Lard
I can’t tell you how many puzzled looks I get when I tell people I use lard in my everyday cooking. I like to let people know that lard has gotten a bad rap in the past 75+ years. The perception is slowly turning the corner into it becoming a “healthy” and an acceptable cooking fat again.
Servings:
??
Prep Time:
5-10 min
Cook Time:
Up to 24 hours
Introduction
Making Lard
By: Rebecca
If at all possible I recommend rendering lard yourself from pasture raised pork or buying it at a local farmers market. You may be able to obtain lard from a butcher as well. If rendering yourself, you’ll need the back fat or the leaf fat that lays between the organs of the pig. Lard that you can buy in the supermarket has most likely been hydrogenated for a longer shelf life and that is not what you should be looking for.
Materials Needed:
- Slow cooker
- Back fat or leaf lard from a pastured pig, if possible
- Mason jars with metal lids and collars
- Ladle
- Funnel
- Sieve
Lard is a monounsaturated fat. It does not have trans fats and has about a quarter of the saturated fat that butter has (don’t get me wrong I LOVE butter too). Lard contains Vitamin D as well as the fatty acids that olive oil has. It can stand higher heat than butter or olive oil. Since I follow more of a paleo, LCHF diet I use it mostly for frying eggs, sautéing vegetables or even for browning meat. In the past however, I have used it in baking. I’ve used it in pie crusts and for frying donuts, which is what my great grandmother always used to fry her donuts in. Both got rave reviews.
Why not give lard a chance? I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Cut up the back fat into cubes or small pieces and place into your slow cooker. Turn it on to low and leave it for several hours. I sometimes let ours go for about 24 hours.
Step 2
Then you’ll have what I like to call “liquid gold”. Carefully ladle this EXTREMELY HOT liquid through a sieve into clean boiled mason jars. I use pint size wide mouth jars. Place the metal lids and screw the rings on the jars. Again, use caution as this is all extremely hot. Leave the hot jars on the counter to cool. Be mindful of your countertop. If it not heat tolerant, place a towel or trivet under the jars. You should notice that the lids usually pop and self seal.
Step 3
Once the lard is cool you should see that it has turned white. At this point I keep one jar for the fridge and the rest I store in the freezer.
