How to Make Bacon Candles

Sometimes referred jokingly to as the "Man-dle," the bacon candle is made out of the fat left in the pan after cooking bacon. Lasting just as long if not longer as as a wax candle, bacon candles with leave your house smelling like sizzling bacon is on the stove.

EditSteps

1. Make a wick. Take a washer and tie a piece of cotton cord to it. Place it in the jar and tie the other end to a pencil to keep some of the string upright. Your wick should be long enough that it is almost taught, but not quite.^[1]
   
   
2. Cook Bacon on the stove or the oven. Lay the bacon on a hot frying pan or tinfoil. Lay several strips on the pan so the grease will pool and stop the bacon from burning. The hotter the bacon is, the thinner the grease will be and the easier it is to remove, but you should still be careful
3. Once the bacon in the pan has given the bulk of its grease, remove bacon (and eat, of course!) and pour grease into a smaller pan.  Simmer grease on low to medium heat until it stops steaming.  This will remove the water from the fat and allow for a better consistency  for the candle.  This can take several hours, so be patient. However, it may take less, or you can even use it without this step.
4. Filter the grease. This step is optional, but it will lead to a candle that looks and smells cleaner, and leads to a better burn. Once the grease is finished steaming, filter it through a fine sieve - this can be an actual sieve or a paper towel.
5. Add bees wax. To melt the wax, you can either add solid wax to the grease and melt it together while mixing or you could pre-melt the wax in a pan, or a jar placed in a pot of water around 100° C or 210°F. Add 1 part wax to 2 parts grease.
6. Add the wax to the grease if you have not all ready done so. Mix until it is throughly combined. Consider mixing it in a heated stove pan.
7. Pour the mixture in the jar. Heat your jar in the oven to prevent bubbles in the wax. Pour slowly and smoothly.
8. Allow your mixture to cool slowly. Pour a small amount of grease into the jar, allow that to cool in the freezer, then pour some more until it is completely full
9. Cut the excess wick. Leave about 0.5 inches (about 1 cm) left over so it is easier to light.
10. Store the candle in the freezer. The Man-dle has a shelf life of several months without refrigeration, but storing it in the freezer will increase burn time.
11. Light your candle using a lighter or matches. Be careful not to burn yourself, and exercise common fire safety. Extinguish when leaving the house or area.

EditVideo

EditTips

• Add more wax for a longer burning time, but a less bacon-y scent

EditWarnings

• Bacon grease can splatter. Use caution while cooking.

EditThings You'll Need

• Small cup or jar (shot glasses work wonderfully)
• Wick (cotton cord, washer)
• Bacon grease
• Frying pan or tin foil
• Oven or stove
• Lighter or matches

EditRelated wikiHows

• Make Candles
• Make Candles at Home
• Make Candles from Old Crayons
• Make Candles from Soy Wax
• Make Candle Holder Using Pumpkin

EditSources and Citations

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