Bacon is cheap. A trip to the ER for food poisoning is not. Salmonella and Staphylococcus love old bacon.
Symptoms start 4–6 hours after eating. You’ll have a date with the toilet, and it won’t be romantic.
Trust your gut—literally. If anything feels off, toss it. Your future self will thank you with a crisp, non-bacterial breakfast.
The “Mystery of the Bacon Grease”
Don’t judge bacon by its grease alone. Old grease can also go rancid. Store it in a jar, sniff it before reuse.
If the grease smells like crayons or old paint, it’s done. That’s the fat breaking down into weird chemicals.
Fresh Flitch versus Bad Bacon — Our American Cuisine
But here’s a fun hack: Fresh bacon grease is liquid gold. Use it to fry eggs or roast potatoes. Just don’t use the zombie grease.
