Bringing Home the Bacon

By Elaine Viets

My grandmother kept a pot of this in her kitchen and used it every day.

I know this will horrify some of our younger moms – she fed it to her grandchildren.

I’m talking about bacon grease. Recycled hog fat.

Bacon grease was the backbone of old-fashioned Southern cooking. Many a girdle-popping meal began with a big dollop of bacon grease melting in a cast-iron skillet.

Bacon grease was ideal for frying chicken, pork chops, baloney and eggs. It adds flavor to cornbread, grits and potatoes and onions with black pepper. Onions fried in bacon grease make a spectacular sandwich. Even shoe leather would be tender and tasty, fried in bacon grease.

Grandma kept her bacon grease in a special metal container that looked like a short fat cookie jar. Inside was a strainer that filtered out bits of bacon and burned stuff. The grease in the bottom hardened into lard.

After the food was forked onto the serving platters, the hot grease was poured back in the strainer to be used again. And again.

Whenever fat was required in a recipe, Grandma added a dollop of recycled bacon grease. God knows how old that grease was when it finally hit our plate again.

I can hear the health-conscious thinking, "Eeuw." Maybe by today’s low-fat, high-fiber standards, recycled bacon grease was unhealthy. Especially when it sat unrefrigerated on a kitchen stove, summer and winter. It had about 35 calories a teaspoon.

But in my neighborhood, kitchens ran on recycled bacon fat. Bacon grease was an all-natural ingredient with the amazing ability to turn health food into a nutritional nightmare. Vegetables went down faster with a hunk of melted bacon grease. Green beans were made for onions and bacon grease. In the summer, when folks had their own garden patches, my grandmother made wilted lettuce salad – white vinegar, hot bacon grease, sugar, new lettuce and green onions. Delicious, and endorsed by Elvis Institute for All-American Eating. I can feel my arteries clogging, just thinking about it.

You used to be able to buy a bacon grease strainer as part of a kitchen cannister set. The canisters would be marked FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT and GREASE. Some cooks preferred a Mason jar full of grease, or a coffee can.

Sometime while I was away at college, the bacon grease strainer disappeared. When I was a bride, I received many splendid and useless objects for wedding and shower gifts, but no bacon grease strainers. I’ve seen some sold online for about $15, but they lack authority.

Jinny Peterson used to keep a fake blue teapot filled with grease on the back of her stove. She believes grease strainers "disappeared with the coming of the microwave oven. That is when I got rid of mine. I ‘waved’ the bacon and the grease went into the paper towel and wasn't saved. I also started to steam the veggies and didn't put that big clump of bacon grease in the pot to boil them."

Many Jewish cooks used chicken fat instead of bacon grease. "It was a major treat to put chicken fat on matzoh during Passover," one friend told me. "Might explain why heart disease is rampant among Jewish people."

I suspect chicken fat and bacon grease oiled the way out of this world for many people in grandmother’s generation.

Grandma knew about Olive Oyl – as a character in "Popeye." But using that Eye-talian oil in American cooking would have seemed unpatriotic. America ran on recycled grease. It made our country great and our bodies as well as our arteries hard. For all Grandma knew, George Washington crossed the Delaware on bacon grease.

"Heart healthy" was not a term that would have impressed her. She smoked, drank, cussed a bit and poured bacon grease on everything but the davenport.

Her philosophy was, "Might as well enjoy yourself. Nobody gets out of here alive."

Comments

[Lynn]

Since my daughter and I discovered turkey bacon, there is no more bacon grease in our house. In fact, we have to use a bit of the "Eyetalian" stuff to make sure the bacon doesn't stick to the pan.

[Laura (in PA)]

My mother did the bacon grease in the coffee can. She did keep it in the refrigerator though. I can remember her frying bacon, then when it was done, cooking eggs in the grease. They were awesome.

When it wasn't bacon grease, it was Crisco. The solid kind. She now (in her 80s) has about 8 stents in her arteries. Hmmm.

My husband swears by the turkey bacon, but I can't get into it. When I want bacon, I want crispy, fattening, bacon. I settle for infrequently instead of substituting the turkey variety.

Now I'm off to find something for breakfast. Unfortunately, it will probably be Cheerios, now that I'm craving a bacon and toast sandwich.

[William Simon]

Two eggs, bacon, toast, milk, and juice was once considered a healthy breakfast; your mom was a Bad Mom if you didn't get that every morning. It always started with a big scoop of leftover grease on the griddle or in the skillet. And it filled the kitchen with such a nice comforting smell. It was Home.

