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Can You Refreeze Bacon?

By: Author William Thomas

William Thomas

Editor-in-Chief & Pitmaster

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.
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Can You Refreeze Bacon?

So, after going through the hassle of removing the meat from the freezer and thawing it out, you end up shifting gears.

Hey, sometimes we have a change of heart. One reason could be us not wanting to cook or a sudden craving. It does not matter the reason.

In the end, you have to either throw it away or put it back in the freezer.

One food this can be done with is bacon. In this article, we will cover if you can not only refreeze cooked bacon that has been thawed but also raw bacon which also was thawed.

By the end, you will have all the answers you need!

Is It Possible to Refreeze Bacon?

Let’s answer this question right out of the get-go and tell you that it is entirely possible to refreeze your bacon.

This includes cooked bacon that has been thawed and raw bacon that has also been through the thawing process.

In this section, we will go into the specifics of refreezing both cooked and raw bacon.

Refreezing Cooked Bacon

When you are refreezing cooked bacon, there are some things to keep in mind to avoid getting yourself sick.

Remember, bacteria can quickly grow at room temperature. This is why it’s important to never defrost on the counter.

We will get into the methods to defrost bacon later, but it’s never to be done at the counter. If it’s left out longer on the counter for more than an hour or two, you need to toss it.

Once the bacon has been thawed, you have around seven days to keep it in the fridge before it needs to be either used or put back in the freezer.

As long as it is put back in the freezer within this period, then you are good.

Refreezing Raw Bacon

The rules for freezing raw bacon are like refreezing cooked bacon. You have around 7 days after putting it in the fridge to put it back in the fridge or cook it.

The same rule with leaving the food on the counter to thaw applies as well.

Bacon just can’t be left out on the counter to thaw at room temperature because of the bacteria that can form at room temperature.

When you consume food that has bacteria in it, you run the risk of getting ill.

The best way to avoid this is to just not leave the bacon on the counter for more than an hour or two!

How to Safely Thaw Bacon

So, you now know that it’s possible to refreeze both types of bacon, but first, you need to know how to thaw it in the first place! These methods include:

  • The safest way to thaw bacon is by putting it in the fridge and leaving it there overnight to thaw. Cooked and raw bacon that has been thawed by this method can be refrozen with no problem.
  • A quicker method of thawing bacon is putting it in cold water. Make sure the bacon is in some kind of plastic bag first. Once this is done, just keep changing the water every 30 minutes until it’s thawed. With this method, however, cooked and raw bacon cannot be refrozen.
  • The quickest method, by far, is by putting it in the microwave. Put it in there on a microwave-safe plate and then use the defrosting method. Like with the cold water method, cooked and raw bacon that has been thawed this way cannot be refrozen.

The only option that lets you safely refreeze bacon is if it’s thawed in the fridge, so keep this in mind before you decide to thaw it.

The biggest reason for this is because of that pesky bacteria that can start growing on the bacon.

It is easily fixed if you think you might end up refreezing the bacon. Just make sure it’s done in the fridge!

Food is a delicious thing to consume, but we always need to be aware of the fact that we can get ill from it. This is especially true with meat.

How to Safely Freeze Bacon

There are ways to safely thaw your bacon, and there are also ways to safely prepare your cooked and raw bacon before freezing it for either the first or second time. This includes:

  • If the bacon is raw and the package is still closed, you can just wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and foil. It doesn’t need to be in a zip-lock bag since it’s still packaged up tightly! Now raw bacon that is opened just needs to be put in plastic wrap or foil before being put in an airtight zip-lock bag.
  • Cooked bacon has a few special rules before freezing it. Wrap it in wax paper that is laid out on a baking sheet. Then put it in the freezer until it’s fully frozen. Then you can put the bacon in an airtight bag.
  • Final step is to just make sure you put the date on the plastic bag or whatever you have your bacon in. You want to make sure that you haven’t left your bacon in there for months upon months. This way, you know when it was put in there and how long it could be good for.

By following those methods, you will be able to safely freeze your bacon!

Final Thoughts

And there you go, all your bacon lovers out there! We discovered it is more than possible to thaw and refreeze cooked and raw bacon.

While some rules you are required to follow, they are more than easy to get the hang of. Besides, it’s for your safety!

Getting used to everything involved with thawing and refreezing bacon can take some time.

However, eventually, you’ll have no trouble and will do it like all the pros out there. The part is getting to finally eat some of that delicious, delicious bacon.

What more could you ask for?

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