Can You Freeze Bacon – How To Freeze Bacon

Can You Freeze Bacon?

Freezing leftover bacon whether cooked or uncooked is easy and works great! With the proper technique, using leftover bacon piece by piece from the freezer is easy and convenient without any waste. There are a few simple ways to freeze bacon. Follow these easy steps to learn how!

Bacon is a delicious way to start your day. Albeit not the most healthy food, bacon is satisfying and easy to prepare. As yummy as it is however, it can be difficult to cook and eat up a whole package of bacon. My family loves to have a piece or two of bacon in the morning to power them up for the day. They also love bacon crumbled up on baked potatoes. Truly so many recipes call for or can benefit from the addition of the rich flavor of bacon.

My husband loves bacon but not all the calories. His preference is turkey, which no one else in the family really cares for. My solution to all of these issues is to freeze my bacon such that I can pull out a piece at a time whenever I need to.

Bacon can be frozen cooked or uncooked. Both of these will last with best quality for up to 3 months. The FDA warns that uncooked bacon should only be frozen for 1 month. I have found that with proper technique, bacon is safe for up to 3 months.

How To Freeze Bacon

I have 3 methods that I use to freeze bacon.
Method 1:
The most important step when freezing uncooked bacon is to work quickly. Allowing the bacon to sit at room temperature for too long increases the chance for bacteria growth and therefore spoilage of the meat.

You can freeze part of a package of bacon or the whole package depending on your situation. If I find a great deal at Costco, I snatch up large packages and immediately freeze all of it when I get home.
1. Using a clean surface, open the whole package of bacon.
2. Cut pieces of wax paper into a size slightly larger than the pieces of bacon.
3. Place a piece of wax paper in between each piece of bacon.
4. Place all of the separated bacon into a freezer safe bag or container.
5. Remove as much air as possible, label and place in the freezer.

Method 2:

Sometimes wax paper just is not available but having the bacon frozen separately is a must. This quick trick does the job without the wax paper.
1. Grab a baking sheet.
2. Roll up each piece of bacon into a little spiral.
3. Place the spiraled bacon onto the baking sheet and place directly into the freezer.
4. When the spirals are frozen (about 1 hour) remove from the baking sheet and place in a freezer safe bag or container.
5. Remove as much air as possible, label and place back into the freezer.

Method 3:

I use this method when I have cooked more bacon than I needed and I know I won’t be able to use it up in the next 3-4 days. Frozen cooked bacon is super handy to have for recipes and dishes that call for crumbled bacon.
1. Because I typically use my frozen cooked bacon as crumbles, I first crumble the bacon. Freezing the bacon in whole pieces, however, also works just fine.
2. I package the crumbled bacon into freezer bags in the amount that I will probably use when thawed (about ½ cup). It is not advisable to refreeze cooked bacon.
3. Remove as much air as possible from the freezer bags, label, and place in the freezer.
It is very important to practice clean, safe practices when handling bacon. High fat containing meats like bacon can spoil easily. Never let the bacon sit out, come to room temperature, and then freeze it. Keeping the bacon cool will provide the safest and tastiest bacon.

How To Thaw Bacon

Thawing frozen, uncooked bacon is quick and easy.

One option is to remove the number of pieces that you need and place it in the refrigerator overnight. This will provide you with totally thawed bacon that is the same as working with bacon fresh from the store.

If you do not have time to wait for the bacon to thaw overnight, there are a few other options that work just as well.
• Place the wrapped pieces of bacon is a bowl of cold water. This will speed up the thawing process greatly.
• Place the pieces of bacon in the microwave and thaw on low until soft.
• Cook the bacon right out of the freezer as you would normally. Simply add a little bit of extra time to the overall cooking time to ensure doneness.

All of these tips work for thawing cooked bacon as well.