky combo has something fresh (or rather, smoky) to offer. To make, take one stick of butter and a few tablespoons of bacon grease and whip together until fluffy. For texture and extra bacon flavor, add bits of chopped bacon. Don't shy away from those teeny tiny bacon drippings; those dapple your butter with added flavor. Just make sure your bacon grease has cooled down, or is at room temperature, and that your butter has sufficiently softened so they mix together evenly. If your bacon fat is too hot, it can't whip properly, and if it's too cold, it can turn out chunky with uneven mixing. Once whipped to perfection, place in a tub, or roll into a log, and store in the fridge.

You don't have to stop at simply combining bacon grease with butter. This combo is a great starting point for any number of compound combinations. For starters, you can take your bacon butter in a breakfast direction by adding in a bit of maple syrup. This adds a wonderful hint of sweetness and makes the butter a great addition to your breakfast. Seriously, imagine a stack of pancakes slathered in maple bacon butter. It's absolutely drool-worthy. For added sweetness, use maple bacon and maple bacon drippings.

Feeling more savory? Use that bacon grease to saute some chopped garlic before mixing into your butter. This is a great base for a simple, homemade Alfredo sauce (Italian-style, not American), giving added depth to a classic but oh-so-simple dish. You can also go for more adventurous mix-ins, such as chopped jalapeños, and herbs, such as rosemary or thyme. This combo makes a great topping for steak. Mix in a small bit of Worcestershire sauce or another umami-rich ingredient for added depth, or add a few dollops of caramelized onion to add sweetness without verging into dessert territory. Seriously, there are countless ways to customize and use this bacon-y butter. Whether you're tossing it into pasta, topping your steak, enhancing your burgers or pancakes, or even just spreading it on a crusty piece of toast, it might just be your new favorite way of enjoying bacon.