Tabasco bacon, right out of the can and ready to eat: truly one of the seven wonders of the world.
Let me just start out by saying that I spent hours pouring over other peoples’ videos and recipes to learn how to can bacon. I tried them all out and found them sorely lacking. I then proceeded to can about 20 pounds of bacon on my own to come up with the perfect canned bacon, which in my opinion just didn’t exist…until now.
And canning bacon is worth the effort. It’s a great way to make your own customized flavored bacon with ease, and it’s just handy to have pre-cooked bacon on-hand for recipes and snacks. It’s great while traveling or car-camping, and it’s nice to have canned bacon when the electricity goes out, or the weather makes it impossible to make it to the store.
All the recipes and methods I found for canning bacon involved taking strips of raw bacon, slapping them down on parchment paper, rolling them up tight, jamming the role into a quart-sized jar, and canning for 90 minutes. I tried this method and it missed the mark for several reasons:
- While the bacon was cooked through it didn’t look cooked and it didn’t act cooked. It looked close to being raw, with the color of the meat and fat resembling what it did before it was put into the jar. It also remained limp. So while it was technically edible, it wasn’t appetizing.
- To get it remotely close to being appetizing, after prying the canned bacon from the jar you had to fry it in a pan to crisp it up. But I found that taking the bacon straight from the jar to the frying pan caused a lot of popping and general grease rebellion. The moisture build up in the jar caused by the canning process just didn’t mix well with frying bacon, and the bacon didn’t fry up the same as raw bacon, either.
- The jar was full of bacon grease but it also had moisture mixed in with the grease,which just made the grease more of an annoyance than a useful ingredient with which to cook other dishes. You really had to scrape the grease off the bacon, or wait to fry all the bacon up at once to gain access to the grease. It just didn’t work well. Trust me on this.
- After the canned bacon was removed from the jar, I found that it fell apart readily in the frying pan while trying to crisp it. So I was left with parts of bacon strips instead of strips.
- In short, it was a pain in the ass.
I wanted my canned bacon to meet certain criteria so I could eat it with the most enjoyment and least amount of hassle, and use it in recipes to the best possible advantage:
- I wanted it to look and taste awesome straight from the jar.
- I wanted it to retain the crisp and caramelized goodness that comes from fresh-fried bacon.
- I wanted to be able to use it immediately in recipes and as snacks without having to cook it again.
The secret to meeting these criteria is to fry the bacon before canning. This solves all of the above issues, plus it allows room to include enhancements with the canned bacon, including making bacon bits ready for recipes and making flavored bacon. Here’s what I did for each:
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(Note: Make sure you follow the pressure canning guidelines found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation called ”Selecting, Preparing and Canning Meat: Strips, Cubes or Chunks of Meat” found here. You cannot safely can meat without a pressure canner and canning bacon, though it is done often, is not recommended so you need to decide for yourself if you want to do this. Many can bacon strips without problems.)
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CANNED BACON STRIPS
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Here are step-by-step instructions for the process:
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One pound of thick-cut bacon fits perfectly into a pint-sized, wide-mouthed jar (this will likely hold true for regular bacon, too). Weigh the bacon raw. Before cooking you will need to cut the bacon strips in half so they fit in the jar, but I find this to be a benefit after opening the bacon instead of dealing with full strips. The half-strips are easier to manage for recipes and they are easy to throw in a frying pan for a quick heat-up. Also, opening a pound of bacon at one time is sufficient; if you used a quart-sized jar you’d likely have to deal with two pounds of cooked bacon at once, which seems like a lot to handle at one time.
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Weigh about 1 pound of bacon for a pint-sized, wide-mouthed jar.
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Fry the bacon in a skillet on medium heat until almost cooked through. It will continue to cook after you remove it from the pan and you don’t want it to be over-done. Remember that you’ll be pressure canning this bacon for well over an hour and while that cooking won’t contribute to the browning of the bacon, it will cook it a bit more.
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Fry the bacon until almost cooked through.
