If you want to add a little something extra to elevate the pecan pie this holiday, bacon grease might be your answer. While gravy might seem like the strange antidote to a top notch pie, The Food Historian claims that this animal fat has been used since the early 1900s in kitchens across the country. Animal fats have fluctuated in popularity since the turn of the 20th century, but according to a 2021 survey of Coastmore and more Americans are favoring the use of animal fats in their diets, with some defending their supposed health benefits as opposed to vegetable fats, for RSQ.
Animal fats may or may not be better for you, but adding bacon grease can enhance the flavor of a classic Thanksgiving pecan pie in two ways. Food Network works the bacon grease into the crust of their traditional recipe, but Master class suggests adding bacon grease to the filling of their pecan tarts. You may not be ready to commit season all your food with bacon and bacon grease, but adding pork juice to the pecan pie filling enhances the overall flavor, providing a savory essence to counterbalance the sweetness of the sweet pecans, per MasterClass. If you’re not entirely sold on using bacon grease in this year’s Thanksgiving pie, you can try other ingredients instead.
