Bacon is one of the delicious dishes, you can have it as a breakfast side dish. Bacon is salt-cured pork, mainly from several cuts. These cuts can be made from pork’s less fatty back or rather its belly. Also, you can eat it alone or as a flavor dishes’ minor ingredients.
There are a variety of kinds of bacon resulting from the prime cuts. For instance, streaky or side bacon is made from pork belly cuts and contains parallel muscle-fat layers. Back bacon is from pig’s back middle loin meat. You can have other kinds of bacon such as a collar made from pig’s back close to the head, jowl which is pork cheeks- smoked and well cured, and cottage bacon which is from pork’s boneless shoulder lean meat.
For your bacon to last for long it’s important to freeze and put it in a desirable condition. When frozen the bacon will be good for consumption even after several months. In this article, we are going to tackle a piece of detailed information about bacon freezing for easier later cooking. Therefore, for you to get all the necessary knowledge on the same keep reading this article to the end.
How To Freeze Bacon For Later Cooking?
Freezing your bacon leaves everything better as it extends its shelf life as well as quality maintenance. With a freezer, you can keep your bacon for up to six months. For you do attain this you can freeze it as individual slices, roll them, or in its purchase package. Whichever, method you select you will achieve your results.
Individual Bacon slices freezing
This method is very important especially when you want to be cooking several bacon pieces a day. Here, you will be required to cut your bacon into desired pieces, then use a freezer bag and wax paper to wrap.
- Ensure the wax paper sheet is big enough for laying out. Pull out large wax paper and in accordion style, fold your bacon slices in between the paper sheet.
- Lay a single bacon slice at the wax paper edge. Then carefully and over the bacon slice fold the wax paper sheet.
- Place the second bacon slice on the top of the first and repeat that process of folding. Do this until your bacon is over. The laid wax paper layer will assist in separating the placed two bacon slices. For the second piece to be well covered ensure the paper is wrapped back over it.
- Lastly, you need to store the bacon in accordion-fold perfectly using the freezer bag. With this done properly, pull each slice out anytime you need it. You can decide to thaw it or first cut it in the frozen state.
If you don’t want to struggle folding parchment papers then there is another option for individual bacon slice freezing. The method of bacon rolling is easier and faster to do.
Bacon Roll Method
This bacon freezing method requires you to make bacon coils.
- First, ensure your freezer has enough room for storage. For a few hours lay a baking sheet in perfectly.
- Make snail-like coils rolls for every individual bacon slice. The little bundles will require less time to complete the roll-up. Once done make sure you place them on the laid baking sheet, leave them with some spaces in between them.
- The coils are supposed to be left to stay for a few hours until they are solid. Then take the coils and put them into the freezer bag. Place the plastic bag in the freezer and you can be popping some pieces when in need. With this kind of individual bacon freezing the pieces won’t stick. They will be easier to microwave, thaw, or even chop them up directly from the freezer.
Freezing bacon in its purchase package
This option is one of the most obvious to use. In many cases, people choose to freeze the raw bacon by the purchase pack. With this option, the Butcher Box bacon will always be frozen. Therefore, the process is always straightforward as well as faster.
By the package, freezing is necessary when you are planning to cook the whole bacon after thawing immediately. The method is used in case of a big brunch otherwise individual slices freezing is more appropriate. In any method of freezing, thawing time factoring is more ideal. However, this option will require a longer time since it’s a whole pack.
Anytime you want to use the bacon, make sure you defrost it in a water bowl or the fridge overnight. For proper storage, check if the bacon is well sealed and the package is airtight. If so put it in your freezer immediately and note the day. If it is not airtight use the freezer bag to seal it well.
How Long Can a Raw Bacon Last in the Fridge?
Raw or uncooked bacon bought from the butcher will last for a week if you store it properly. However, any bacon that is sliced and packaged can last longer. You only need to recheck its expiry date. More so after purchase, put it in the freezer immediately.
Correctly stored frozen bacon has a longer shelf life. It can be kept for as long as 6 months in your fridge. However, it’s recommendable to keep it for up to a month to maintain its texture as well as taste.
How can I Tell My Bacon Has Gone Bad?
Here are some of the ways to tell when your bacon is off.
- The raw bacon will have sharp or sour smells.
- Presence of moldy flecks on bacon surfaces.
- Slimy or sticky bacon
- Darkened bacon, a good one should turn grey from pink.
In case, you observe any of these changes on your bacon, then it has reached its expiration date and should be thrown away.
Conclusion
Freezing raw bacon is ideal for extending its shelf life. When you store your bacon properly it can last for long but always check the expiry date of packed ones.
References
- https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-freeze-individual-slices-of-bacon-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-184687
- https://www.southernliving.com/meat/bacon/how-to-freeze-bacon
- https://www.bhg.com.au/how-long-does-bacon-last
