Bacon Grease Is Your Secret For The Most Flavorful Fried Green Tomatoes

Contrary to popular belief, fried green tomatoes aren't a particularly Southern food. Fried meat and veggies might be popular throughout the South, but fried green tomatoes were born to solve a colder climate problem — green, unripe tomatoes left on the vine at the first fall freeze. The unripe fruit is firm and tart, making it ideal for frying. The 1992 smash hit "Fried Green Tomatoes," loosely based on Irondale, Alabama's historic Irondale Cafe (which has actually served this recipe for a long time), canonized the dish into wider Southern culture. Fried green tomatoes now grace the menus of Southern restaurants all over the country, but they are easy to whip up at home, too.

A typical batch of fried green tomatoes calls for dredging the tomato slices in seasoned flour, dipping them in milk (or buttermilk), and then coating them with seasoned cornmeal. The slices are then pan-fried in oil until golden brown. While cooks often reach for canola oil or vegetable oil when frying, opting for bacon grease instead imparts a deliciously smoky and salty flavor to this beloved comfort food side. The smokiness pairs well with the green tomatoes' acidic flavor profile, and bacon grease is a thrifty swap for store-bought oils.

Fried green tomatoes make for a delicious side or appetizer — especially when paired with a homemade remoulade sauce — but be sure to salt them liberally for the best flavor. Opting for bacon-fried green tomatoes over regular red ones will elevate your BLT game, as the oh-so-subtle bacon flavor will pop when paired with crispy, smoky bacon slices. Green cherry tomatoes can be fried whole or sliced for bite-sized pieces of fried green heaven. You can also change things up by experimenting with different flours in the breading; using rye flour instead of all-purpose flour results in these delightfully nutty rye and cornmeal fried green tomatoes.

No green tomatoes on hand? No problem. Fried green tomatoes aren't the only dish that benefits from a little bacon grease! One of the easiest ways to add bacon flavor to your day is in fried or scrambled eggs, as the grease lends a wonderfully bacon-y flavor to either egg preparation when you don't have time to actually fry bacon. Similarly, bacon grease is great for sauteing veggies, pan-frying burgers, or spreading on grilled cheese sandwiches and paninis before cooking.

In baking, a little bacon grease goes a long way in biscuits, pie crusts, scones, and more — simply swap half the butter for bacon grease. Homemade gravy and roux, which usually call for oil or melted butter cooked with flour, get an extra punch of savory, smoky flavor by substituting bacon grease for either of these ingredients.