Everybody loves bacon (the meat of the Gods).
And now we can bathe with bacony goodness.

This should be viewed as more of a jackass experiment than a “how to” by a soapmaking expert. I just wanted to see if it was possible to make soap from bacon fat.

The bonus challenge: make the soap look like bacon.

How I Made Bacon Fat Soap:
Supplies
• Bacon fat
• 100% Lye (sodium hydroxide)
• Purified water and ice
• Liquid Smoke (optional fragrance)
• Red food coloring (optional coloring)
• Stove
• Pyrex baking pan
• Chemical/solvent/heat resistant plastic bowl
• Measuring cup
• Cotton cloth or paper towels
• Wooden (or stainless steel) spoon
• Rubber gloves and goggles
• Metal can
• 1 cigarette

(the rest after the jump)

How to Prepare Bacon Soap:
This recipe is a basic soap recipe.
• 7.5 parts bacon fat
• 1 part lye
• 2 parts water

A). Melt the bacon fat on the stove. Do not get it too hot (not boiling/sizzling - very dangerous).

B). Skim off any particles or debris that float to the surface of the melted bacon fat.

C). Pour the melted bacon fat through cloth or paper towels into a large clean metal can (see photo), this will further filter the bacon fat.

D). Still warm, your bacon fat should now look uniform, clear, and junk free. Measure your bacon fat and calculate the proper amount of lye (1 part lye to 7.5 parts bacon fat).

E). Measure 2 parts purified water (feel free to even include some ice, because the lye will get very hot). In a heat resistant (not metal) container, pour in your 2 parts water, then slowly pour the crystalline lye into the water. (WARNING: You will want to do this in a well ventilated area - the fumes are evil and can cause serious injury. Make sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protection when handling lye. Also, the lye and water mixture will get very very hot, make sure to do this in the proper workspace and in a heat-resistant container).

F). Take a break, wait for the lye-water mixture to cool down, smoke a cigarette. Do not leave the lye mixture unattended. When the lye-water mixture is around 100ºF (the temperature of a hot shower), check your bacon fat and see if it is around the same temperature (if not, heat it on the stove until it is). Then slowly pour the bacon fat into the lye-water.

G). Stir the mixture for up to 2 hours as it cools. When the mixture begins to show “trace” (white soap stripes on the top surface), move on to the next step. Mixing can take several hours and if it is still liquid after two hours, move on to the next step and hope for the best.

H). While the proto-soap mixture is still a thick liquid, but showing signs of “trace,” you can mix in “Liquid Smoke” as a fragrance - add quantity to taste. It enhances the bacon smell. Also, you can separate a small portion of the proto-soap from the mix (in a separate container) and add red dye. Pour the beige thick proto-soap into a pyrex pan, then take the red-dyed proto-soap and pour stripes into it (makes it look like bacon).

I). Let the soap “cure” and “set” for at least 36 hours, then cut blocks of the soap from the greater slab (do this while the soap it still relatively soft).

J). Allow the blocks of soap to continue to cure for at least 2 weeks.

K). Cut into desired shapes and serve.

Tags: Bacon Product of the Week, how-to, jackassery, MMMmmmmm, MMMmmmmm, BACON!
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