Editing Bacon (section)

== Bacon fat ==
[[File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Bacon (1).jpg|thumb|Bacon frying in its own grease]]

Bacon fat liquefies and becomes [[dripping]]s when it is heated. Once cool, it firms into a form of [[lard]]. Bacon fat is flavourful and is used for various cooking purposes. Traditionally, bacon grease is saved in British and [[southern U.S. cuisine|southern US cuisine]], and used as a base for cooking and as an all-purpose flavouring, for everything from [[gravy]] to [[cornbread]]<ref name="Cornbread Gravy">{{Cite book | title=The Joy of Cooking | contribution=Pan Gravy | first1=Irma | last1=Rombauer | first2= Marion | last2 = Rombauer Becker| author-link = Irma S. Rombauer | publisher=[[Bobbs-Merrill Company]] | year=1964 | page = 322 | isbn = 978-0-02-604570-4 | title-link=The Joy of Cooking }}</ref> to [[salad dressing]].<ref name="Bacon Vinaigrette">{{cite web |first=Alton |last=Brown |title=Bacon Vinaigrette with Grilled Radicchio |url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_17619,00.html |access-date=13 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213015556/http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0%2C1977%2CFOOD_9936_17619%2C00.html |archive-date=13 February 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Griebenschmalz-1.jpg|thumb|right|German [[Lard|''Griebenschmalz'']] used as spread]]

In Germany, {{Lang|de|Griebenschmalz}} is a popular spread made from bacon lard.

Bacon is often used for a cooking technique called ''barding'' consisting of laying or wrapping strips of bacon or other fats over a roast to provide additional fat to a lean piece of meat. It is often used for roast [[game (food)|game birds]], and is a traditional method of preparing beef [[filet mignon]], which is wrapped in strips of bacon before cooking. The bacon itself may afterwards be discarded or served to eat, like [[Pork rind|cracklings]]. It may also be cut into [[lardon]]s.

One teaspoon ({{convert|4|g|disp=or|abbr=on}}) of bacon grease has 38 calories (40&nbsp;kJ/g).<ref name="Nutrition Data"/> It is composed almost completely of fat, with very little additional nutritional value. Bacon fat is roughly 40% [[saturated fat|saturated]].<ref name="Nutrition Data">{{cite web
| title=Nutritional Summary for Animal fat, bacon grease
| url=https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/7186/2
| access-date=5 May 2009
| publisher=nutritiondata.com
}}</ref> Despite the [[Saturated_fat#Dietary_recommendations|likely health risks]] of excessive bacon grease consumption, it remains popular in the cuisine of the [[American South]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.springhouseatcrossroads.com/from-the-chef-balance-essential-to-southern-food-not-just-bacon-drippings.html | title=From the Chef: Balance Essential to Southern Food, not just Bacon Drippings | publisher=SpringHouse at Crossroads | access-date=9 February 2014 | author=McDaniel, Rob | archive-date=25 December 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225124943/https://www.springhouseatcrossroads.com/from-the-chef-balance-essential-to-southern-food-not-just-bacon-drippings.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>