This week’s Southern cooking lesson deals with bacon grease. I have mentioned this valuable ingredient in previous lessons, but I want you to know that there are several different ways to use an ingredient that most people throw away. Here are just ten great uses to get you started on the road to delicious Southern food.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #1: Hoe Cakes
Hoe cakes are very popular in Southern cooking. A hoe cake is basically cornmeal pancakes. Just think of them as fried cornbread. While you can cook hoe cakes in vegetable oil or even butter, why not add additional flavor by frying your hoe cakes in bacon grease?
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #2: Loaded Potato Cakes
Leftover mashed potatoes get used in delicious ways when it comes to Southern cooking. Here in the South we love to use leftover mashed potatoes to make potato cakes. Just combine your leftover mashed potatoes with eggs, cheese, and sliced green onions. Then fry your potato cakes in a mixture of butter and bacon grease.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #3: Fried Corn
When it comes to Southern cooking, one of my favorite dishes to prepare is fried corn. For fried corn, you do need corn cut fresh from the cob. First cut the corn off the cob while you melt down some of your stored bacon grease and butter in a large skillet. Then just add the corn to the skillet and fry the corn for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #4: Southern Green Beans
When I make green beans, I always have Southern cooking in mind. You will not find steamed green beans in my home. Instead, I take fresh green beans and put them in the slow cooker with about a cup of water, bacon grease, and extra pieces of raw bacon. Allow the beans to cook all day or low heat. You’ll never eat steamed green beans again.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #5: Fried Potatoes
This is really simple. The next time you make fried potatoes, use a little bit of bacon grease. Add the bacon grease to your vegetable oil and you’ll have delicious fried potatoes that your family will love.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #6: Corny Cornbread Muffins
The next time you make cornbread, stir in a can of creamed corn. You can use any cornbread batter, but if you want authentic Southern cooking it will not have sugar in it. Then all you have to do is grease a muffin pan with leftover bacon grease, pour in the batter, and bake until golden brown. This adds delicious flavor to your cornbread.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #7: Bacon Mushroom Cheeseburgers
In the South, we like to add flavor to everything. The next time you want an out of this world cheeseburger, try this. First fry up your bacon and then cook your mushroom in the bacon grease. While the mushrooms are cooking, fry up your hamburger patty and top with cheese right before it’s done. Then just top the cheeseburger with the mushrooms and bacon and place on a hamburger bun that has been fried in butter. And don’t forget the mayonnaise.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #8: Wilted Greens
Wilted greens are very Southern. When I say wilted greens, I don’t mean greens you’ve cooked in a skillet until they’ve wilted down. I mean greens that have been wilted from the heat of bacon grease. The first thing you need to do is fry up about 6 pieces of bacon. Once the meat is done, move it to a paper towel and pour the bacon grease over a bowl of fresh greens. The bacon grease will quickly wilt the greens. Then just chop up the bacon and put it on top of the wilted greens. This is the perfect side dish for Southern cooking.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #9: Fried Eggs
One of the simplest ways to use bacon grease is to fry eggs. Once you get done frying the meat, just add your eggs into the pan. This adds amazing flavor to everyday eggs.
Ten Uses for Bacon Grease #10: Heart Attack Mashed Potatoes
One last way to use bacon grease is in mashed potatoes. Once your potatoes are boiled, add butter, sour cream, bacon grease, salt, and pepper and then mash. Once the potatoes are mashed up, stir in crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions. These are great with fried chicken.