Mention that as a regular breakfast now and watch the horrified looks you get.

Gotta agree with Elaine's grandmother on this one.... might as well enjoy while we're here!

[Susan]

Ah, the joys of pork fat. As Emeril has famously stated, it rules. I too had a grandmother and a mother who faithfully kept a crock on the windowsill of the kitchen at all time. My grandmother had no fear of fat, and would often thicken up her bacon drippings with a little flour and milk and dump the resulting "dipsop" onto some beautifully toasted (white) bread. Talk about good.

Alas, I also microwave my bacon these days so I am not tempted to use bacon fat too often in my cooking. Every summer, however, I do make a giant pot of fresh green beans, onions and potatoes swimming in bacon grease. It's a complete meal and, man, there's something about it that just speaks to my soul. The beans don't crunch at all like a 21st century properly steamed vegetable; they melt into delicious porky goodness with the rest of the ingredients. William is right. There are some things that just feel like Home and, at least for this SW Pa. girl, the smell of bacon grease is just that.

[Kathryn Reschini Sweeney]

First of all, I am going to start re-using the word davenport. What a great word! My grandparents used that word, but not bacon grease.

The Eye-talian side used olive oil for cooking and heaven knows what they used for deserts (and don't laugh - if you've never had zeppolli or bow knots with honey, you don't know what you're missing).

The Irish side just put the bacon right in there, I think. But no way would my Irish Grandma have anything as messy as bacon grease sitting in her kitchen.

And Amen on your Grandma's philosophy - take no chances - eat desert first!

[ramona]

I live near the Delaware and I will never, never look upon the river again without the line "For all Grandma knew, George Washington crossed the Delaware on bacon grease" popping into my head. Elaine, that is too funny!

Davenport is an excellent word, but here's another good one: lard. It is, I believe, the scientific term for bacon grease. It is the cultural term for "yum." In Louisiana, you can still find restaurants (usually former filling stations converted to fish-fry shacks) that have the sign We Use Lard in the windows. The parking lots are usually jammed with Cadillacs, Jaguars and cop cars.

As for cooking with lard, why do you think so many Southerners pray before they eat?

BTW, Elaine, I'm going to start searching for a bacon strainer. I know there are still some out there.

[Joyce Tremel]

We always had bacon grease in our kitchen, too. Mom kept it in the refrigerator, though. And wilted lettuce. Sigh. Probably the only vegetable (if you can even call it that) I'd eat as a kid.

On one of the segments of "The War" that was on PBS, a woman talked about everyone in the neighborhood saving their bacon grease. They'd collect it and it would go in large containers for the war effort. I think she said they made silicone out of it, which doesn't sound right to me, but what do I know?

[ramona]

Somewhere in Joyce's comment is a joke about pig fat and boob jobs, but it's just not jelling for me. Where's Josh this morning?

[Nancy Martin]

In my youth, no kitichen was complete without a can of Crisco in the lazy susan. I can't remember the last time I bought such a thing. Do they still sell it?

The only thing I remember distinctly about my grandmother's kitchen was the enormous tin of homemade sour cream sugar cookies she kept under her kitchen table. I wish I had the recipe for those!

[William Simon]

Josh must be sleeping, ramona, but I found your comments to be quite titillating....

[Maryann Mercer]

My dad lived to be 91 1/2 and still had the coffee can of bacon grease sitting on the counter when he passed away. I remember it from my childhood, along with the Crisco which I still have in my cupboard for making shortbread by my mom's old recipe from Scotland (actually that calls for lard, but even I am not that brave anymore). We were talking about food last night at my Reasonable Diet group (of course) and all of us remember our parents eating food that is considered NOT healthy today, except for one thing-no preservatives. Meat and eggs came directly from the farm, so did produce, and not one of the chicken breasts on the table had been injected with anything!
We always said davenport too :o) And Nancy, I know the cookies you're talking about...if I can find a recipe I'll pass it on.
Anyone hear from Harley?

[Maryann Mercer]

Nancy: Here's the one from my really old Betty Crocker cookbook...shortening and all :o)

Betty Crocker Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

½ cup shortening (part butter)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ cup sour cream

Pre-heat oven to 425F Cream together shortening, sugar, vanilla and egg. Measure flour into separate bowl and add dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Divide dough and roll out to ¼ inch thickness on well-floured pastry cloth or board. Cut with 2-inch cutter; place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bak 8-10 minutes or until delicately golden. 4-5 dozen 2-inch cookies

[Elaine Viets]

Praise the lard! Remember when it was advertised as "pure leaf lard" whatever that was? I think it was the same as shortning, but it was darn good in pies and other desserts.

