Grilled Cheese With Bacon Grease

Written by
MacKenzie Smith
Recipe developer, food stylist, author, and teacher with a passion for sandwiches. She's behind the popular blog Grilled Cheese Social.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
MacKenzie Smith
Updated 08/02/19
How to make a grilled cheese using bacon grease.
Grilled Cheese Social
  • Total: 10 mins
  • Prep: 3 mins
  • Cook: 7 mins
  • Yield: 1 sandwich (1 serving)
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
703 Calories
46g Fat
30g Carbs
42g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1 sandwich (1 serving)
Amount per serving
Calories 703
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 46g 59%
Saturated Fat 27g 134%
Cholesterol 140mg 47%
Sodium 1275mg 55%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Protein 42g
Calcium 925mg 71%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Bacon grease is one of the most underutilized and undervalued grilled cheese lubricants. It's packed full of salty goodness, it helps brown the sandwich beautifully, it's zero waste, and best of all - it tastes just like bacon! 

Bacon grease can be acquired by collecting the remaining oil that is rendered out of cooked bacon. Sometimes it has little bits of charred bacon floating around in the rendered grease, but this will help bring out the robust bacon flavor that we all love. The better quality bacon, the better quality grease you'll get so keep that in mind the next time you buy and make bacon. 

To store the remaining rendered bacon grease, strain out the bits of bacon, store the grease in an airtight container and refrigerate. 

Ingredients

  • 2 slices bread
  • 2 slices cheese
  • 1 tablespoon bacon grease

Steps to Make It

  1. Assemble your sandwich—two slices of buttery slices of bread enveloping whatever cheese and fillings you desire.

  2. In a medium-sized skillet, turn your heat to medium and pour half the bacon grease in the pan.

  3. Spread the grease around in your pan and put your sandwich in, making sure to press the sandwich and sort of smear it around in the bacon grease.

  4. Allow your sandwich to cook for a few minutes until one side is crusty and golden and the cheese has begun to melt. At this point, flip the sandwich and let the other side cook until it matches its counterpart.

  5. When the cheese has melted and the crust on the sandwich is crispy and golden, take it out of the skillet and let it sit for a few minutes so the cheese can tighten back up. Slice it in half and serve!

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