Mmmmmm, bacon! One of our all-time favorite foods! Also, the smell of cooking bacon is almost impossible to resist! So, it would be unimaginably sad to find out that you cannot store bacon for a long time. Therefore, the question we all want an answer to is quite simple: Can you store bacon for long-term food storage?
Well, the answer is: yes, you can! Now, let’s find out how exactly will we safely do that! Read the article to learn the food storage options for bacon lovers.
Best 6 Ways to Prepare Bacon for Long-Term Food Storage (How To Store Cooked Bacon?)
Yes, you can store bacon for long-term food storage. You might have to learn to love it in a new way, but it is something you can do! So, let’s find out together all the methods that help you preserve the lovely pork taste. Continue savoring this treat anytime. The good news is, it’s accessible anytime. If you want to avoid constant cooking when you feel like eating bacon, then, store it. It’s easy to access when we have it readily prepared. Thus, make sure to do it yourself.
1. How to Store Pre-Cooked Bacon Strips?
The fully-cooked bacon packages from Hormel or Oscar Mayer have little fat and moisture, and tons of chemicals and preservatives (but hey – almost all commercially cured bacon does, too). So, it will keep its properties for months and months unopened. On the other hand, you can always open and cook it all or use the rest within a few days from the fridge.
While the Bacon bits in a jar or resealable bag can be reopened numerous times (throw a silica pack in to help with moisture control after opening) and used to add some flavor to bland dishes. Just be sure you’re using real bacon, and not the soy bacon substitute.
Additional Reading: canned bacon (because I hate bacon…remember?), but it’s been around for years, and desperate times call for desperate measures, don’t they? Yes, you heard me right; you can get canned bacon in a variety of styles from crispy fried to regular smoked bacon. Isn’t that insane?
What is canned bacon? Well, it is a type of prepared meat that has been popular in different countries and regions of the world. In general, canned bacon is an instance of the use of traditional canning, or preservation by restriction of oxygen, that has been a favorite for storing all sorts of foods, especially in the regions where temperate climates require appropriate seasonal food preservation. So, this type of food involves cooking bacon and then sealing it for longer storage.
4. Home Pressured Canned Bacon for Long-term Food Storage at Home
In addition, you can always choose to pressure can bacon for yourself. Bexar Prepper walks you through the entire process in her simple-to-follow tutorial video. You can also find printed instructions in Backwoods Home Magazine. While this process isn’t approved by the people who tend to approve of canning techniques – you can always just search for an approved method of canning meat chunks online.
Also, once opened, keep it tightly wrapped in foil or a zip-top bag and use it as soon as you can.
5. How to Store Home Cured Bacon for Long-term Food Storage at Home?
You can freezer is a great option if you have got some bacon that needs using up – simply cook it up and pop it in the freezer!
I know, I know….you have so many questions. What if:
- if the power goes out? (fire up the grill and cook up a mess of bacon!)
- the power stays on, but you have no job and you need to survive out of what you have stored up.
- you do have a generator to keep things going if the power does go out?
- I just forgot to pay my electricity bill this month.
- a hoard of zombies comes and steals my bacon (that’s for another post).
Further Recommendations when Storing Bacon for Long-term Food Storage at Home
Yes, I don’t recommend relying solely on your vacuum-sealed package (not necessarily the packaging from the store), it can last up to a year (though we’ve never been able to keep it stocked for that long with our rotation system).
How Do You Properly Store Bacon For Long-Term Food Storage At Home?
Finally, it’s your turn to share all your thoughts on these methods of storing bacon for a long time. You just learned how to store cooked bacon to keep it crispy and delicious! How amazing is this! Tell me all about your ideas and experience with these tips and ask any further questions in the comment section below.
Emily as an MFA in creative writing and a strong passion for cooking! She started trying out her mother’s recipes from a very young age, turning the time she spent in the kitchen into a career. She will soon publish her very first cookbook, and in her free time, Emily contributes to our blog with resources for all our readers, whether beginners or advanced chefs.
Thanks for the article. One question if I may? What about fully cooked bacon and then vacuum sealing it in a bag?
That’s exactly what I was wondering when I came here.