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After your bacon is cooked, lay it on a plate with some paper towels to soak up the extra grease. While it is draining, cut a 24″ piece of brown parchment paper and lay it on your counter. Lay your bacon strips out on the paper as shown below. Notice that there are several inches of paper left at the end — this will ensure that your bacon is nicely tucked in while you roll your bacon package. If you use thin-cut bacon you will have more slices of bacon to put on the parchment paper. It’s ok to overlap them on the paper. You just want to make sure that you still leave about 3″ of paper at the end.
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Lay your bacon on 24″ of brown parchment paper.
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Now it’s time to add any desired flavoring to the bacon. Two of my favorites are Tabasco sauce and 100% pure maple syrup. For the Tabasco sauce, just take a bottle of Tabasco and sprinkle it liberally over the bacon. Have a really heavy hand with this — if you want Tabasco bacon why go half way? For the maple syrup, it’s important to only use 100% pure maple syrup; synthetic syrups just don’t stand up under the rigors of pressure canning. I use Grade B syrup and it works great and is easier on the budget. Make sure you brush plenty on to the bacon here, too.
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You can consider other flavorings for your bacon besides just maple syrup and Tabasco sauce, including brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, dried basil, cinnamon, or a mixture. For dried herbs and spices, just sprinkle them liberally over your bacon before rolling.
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Now you can add flavors to your bacon. Here I’m giving the bacon a 100% pure maple syrup wash.
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Now it’s time to start packaging your bacon for the jar! You’ll notice that the width of the parchment paper allows you to fold it in thirds around the bacon. Just take both sides of the paper and fold them around your bacon. Use your hands to press the paper lightly around the bacon to ensure that the sides are creased in preparation for rolling the bacon.
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Fold the parchment paper in thirds over your bacon.
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When you roll up your bacon, start at the end that has the bacon closest to the edge of your parchment paper. When you start rolling, make sure your first few turns are nice and tight. The bacon almost rolls itself, but you do need to guide the parchment paper, ensuring that the folds remain in tact. You want your roll to be firm, but don’t smash the bacon. There’s no need for that and why do you want to punish perfectly good bacon in that way? You’ll notice that when you get to the end of your roll that the extra paper left when you laid your bacon strips on the parchment paper secures your bundle.
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Roll your bacon up nice and tight, without smashing your strips to smithereens. You should love your food, not torture it.
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Your roll of bacon will look adorable, and it will fit neatly into a wide-mouthed, pint-sized canning jar, which you have already sterilized and prepared for canning (follow standard protocol for pressure canning meats, which can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation). You might need to nudge the roll in the jar a bit, but you should not have to jam it into the jar; if you do your parchment paper will tear and your bacon will be crying out in agony. This is the reason it’s so important to use a wide-mouthed jar; a narrow-mouthed jar will obviously cause problems when you try to insert your roll. If you find it is too hard to push the bacon into the jar, unroll it and remove a few pieces of your bacon, re-roll your bundle and try again until it fits snugly but is still easy to insert into the jar.
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A completed roll of bacon, ready for the jar.
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Place a lid on your jar and it’s ready for pressure canning (see below.)
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The roll fits neatly into a pint-sized, wide-mouthed jar.
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CANNED BACON BITS
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To make a jar of bacon bits, take your raw bacon and cut it (kitchen scissors are easiest) into large pieces about 1″ square. Cook through and place into your jars; it’s not necessary to use parchment paper when canning bacon bits. Before placing them into the jar you can add flavorings like pure maple syrup, Tabasco sauce, brown sugar, pepper, or herbs like thyme or basil. Screw the lid on and pressure can (see below).
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PRESSURE CANNING
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Now it’s time to pressure can your bacon. You’ll need to process your meat following the times and pressure guidelines presented in “Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Meat” found here.
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Make sure you label your cans of bacon with a sharpie before putting them in the pressure canner.
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Follow standard protocol for pressure canning meat.
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Maple syrup bacon, pressure canned and pulled from the jar the next day.
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USING YOUR BACON
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Now is the fun part. After you open the jars of pressure-canned bacon there are different things you can do:
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- Eat it right out of the jar. It will actually be difficult to prevent yourself from doing this. Bacon will disappear before your eyes, I guarantee it. Be ready to take on a strict running regimen to keep up.
