What I do with my Pre-cooked Bacon

Happy Good Friday! Easter Sunday is almost here! We prefer to call it Resurrection Day in our house. So I mentioned before that I like to precook bacon to have on hand for later use. You've seen something like it at the grocery store. To make mine more like the store versions I slightly undercook it. To me, undercooked is when the bacon is still soft (not crispy) but looks cooked. I like using the oven to cook large batches of bacon. I put slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put the pan of bacon in a cold oven then turn it on to 400 degrees. I set the timer for 20 minutes to cook. Regular bacon takes less time than thick-cut bacon. I cook them both this way. We love our bacon CRISPY at my house. But, for those pieces that are slightly undercooked, I just refrigerate and heat them in the microwave for a minute to crisp up to our liking.

For the pieces of bacon that have already reached our desired crispness, I put them in a labeled Ziploc bag and freeze them for later. When I want to use some I just take out as many pieces I need and sit them on the counter for 15 minutes before I use it. I like to break them into pieces or crumble them to use as homemade bacon bits. The majority of the time I don't throw away my bacon grease. I strain it into a Mason jar to let cool down. Sometimes I leave some out to use when I need oil to cook something or I store some in the refrigerator (to extend its shelf life) when I already have a jar in the pantry.

Here are some ideas for using precooked bacon:

soups- stirred in or as a topping for dishes like Ham and Corn Chowder, Chicken and Corn Chowder, Carrot Ginger Soup, or  Pumpkin Soup,

salad- think Chef salad, Cobb, etc.

sandwiches/wraps- tastes good in egg salad, stirred into Deviled Eggs, or for making BLTs

breakfast burrito

in scrambled eggs

omelet

quiche

frittata

egg muffins

as a topping for homemade pizza

making dips

throw in with sautéed veggies- sometimes I sub bacon for the sausage in my Fried Cabbage

Used as a topping for baked potatoes (bacon bits) or cheesy grits

pasta dishes

casseroles

There are so many ways to use precooked bacon. Can you think of anything else? You’re only limited to your own imagination ;D

© My Life 0utside The Box 2022. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.

Sloppy Joes (different methods)

Sloppy Joes (serves 6 or more)

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork or ground turkey (or ground chicken will work well too)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup ketchup (I usually make my own)

2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp. brown sugar (I use a Keto-friendly substitute)

1-2 Tbsp. Dijon (or prepared yellow) mustard

2 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. chili powder

hamburger buns (optional)

Stovetop

In a cast iron or heavy skillet, brown ground meats of your choice with onion and garlic. Drain off excess fat. From here you can add in the rest of the ingredients (except the buns) and cook on medium heat until desired thickness of the sauce. Serve your meat spooned over hamburger buns or however you like.

Instant Pot

In my Instant Pot, I just do all the cooking right in the pot. Brown your beef and veggies in a Tbsp. heated oil (on the Sauté function) first. Add the rest of the ingredients (except buns) and stir. Then close, seal, and finish cooking on the Manual setting for 10 minutes. NR (natural release) and it’s ready to serve.

Crockpot

You could also slow cook the sloppy joe meat after browning with the onion and garlic in a skillet. In a 6 quart crockpot combine the bell pepper, ketchup, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and chili powder. Stir in the ground beef mixture. You can add 1/4 cup of water or broth if you think it's needed. Cover crockpot and cook on LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours. Serve your meat spooned over hamburger buns or however you like.

Serves 6 to 8

© My Life 0utside The Box 2020. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.

Busy with life and homemaking…

Hello! It's been a while so I thought I'd pop in here for a moment. Is Spring your favorite time of the year? I’m just glad to get more days here and there of warmer weather. I’m so over being COLD. Now we have had several rainy days in a row so there have still been cooler temps. So, what have I been up to lately? Still busy each week with getting the house in order. It’s honestly driving me crazy most days. There’s still so much to declutter and organize for everything to have its own home. In other news, I have a few pictures to share with you from the last two months. 

First, let's talk bacon. Have you ever precooked a big batch of bacon to have on hand for later? I do this often with several packs at a time so that I can freeze it for use in other meals. It cuts prep time down when you need some bacon bits or cooked strips of bacon for a dish you are preparing. In another batch/bulk cooking post, I will share a list of things I use mine in.

Last month I got a bag of lemons on sale at Aldi. They were pretty large in size. I needed some to use for a Keto Low Country boil we had on a Friday family night. I got some of the zest off a couple to have on hand stored in my freezer when needed. I also used some of the lemons in my tea, to clean/freshen the microwave oven, and I made a small batch of Preserved Lemons.

Recently I made some sloppy joes sans the bun. We had it Keto style. Surprisingly it was delicious served over some cauliflower "rice". I’ll be sure to share that recipe with you in an upcoming post. Well, that’s all I have for now. Be sure to stay tuned for the other posts coming here shortly.

I don’t have any new meal plans to share. I’m still just rotating through some of my meals from the past. Here are the menus from Mar. 2021 and Apr. 2021 in case you missed them. Thanks for stopping by :-)

© My Life 0utside The Box 2020. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.