Bacon Fat Gives Your Cornbread A Savory Depth Of Flavor

Those family favorites found in a well-worn grandparent's recipe box or old cookbook called for lard or tallow because back then, cooking fat came from whatever was on hand, usually drippings or leftovers from beef or pork. Even as butter and oil became more readily available in the second half of the 20th century, the persistent presence of bacon fat in recipes proved that cost-effectiveness or access were not the only reasons bakers used it. Some of the most beloved baked goods, from biscuits to cornbread, were and are made with bacon fat because of its impact on taste and texture.   

In a region known for its big flavors, Southern bakers use bacon fat in cornbread (and biscuits) to ensure the flavor is rich enough to stand up to, and even out-shine, a barbecued rib or sweet baked bean. Similarly, the texture of Southern cornbread is like nothing else with a pillowy interior crumb and caramelized, golden brown crust sizzling in a cast iron skillet. 

But salty bacon fat alone is not the answer. Butter and bacon fat each bring unique, delicious flavors to any recipe, and combining bacon fat with butter develops the balance and complexity so sought after in cornbread, and the real magic is in the science of how they work together. 

It's best to make cornbread with a combination of butter and bacon fat because butter is about 80% fat and contains water that evaporates when it is baked, providing the necessary lift to baked goods. Although butter is technically a solid fat, it acts as a semi-solid at room temperature, so it creates a soft texture. Bacon fat does not contain water and is more stable than butter (as a pure fat), so it holds together and maintains a creaminess that butter alone cannot offer.

To bake a savory cornbread with butter and bacon grease, it is best to use cornbread recipes that include butter-to-bacon fat ratios, but most do leave it up to the baker. This easy cornbread recipe, for example, calls for ½ cup of butter, but since butter and bacon fat can be swapped 1-1, you can use ¼ cup each of butter and bacon fat to keep the smoke but increase the tenderness of the cornbread. Incorporating both butter and bacon fat into your recipe creates cornbread that is both sweet and salty-smoky, buttery and rich, and crispy and tender.

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