- Use the bacon bits in all manner of dishes, straight from the jar. From salads to casseroles to soups, and even as an ingredient in breads and corn muffins, the bacon bits can’t be beat when it comes to cooking versatility.
- The bacon strips can be used in a similar way, but are great for sandwiches and to enhance other dishes, such as laying strips between pieces of fish, or as a tasty ingredient in tacos. The possibilities are endless!
- Reheat it for breakfast. This is a no-brainer…it’s bacon.
- Take your canned bacon camping with you. The jar might weigh too much for backpacking, but for car camping it’s a dream!
- Stockpile canned bacon in case of emergencies such as electrical outages or heavy storms when you can’t make it to the store.
- Accept the inevitable accolades from friends and family.
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Yoders Canned Bacon from Camping Survival if you can’t can your own.
NO PRESSURE CANNER?
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If you want the benefits of canned bacon but don’t have a pressure canner, there are pre-canned bacon products available. Our favorite is from Camping Survival, which sells Yoders Canned Bacon. This bacon doesn’t have the amazing caramelization our version does, but for camping trips or to have on hand for recipes or if the electricity goes out, it’s good stuff if you can’t, or don’t want to, can your own.
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Chris
February 27, 2012 at 4:25 pm
This sounds great, and I’m definitely going to make this. Any idea on the shelf life of your recipe?
Rural Spin
February 27, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Canned bacon technically lasts about a year, but people tend to eat it so quickly you’ll have a hard time keeping it on the shelf for even a month.
Vicki
February 27, 2012 at 7:39 pm
I’d love to try this since we just butchered a pig and I have nearly 20lbs of raw uncured bacon in the freezer. I’d sure rather have it already cooked and canned. So you don’t add water to the jar before canning? Is that an accepted/safe method for canning? Don’t the jars float when you put them in the canner full of water? Thanks for posting this.
Rural Spin
March 10, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Vicki, if it’s not yet cured it’s technically not yet bacon. No, you do not add water to the jar before canning and since you are pressure canning and not hot water bath canning, the jars do not float. I suggest you read more about pressure canning meats and safety issues involved with the process.
Crystal
May 23, 2012 at 7:23 pm
well, I am trying to can some bacon right now. the jars keep floating in the 3″ of water I put in the canner. Now what?
Rural Spin
May 30, 2012 at 1:43 am
Interesting. I’ve never heard of a pound of cooked bacon in glass jars floating in 3″ of water…my jars are pretty heavy. Remove water until they no longer float.
Ruth
May 30, 2012 at 3:10 am
To Crystal: Pressure cookers only need about an inch or so of water in the bottom. Each type has instructions of how much to put in. A bunch of water is not needed since it cooks with the steam and only a relatively small amount of water will make the steam you need. Think of pressure cooking as kind of a sauna for your jars that get it over 212 degrees (since that is where water boils).
Crystal
May 30, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Yup, figured it out. First time I ever pressure canned.
Book said add two to three inches of water. I just kept taking water out till the jars stopped floating. Thanks for responding.
Rural Spin
May 30, 2012 at 9:31 pm
Thank you for the update! Sorry it took me a few days to respond…I was out of town for a week. I try to respond to people pretty promptly.
Debbie
September 10, 2012 at 9:52 am
Vicki, when you pressure can (necessary for meat) you fill the pressure canner with only 2-3″ of water. They’re not submerged. The water turns to steam to raise the temperature high enough in the jar to kill botulism spores. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has very good instructions on how to pressure can (and boiling water can.)
Jennifer
February 28, 2012 at 3:30 am
you had me at “bacon” :0) Found your blog regarding your ‘harvesting and maintaining wild yeast’ post via Pinterest….looks like I have MANY hours of reading/research/note taking to do! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
Rural Spin
February 28, 2012 at 3:32 am
LOL! Welcome! I’m glad you found Rural Spin.
Jennifer
February 28, 2012 at 3:43 am
I’m glad I found you too!
