Lard vs Bacon Grease
Do you really need lard grease?
Lard is a type of fat that comes from the pig’s backside (pork lard)and is used to cook food. It has a high smoke point and gives off a delicious aroma when cooked.
Bacon grease is also known as rendered pork fat. It is made from cooking bacon until all the liquid fat drips out. This liquid fat is then poured into cans and stored for later use.
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What Is Lard?
Do you ever wonder what lard is? Lard is rendered animal fat coming from meat such as pork. However, you can also get lard from any animal that has fatty tissue like beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck, etc.
Lard comes from a rendering process usually in a factory at a large scale for the lard that is sold in the supermarket. But you can also have homemade lard – sometimes call dripping.
This fatty product is used for cooking and baking. Lard can also be used for making soap, candles, shampoo, lotions, cosmetics, and other household items.
What is Bacon grease?
Bacon butter is a thick, golden, brown, or sometimes opaque liquid that comes from rendering bacon fat. It’s a thick, rich, flavorful liquid that contains saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium, and other nutrients. This liquid has been used since ancient times as a cooking product that gives great flavor. Some people make it from bacon strips while baking in the oven,
Professional Chefs know the value of Bacon fat or grease and the amazing flavor it gives to dishes. They value it so much there are actually different names given to bacon grease depending on where it comes from.
Lard vs Bacon Grease Table
| Bacon | Lard | |
| Smoke Point | 400F | 374F |
| Taste | Bacon Flavor | Neutral Flavor |
| Salty | Not Salty | |
| Types of Fat | Saturated Fats | Saturated Fats |
| Monounsaturated fat | Monounsaturated fat | |
| Trans Fats | Trans Fats | |
| Calories | High | High |
What is Lard Made Of?
“Lard” is really a catch-all term for pork fat that has been rendered. In the cheffing world, it has specific names for each section of pig it was made from.
- Fatback Lard – made from the rump area of the pig (also shoulder)
- Leaf lard is a very special quite expensive large made from areas around the pigs kidney.
- Caul Lard or Fat comes from the intestine area of the pig
- Belly Lard or fat is made around the pork belly part of the pig.
Can I Use Bacon Fat Instead of Lard?
How to Store Bacon Fat
How to Store Homemade Bacon Fat? The key to storing bacon fat is to protect it from light, and air- so use an airtight container in a dark cool space. You may want to wrap your bacon fat in aluminum foil before placing it into storage. This gives the bacon drippings a great bacon flavor. If Leaf Fat or leftover bacon fat is exposed to light then it first becomes a neutral flavor before turning rancid.
If you do not store your bacon fat properly, it will turn rancid quickly. It will smell bad and taste terrible. You can also use a screw-top glass jar – if you place it in the back, dark part of your fridge. Some folks also name this bacon butter.
How Long can Bacon Fat Last in the Refridgerator?
Pure filtered bacon fat can last for 6 months or more in the fridge. Filtering means using a filter like muslin cloth (or porous paper towels) to remove the solid bits in the homemade bacon fat.
Bacon fat will last for 6 weeks in the fridge if you leave the “bits” in, i.e unfiltered bacon fat or grease.
Is lard and bacon grease the same
Lard and bacon grease are both rendered animal fats from pigs. They are similar in taste, smell, texture, and color. However, they are different in nutritional value. Bacon grease has higher levels of saturated fat than lard.
Is there a difference between bacon grease and bacon fat?
There is little difference between bacon grease and Bacon Fat. Both come from a pig just different parts of the pig.
Can bacon grease replace lard?
Yes, Bacon Grease can be used as a replacement for Lard in cooking. The main difference between bacon grease and lard is that bacon grease has more bacon flavor.
Is it bad to fry eggs in bacon grease?
If you want crispy fried eggs, then yes, you should use bacon fat instead of vegetable oil. Bacon grease has more bacon taste and who does not like bacon and eggs.
Is bacon grease worse than olive oil?
Bacon grease is better than olive oil if you like bacon taste. However, the fat content in bacon grease is worse than olive oil.
Bacon grease is often called Bacon Gold or liquid gold because it can create some amazing-tasting food.
Here are some examples of dishes that are really good when made with bacon grease
- Pie crust
- Grandmas Carrots
- Green beans.
- Pancakes
- Bacon aioli
- Cornbread
- Gravy
- Mashed Potato
- Hash browns
In addition to being delicious, bacon grease can be used as an alternative to butter when baking and even in recipes for cookies.
However, rendered bacon fat should not be part of your daily diet there is just too much pure fat in there to be a balanced diet.