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How to Can Bacon

Best Way To Long Term Store Bacon

You could try freeze drying bacon, but I wouldn’t advise it.

How Can I Store Bacon?

We absolutely love bacon here. Seriously, it’s a favorite. I wouldn’t freeze dry it. You can freeze it, but you shouldn’t leave it in the freezer for too long.

If you’re looking into freeze drying, you should consider stopping by Freeze Drying Mama, however, freeze drying isn’t the solution we’re looking for this time.

The answer is canning.

Hang on! Don’t be intimidated. I understand that canning can seem overwhelming—pressure canners, hot water baths, seals—all those terms can be off-putting. But when I moved and needed better storage options than just freezing, I did some thorough research.

Here’s what I discovered.

Pressure canning isn’t as scary as it sounds. It’s quite similar to freeze drying. You prep everything, set up your equipment, let it run its cycle, and then clean up and store everything. Simple.

There are always different ways to do things, not just what one person suggests. Thank goodness for that.

You don’t need fancy gadgets for pressure canning. I’m using one from a garage sale, gifted by my mother-in-law. It’s missing a handle and some glass, but guess what? I love it! It works wonderfully and is quite spacious. I even bought another one as a backup.

Here’s my method for pressure canning and storing bacon.

What bacon can I can?

I just grab whatever is available. Here’s some that was available on sale at a local grocer.

How Do I Prepare Bacon For Canning?

I like it to be at least partially frozen. This makes it easier to cut into chunks.

As you can see, I cut this bacon into about half inch chunks. I’ve done 2 inch chunks as well. It’s your preference and how you’re going to use them when you’re finished.

The bacon chunks piled into a bowl before canning.

Here you can see how much I got. This is a LOT of bacon prepped for canning.

How Do I Pack Bacon For Canning?

I did an experiment when I first started canning bacon. I would give a lot of space and not pack the chunks into the jar. But once I saw how much it cooked down, I started packing it as high as I could get it and as tight. It shrinks a LOT.

How Long Do I Cook My Bacon In The Pressure Canner?

I brought my 7 quart jars up to 10 lbs pressure and then held it there for 40 minutes. Once I hit the time, I turned off the heat and let it cool. Once I was able to safely take the lid off, I pulled out my jars to finish cooling on a cloth for 24 to 48 hours.

You can see the lovely juices in there mixed with all the meat. I’m a HUGE bacon fat fan and I didn’t want to lose it all by canning bacon wrapped in parchment paper. If that’s how you do your bacon, that’s terrific! I just really value those juices.

I also, don’t always just make strips of bacon. I use bacon in a lot of my soup recipes, casseroles, eggs, omelets, etc. So, I like having everything available to me – minus the paper.

How Do You Use Canned Bacon

I found that I love canned bacon more than I thought I would.

Here it is open. You can see all of the beautiful juices and fats as well as the meat. If I wanted to, I could just use a spoon and eat it as is, but that takes all of the fun out of it.

Essentially, it’s cooked meat. Now you can do whatever you want with it.

I scooped out a bit of the meat and a scoop of the fat and put it on a griddle. Spreading it out, I made sure to give it a minute to crisp up.

Then I added an egg. This was just to see if I would like it like this.

I salt and peppered the egg and flipped it when it was ready.

I had some of this egg and so did my daughter. I should just tell the truth and say what really happened. I offered my daughter a bite, then I took one and then she walked off with the plate.

There are so many different ways to do things. I don’t believe in the One Way Mentality. I just don’t. I like rebel canning, Amish canning, I like freeze drying, and I like dehydrating. I like all the ways and I’m open to anything.

I enjoy freeze drying leaner meats like venison and chicken, but bacon and sausage have a higher likelihood of going rancid.

What’s your favorite way to preserve bacon?

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