Cassandra
February 28, 2012 at 3:25 pm
I just found you through Backwoods Home Magazine and I just LOVE this recipe! I can’t wait to try it! You make canning more fun than it already is. I bookmarking this site for research and just plain enjoyment. Thanks for sharing!
Rural Spin
February 28, 2012 at 5:01 pm
Thank you, Cassandra! You made my day….now go enjoy yours!
Betty Bartholomew
February 28, 2012 at 5:47 pm
wow! Thank you SO much for this…. I’m relatively “new” to canning and have been spending the winter learning to can meats. This is perfect and I can hardly wait to try it!!
Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rural Spin
February 28, 2012 at 6:08 pm
You’re welcome! Enjoy it!
jim
March 6, 2012 at 11:00 am
to the best of my knowledge you can not eat any meat that has been pressure cooked right ouy of the jar. It still has to be boiled or cooked for a set amount of time ,usually 10 – 15 min. to kill any bacteria, or it can make you very sick, other than that the rest of the prosses sounds good.
Rural Spin
March 6, 2012 at 3:45 pm
I haven’t had any problems with this method of canning bacon or eating it right out of the jar (lord knows I’ve eaten enough of it). But for other meats that aren’t already processed as bacon generally is (i.e. smoking) I agree with you 100%…reheating is something I would do.
Jodie
March 15, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Wow I never even thought of canning bacon. Great job, definately going to try it.
Lisa
March 29, 2012 at 6:23 am
How long is it good in the jar. I’m new to canning and I want/need all the help I can get
thanks
Lisa
Rural Spin
March 29, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Lisa, it keeps for about a year (but it usually gets eaten longggg before that). But if you are new to canning, I highly encourage you to get one season of regularly canning fruits and vegetables (tomato products, vinegars, pickles, jams) under your belt before moving on to meats. In fact, I like to see people start a year with only hot water bath canning before investing in a pressure canner and moving on to more advanced canning.
Amara Russell
April 14, 2012 at 6:32 am
This recipe for canned bacon is just what I’ve been looking for…you had me at ‘bacon’ too! I can clean food for an OTR truck driver so he doesn’t have to eat fast/artificial/processed/GMO/truck stop crap out on the road…who *loves* all things bacon; naked bacon, bacon-wrapped bacon, bacon layered with bacon & smothered in bacon, if you get my meaning. I think I’m about to get a raise.
I didn’t have the luxury of BSing around with ‘jam’…I started canning with meats first… chicken soup, stews, chili, bbq brisket, etc.; read the instructions and do what it says…he hasn’t had any problems whatsoever from eating right out of the jar lightly cooked meats (grass-fed, organic, *clean* meats though) that are then processed according to directions precisely. I invested in a really good pressure canner for this trucker project (21qt All American brand) because I knew I’d be canning weekly… I cook large batches of everything in an 18qt table-top roaster, and put up 60-75 jars each month for him. When he comes through town, he drops off the empties & picks up full ones; the jars travel snugly in several re-purposed wine boxes and it works out well. This bacon recipe will be a teriffic surprise for him…it will make his week to know he now has bacon rolled in bacon stuffed in a bacon jar labled “Bacon” traveling with him. It can be a lonely job, and it’s the little things that mean so much.
Thank you *so much* RS, for doing this vital research and creating this excellent recipe…I already know it’s delish…I definitely intend to do a batch or three for my own pantry too
Rural Spin
April 14, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Thank you so much, Amara, for such a wonderful and detailed comment! I’m so pleased I helped you feed The Man decent food as he travels. Let me know how he likes it! (And definitely enjoy some yourself!)
Ruth
May 23, 2012 at 3:23 am
The Tabasco bacon sounds so good – my husband sent me this article just so I could read it. He collected the wild yeast from another of your articles and we have been enjoying the bread. Thanks again for your great recipes and keeping the traditions of “how to do things” live!
