Bacon Fat Is The Secret To Unbeatable Tacos

Tacos and bacon seem to be two foods that simply don't require improvement. They are the pinnacle: So full of flavor that the idea of adornment seems absolutely unnecessary, if not detrimental. So when we recommend a way to fuse the two together in a creative way, know we are doing so with a great deal of forethought and care. This hack brings together the base of your tacos — the warm, soft flour tortilla — and bacon fat: that liquid gold left over from the delicious sizzling breakfast meat.

Many home cooks already know the delicious possibilities of bacon fat. It is flavor packed and works beautifully in a number of recipes. Many four tortillas are already made with lard (rendered pork fat). So why not swap your lard for bacon grease? Home cooks have found this swap to be superbly tasty. The bacon fat gives a similarly tender texture to your tortillas but with the added kick of smoky bacon notes that give your tacos even more umami to enjoy. Bonus points if your bacon fat contains small bits of bacon to infuse your tortillas with more bacon-y goodness. To incorporate, simply mix your bacon fat into your salted flour, stir in warm water, work it into a ball of dough, let it rest, and then press and cook on an un-greased pan.

Now, once you made those delicious, bacon fat-infused tortillas, how should you use them? Well, this might depend on the bacon you selected for the fat. If, for example, you're using fat from a sweet, maple bacon, then using the resulting tortillas for a delicious breakfast wrap, complete with maple bacon or sausage, eggs, cheese, hash browns, and maybe a simple add-in of umami-rich mushrooms is a great choice. You can also use this sweet bacon fat tortilla for a barbecue taco with bacon, pulled pork, coleslaw, and tangy barbecue sauce.

If you choose a black pepper bacon, this tortilla could make a great base for a richer and meatier filling, such as steak. Rendered fat from sriracha bacon makes a beautiful tortilla shell for a Korean barbecue taco, which can hold up well against spicy kimchi and the sweet, savory, and complex bulgogi. Of course, these are just a few options. You can also use bacon as a jumping off point for trying other fats, such as schmaltz (rendered chicken fat you can easily make in the microwave) or even ghee, a delicious, nutty, and complex cooking fat, which can be made at home by simmering butter until the milk proteins are toasted and removed. Each of these fats offers a different flavor that will suffuse those soft, delectable tortillas.