Storing / Freezing Bacon

[Shel_B]

Bacon!  Everybody loves bacon, or so it is said.  However, I rarely use it, and when I do use it, I have purchased it thick cut and by the slice from one of several local markets, only buying what's needed for a particular dish or recipe.  Earlier today, for the sake of convenience, I purchased a package of bacon, which is much more than the three slices I need.  I want to store (freeze?) the left overs.

 

Will bacon store/freeze well, and for how long can it remain stored/frozen?  Can I keep it six months or longer?  The last time I used bacon was about 16-months ago. Can it be stored for that length of time?

 

Thanks!

[Martin Fisher]

Bacon stores well in the freezer short-term.

It'll go rancid stored long-term.

I don't keep it stored in the freezer longer than 3-4 months, usually less.

[Jaymes]

Bacon freezes perfectly. I always like having some around, but rarely need more than one or two slices at a time.  I always have some in the freezer.  Always.

 

That said, however, as DDF points out, it will eventually go rancid, even in the freezer.  I've used it after about 6 months, and it's fine.

 

But I'm not sure of anything that won't spoil, even in the freezer, after 16 months.

[Toliver]

Fry it all up.

Save the fat for future frying fun.

Put the cooled cooked bacon in a plastic zipper-type bag and toss into the freezer.

Take pieces of cooked bacon out out of the bag as you need them and reheat them in your microwave.

Keep the rest in the plastic bag in the freezer. Rinse and repeat.

Super easy and convenient.

[Jaymes]

Fry it all up.

Save the fat for future frying fun.

Put the cooled cooked bacon in a plastic zipper-type bag and toss into the freezer.

Take pieces of cooked bacon out out of the bag as you need them and reheat them in your microwave.

Keep the rest in the plastic bag in the freezer. Rinse and repeat.

Super easy and convenient.

 

I can see how this might be a handy idea, but I often use bacon for things like wrapping a raw slice around a chicken tender and baking it, as I did last night.  Or wrapping around a shrimp or water chestnut for the Barbie.  Or laying across a meatloaf or casserole before it goes into the oven.  And a great many other things that require raw floppy slices. 

[Shel_B]

Fry it all up.

Save the fat for future frying fun.

Put the cooled cooked bacon in a plastic zipper-type bag and toss into the freezer.

Take pieces of cooked bacon out out of the bag as you need them and reheat them in your microwave.

Keep the rest in the plastic bag in the freezer. Rinse and repeat.

Super easy and convenient.

 

What does that do to the texture of the bacon?  How long can the bacon fat remain refrigerated or frozen?  I rarely fry with bacon fat since I rarely use bacon ...

[Porthos]

Shel_B, I keep bacon in the freezer successfully for 6-8 months. If you won't even use it up that fast, I suggest that you freeze it for convenience and then give it to a bacon-loving neighbor or friend.

 

Me I'm thinking I'd be cooking the rest of the bacon, crumbling it for salads, and using the rendered fat for potato pancakes. Now I'm hungry for potato pancakes. Solution: I'll cook up a pound for Christmas morning (I have at least 2 pounds in the freezer right now) and make potato pancakes the week going into New Year's Day.

[btbyrd]

Bacon!  Everybody loves bacon, or so it is said.

....

The last time I used bacon was about 16-months ago. Can it be stored for that length of time?

 

Thanks!

If the last time you used bacon was 16 months ago, I dare say that you don't love bacon.

 

Joking aside, I wouldn't attempt to freeze anything for 16 months and expect it to still be quality. That's especially true for bacon, which, as others have mentioned, is prone to rancidity. From a study:

 

"Bacon slices were rated lower in flavor acceptability after 112 days of storage in all wraps compared to storage for shorter intervals. Bacon slices were generally rated as unacceptable in flavor after 112 days of storage. ... The flavor of bacon slices was rated as significantly more rancid after 112 days of storage (all wraps) than bacon stored for shorter periods." - Mandigo and Osburn, "Cured and Processed Meats" in Freezing Effects on Food Quality (ed. Lester Jeremiah)

 

These findings were based on bacon stored at -30C, which is probably colder than your home freezer.

[Shel_B]

 I keep bacon in the freezer successfully for 6-8 months. If you won't even use it up that fast, I suggest that you freeze it for convenience and then give it to a bacon-loving neighbor or friend.

 

Me I'm thinking I'd be cooking the rest of the bacon, crumbling it for salads

 

I may try making some crumbled bacon to use as flavoring, especially if it'll last a while.  However, more likely is that I'll just give the leftover bacon to a neighbor.  I was thinking of doing that, and your suggestion has motivated me to do just that this afternoon.

 

Thanks to all for your suggestions and information.

[Simon Lewinson]

Agree with the thoughts of not freezing it. My experience is that frozen bacon gets an almost fishy taste that I find revolting.

 

Simon

[Martin Fisher]

Bacon from hogs that are fed a diet low in PUFAs isn't prone to rancidity or the fishiness.

That's why there  are restrictions on PUFAs in Italy and other places with high standards.

Unfortunately, high quality pork is very difficult to find here in the USA nowadays...even much of the "premium" stuff has soft fat.

One must grow their own to ensure that it's done right. 

[Shel_B]

Bacon from hogs that are fed a diet low in PUFAs isn't prone to rancidity or the fishiness.

 

What are PUFAs?

[Martin Fisher]

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

 

More info here... http://forums.egullet.org/topic/132207-what-should-pigs-eat/?p=1967504

[Toliver]

I can see how this might be a handy idea, but I often use bacon for things like wrapping a raw slice around a chicken tender and baking it, as I did last night.  Or wrapping around a shrimp or water chestnut for the Barbie.  Or laying across a meatloaf or casserole before it goes into the oven.  And a great many other things that require raw floppy slices. 

Fortunately, a few of my local grocery stores still have a meat department. When I need strips of bacon for topping my meatloaf (great minds think alike! ), they sell it by weight. So I can ask for a quarter pound or so for topping meatloaves without having to worry about what am I going to do with the rest of the bacon in a pound package.