Sharon Lee Lockhart
June 9, 2012 at 9:29 pm
I have just tried the Yoder’s bacon and if it weren’t so thin it would be very good bacon. It has a good taste, good flavor, but oh so thin. We don’t like thin bacon. I am going to can my own and this site and these directions will save me a lot of trial and error. I used to buy canned bacon a long time ago, it was canned near Chernobyl and since the big disaster over there a long time ago, the bacon is no longer available. Thankfully!!! So now I can do my own and have it when I want. Thanks for the recipe and the data on what you felt was wrong with the other bacon. I will save this and try it soon.
Rural Spin
June 11, 2012 at 1:15 pm
I totally agree….the Yoder’s bacon is like paper.
That Food
July 5, 2012 at 3:15 pm
This looks amazing and all but it’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a preassure canner so I’ll have to do some research.
Dunno how I’ve lived for 30yrs and missed this technique…
Rural Spin
July 6, 2012 at 6:44 pm
A pressure canner is the only way you can safely can non-acidic foods. Hot water bath canning methods are only appropriate for acidic foods (tomato sauces, pickles, etc.) or foods with much sugar, such as jams and jellies. Mine is an All American pressure canner. Wonderful thing! Built like a tank and will last forever.
Lori Cochran
July 25, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Okay, just want to say…I think I love you. CANNED BACON, really?! I have procrastinated getting into pressure cooking due to cost, science, etc. NOW? I will do anything to acquire one, if only to do bacon, but of course I hope to do fish, wild game and others eventially also. You are amazing, thank you seems so insufficient. Keep up your amazingness!
Rural Spin
July 27, 2012 at 6:42 am
Sheryl
August 25, 2012 at 10:19 am
I agree with Lori. I think I just died & went to heaven. I camp a lot & this is perfect. I have canned for years but never got in to pressure canning. After facebook & reading a lot of posts about pressure canning soups, stews, etc. I still procrastinated. But bacon oh yea worth the get off your butt & purchase. LOL
Chrissy Mullender
August 25, 2012 at 10:28 am
Why is it necessary to roll it in parchment paper?
Rural Spin
August 26, 2012 at 6:56 am
Since the bacon is still “floppy” post-cooking, it would take quite the patient person to get the bacon in the jar without the parchment, and it would make it difficult to remove, too. But try it both ways and see which way works for you!
Wendy T
August 25, 2012 at 11:49 am
Two quick questions – my parchment is white, is there a reason you use brown? And we sometimes make “Bacon Candy” with brown sugar & spices; could we just go ahead and can the ya think? Thanks!!
Rural Spin
August 26, 2012 at 6:57 am
I use brown because the white is bleached and I don’t want bleached parchment on my food. Just a personal choice; it won’t affect your bacon. And since I’m using maple syrup in one of my recipes, you can certainly use brown sugar.
Wendy T
September 16, 2012 at 10:46 am
Thanks!!
Karen Gion
August 25, 2012 at 1:42 pm
After you open a jar should you keep what isn’t used right away in the refrigerator?
Rural Spin
August 26, 2012 at 6:57 am
Yes, you MUST refrigerate after opening or, like any meat product, it will spoil.
Don S
August 27, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Your bacon looks pretty crisp for rolling. Is it cooked to just flexible? Please elaborate on how well you cook it before canning.
Thanks! I like this idea better than raw canning bacon since the USDA doesn’t recommend it at all.
Rural Spin
August 30, 2012 at 7:27 am
The bacon is not crisp at all, and the bacon in the photo is AFTER it has been canned (but it’s also not crisp, it’s just darkened by maple syrup and spices and whatnot, but is still moist and pliable). The article says to cook the bacon, “until almost cooked through.” You do not want to cook the bacon completely; but a lot of this depends upon how you like your bacon to begin with. If you like bacon that is really fatty, you’d cook it less than someone who likes it fatless (and I’m referring to the precanning cooking; the canning time and pressure always stay the same). I don’t like super fatty bacon so I cook mine until it is about 2 or 3 minutes from being done. (And the last time I checked, I didn’t see that the USDA approved of any bacon canning, but many people do it without a problem. But I dislike raw-canned bacon immensely, but I love my method!)
Kim
September 10, 2012 at 12:53 pm
This is just brilliant! Thank you!
