bacon grease crust huh?

Pickle storage container used to keep bacon grease safe

Celia wrote in about a bacon grease crust

We love bacon in all it's forms! Have you tried the Vosges bacon chocolate bar? or bacon wrapped dates. Catie and I were talking about creating a chicken pot pie, but instead of top crust to just use strips of bacon, we'll let you know how it turns out.

Anyway the trick to using bacon fat is treating it like butter meaning chill the hell out of it. I have used the bacon grease crust for an apple pie, but it would be delightful for any pie, especially pecan, pumpkin, or sweet potato. Below is a pretty great description of a bacon fat crust recipe.

c. rendered bacon fat
2 1/2 c. AP flour
1 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar
4-6 T. very cold water

Measure bacon fat and then freeze either in plastic wrap or a plastic cup/bowl for approximately 1 hour. Remove cold fat from freezer, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a mixing bowl, then cut bacon fat into flour mixture until it resembles coarse pea-sized pebbles. Gradually mix in 4 table spoons of water, mixing with a fork until dough just comes together. The dough is ready if you pinch a finger full together and it does not crumble. If necessary, Add more water, a little at a time until dough reaches desired consistency.

Place dough onto a clean cutting board, press together, then split into two balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap, and refrigerate about 1 hour (or longer).

Then roll out at will