[Mary Eman]

A couple of years ago, I saw a great bumper sticker: "Eat right, exercise, die anyway".

My grandmother always said davenport for sofa, and used bacon grease and lard in her cooking. She firmly believed that the only way to turn out decent pie crust or biscuits was by using lard. (And her pie crusts were magnificent, as were her biscuits.)

Let me add that she died at age 96.

[Joyce Tremel]

Anyone ever notice that obesity only became an epidemic after all the "healthy" sugar-free and fat-free products came out?

[Kerry, The Martial Tart]

Oh, the memories! My Mom's grease container was copper and sat in the 'fridge (which my grandmother always referred to as "The Fridgidaire"). No strainer, though -- the solid bits added more flavor. Eggs were always fried in bacon grease (a LOT of bacon grease -- enough to kind of float them in the cast-iron skillet with enough left to spoon onto the yolks). I don't think she used it for much else, though, at least not that I can think of (Mom was a Pittsburgh girl, not a southerner).

Crisco, though, now that's a whole 'nother story. I'm sure it was a major contributing factor to the absolute heaven that was her pie crusts, and made our Friday fish-and-chips utterly delectable (and can I just say that I've still never forgiven Pope Paul for rescinding the whole 'no meat on Friday' thing?). It went into every baked good that came out of our house -- and my Mom baked a lot.

Crisco, of course, is basically pure trans-fat, so is now a major no-no. As is the lard. Especially for those of us embarked on Making Healthy Lifestyle Changes.

Sigh.

[Josh]

The only fire with a name that I could find and that seemed to be near Harley's area was the "Malibu Canyon" fire. As of this morning, KTLA reported that it was 80% contained and schools and some canyon roads were reopening. This, I found at CNN.com.

Now, I don't know exactly where Harley lives other than what is on her book flap (Topanga Canyon), so I could be wrong, but if I'm not, she should be out of the woods.

Perhaps some Blog Sisters who know where she lives can look it up on Google maps or MSN Earth or something like that. Those resources are available, but you need more information than I have.

[Tasha Alexander]

Ohhh....my mother always had the bacon grease. So very good! You're making me hungry, Elaine...

Life is too short to eat bad food.

[Josh]

Okay.

I confirmed on this map: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21436901 that Topanga Canyon evacuated because of the Malibu Canyon fire. This map says that as of 8:00 Eastern Time today, the fire was 75% contained.

[Maryann Mercer]

Thanks, Josh :o)

[Rebecca the Bookseller]

On Harley -- if Google Earth is current, her house looks fine and there are green trees all around.

None of us have called her because we are trying to respect the directive to leave lines open for emergency use.

As far as we know, she and the kids, who evacuated early, are fine.

Elaine - great blog. Never did the bacon grease, but always had Crisco. My Mom's best chocolate chip cookies still have Crisco.

[Rebecca the Bookseller]

P.S. Lest anyone think these fires aren't powerful, they have succeeded in getting Josh to essentially ignore several easy layups on breast humor.

[Mary Storyteller]

Ooh, y'all have made me so hungry! Good thing I already had plans to visit Miss Aimee B's for eggs Benedict and French toast. My grandma cooked with grease, too, and used lard for pie crusts. Dad said that back on the farm she created baked wonders that women with modern stoves could only dream of, and she also lived into her 90's. God help any doctor who told her to lose weight, "This is from good cooking and good eating!"
** English teacher quibble here: I always feel cheated when I see dessert spelled as desert, mostly because of my students' mnemonic clues, strawberry shortcake and "one desert is plenty, but I'd like two desserts."

[Mary Storyteller]

Hijack topic: a friend in West Virginia forwarded a letter regarding censorship of books. It's wonderful! I found many references on the web, but not the full text. I'll paste in just a bit. --
The school board of Charleston, West Virginia, has sullied that gift and shamed themselves and their community. You’ve now entered the ranks of censors, book-banners, and teacher-haters, and the word will spread. Good teachers will avoid you as though you had cholera. But here is my favorite thing: Because you banned my books, every kid in that county will read them, every single one of them. Because book banners are invariably idiots, they don’t know how the world works — but writers and English teachers do.

I salute the English teachers of Charleston, West Virginia, and send my affection to their students. West Virginians, you’ve just done what history warned you against — you’ve riled a Hatfield.


Sincerely,

Pat Conroy

[ramona]

Mary, I love Pat Conroy. Have you ever seen his cookbook? He has a recipe for Breakfast Shrimp and Grits that also includes--you guessed it--bacon.