Eugenia
September 11, 2012 at 1:52 pm
I hate to be the food police, and I was excited by this recipe too, but after talking it over with our MFP trainer (who specializes in canning meats) and looking again at the National Center for Home Preservation site, you really need liquid of some sort in the jars to be considered safe by the experts. Here’s the relevant quote from the NCHP site you linked to: “Hot pack – Precook meat until rare by roasting, stewing, or browning in a small amount of fat. Add 1 teaspoons of salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Fill jars with pieces and add boiling broth, meat drippings, water, or tomato juice, especially with wild game), leaving 1-inch headspace.” The last sentence is what’s missing in this recipe. I’m not going to tell folks to ban the bacon or anything like that, and I understand what you mention above about greasy, liquidity jars being wholly unappealing, but I’d personally just freeze bacon. Use at your own risk. – Jennifer Levin, MFP
Rural Spin
September 11, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Yes…that is why I included the link and tell people to look at it. Canning bacon is not the official mantra and the NCHP does not recommend it…but many do it. Everyone needs to make their own decision.
Yolanda
April 1, 2013 at 12:26 pm
What do you think of slab bacon in a liquid? I’ve got a recipe for a “candied” bacon with the bacon simmering in apple juice, maple syrup and orange juice – could you can the bacon pieces in that?
Rural Spin
April 1, 2013 at 1:47 pm
I’d make sure the bacon pieces are small enough; follow recommendations for the size of meat chunks, processing times, etc. at The National Center for Home Food Preservation: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/strips_cubes_chunks.html
Naomi F
September 26, 2012 at 10:31 am
This is brilliant!!! Thank you!
Martha
October 21, 2012 at 6:46 am
I have tried this without cooking first, pretty unappetizing. This sounds much better. May I suggest cooking the bacon in the oven first and avoid the whole frying thing? I always cook my bacon this way and it is sooooo easy and not much clean up. Thank you!
Rural Spin
October 21, 2012 at 8:34 am
In the how-to video that goes along with this article (link is in the article) I do fry it in the oven. I suppose I should add that to the article, too! Thanks for the reminder!
Kim
November 3, 2012 at 12:40 pm
Can you do this with bacon grease so you can use it for cooking later?
Rural Spin
November 3, 2012 at 4:39 pm
I personally wouldn’t like this because I wouldn’t want the bacon to be greasy when I took it out of the jar. But you can try it and see if you like it. (I save the bacon grease and keep it in the fridge to use for cooking.)
TnAndy
November 29, 2012 at 11:03 am
Rural Spin:
I agree with your method. Like you, we’d tried raw bacon canning before, and found the results were crumbles rather than strips. But since I’d tried Yoders canned bacon, which IS precooked, I figured that must be the way to go……so we also fry ours now, and the results are great !
Here’s our process:
For fresh sides of bacon, what we do is use Morton quick cure ( dry )(+ I add black pepper to mine )….work the salt mix into the slabs, put them in a plastic bag and refrigerate for a couple days. Pour off the liquid that will come out of the slabs on day 2 or 3, then back in the fridge for 3-4 more days. 7-8 days MAX, or it will get way too salty.
Then I take the slabs out, wash thoroughly in cold water to remove all visible salt mix….then I soak in cold water for 3-4 hours, rinsing a couple times in that time. This removes more excess salt…do this unless you like your bacon really salty.
Pat dry with towels, and back in the fridge overnight to chill well.
Next day, I run them thru a slicer, set to fairly thick slices. Then set up a double burner propane stove ( Northern Tool ) and fry it all up in a couple large cast iron pans. I fry it to the point of starting to look slightly crisp, but still “limp”.
Then put 18-20 strips ( that 3 servings for 2 of us….do what works for you ) on parchment paper, fold the paper over, and roll up. I use a wide mouth quart jar, because my strips are fairly long, and I’d have to really cram them to get in a pint.
Process 90 min at 10lbs.
Open and take out one serving (6-7 strips), put the rest in ziplock bag, and save for next meal. Takes a few minutes in a skillet to crisp up, and you’re ready to eat !
10lbs of cured bacon does about 7 quarts