Lard. . .In recent years has been categorized as a ‘four letter word.’ Its bad rap started in the early 1900’s with Proctor & Gamble and their creation of Crisco–hydrogenated vegetable fat. It was made from cottonseed, to be more specific; which btw is not considered a food crop by the FDA. Hmmm…. A Popular Science article sums it up quite nicely, “What was garbage in 1860 was fertilizer in 1870, cattle feed in 1880, and table food and many things else in 1890.”
Anyway – poor ol’ lard never had a chance! The marketing campaign for Crisco was like no other before it. Cookbooks were even produced replacing butter or lard with the supposed “healthier” Crisco. Consumers were lacking in readily available facts unlike today. I can even hear most of you now saying incredulously, “Lard!! That’s nothing but fat!” Well, but of course – you are right! And what a glorious fat it is!!!
Before we get in too deep on the subject of lard – I want to give you a little background. For those of you that don’t know, we raise hogs. They’re primarily for youth to show through 4H and FFA. But we also raise a few hogs each year for our own personal consumption and that of our friends and family. We are what would be classified as “small” (Read: VERY small) producers. We don’t have confinement barns with pigs numbering in the thousands. We probably have more than we should, but still small in number by industry standards. And no, there isn’t money to be made this way! lol
We raise our pigs on dirt and sunshine! They eat a grain ration prepared for us by the local Co-op and then also forage that includes several grass types, alfalfa and oats. Moving into winter, we provide them bedding from baled corn stalks that they LOVE to chew up. They get the scraps (salad trimmings, leftover vegetables, etc.). As a part of our consumption, it is important to me that I have a connection with my food and that to the best of my ability, I am using all the gifts that animal has given me.
Enter – LARD!
What is lard? Let’s start with the dictionary definition.
Lard is one of the simplest fats there is: Melt it, strain it, use it.
Why would I go to the trouble of making lard myself? I can just get it at the store.
- Healthier –
- Next to cod liver oil, lard is the second richest source of Vitamin D.
- Lard is about 45% oleic acid – the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil.
- It is important however, to source your fat from pastured hogs to reap the maximum benefits.
- Commercial lard generally has added hydrogenated lard, BHA (highly toxic benzene derivative) and Propyl Gallate. PASS!
- Cheaper –
- If you purchase your pork from a local farmer, the locker will source and hold it back for you as part of your butchering cost.
- OR – ask your local butcher to save you some leaf or kidney fat
- Easy –
- You can use your crock pot to render your lard!
Let’s get to it!!
We could have a history lesson on lard breeds vs. bacon breeds, but I wanna make some lard!! So I’ll save that for another day. BUT! If you are just dying to know – I highly recommend hopping over to The American Livestock Conservancy and reading to your heart’s content! Go on, we’ll be here when ya get back….protecting the precious gold!
Back to the easy part…All you need is:
- Leaf or Kidney Fat
- 1/4 c. to 1/2 c. Water
- Slow Cooker (aka: Crock Pot)
- Cheese Cloth
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Wide mouth canning jars (you pick the size/s)
- Seals and Canning Rings
We are only going to focus on rendering lard using a slow cooker, but you can modify this to make it on your stove top or in your oven.
- Start with VERY cold fat. You can even freeze it and then partially thaw it just before you start.
- Trim any big chunks of meat you find in the fat.
- Then either chop the fat into small pieces or the method I have found that works the best: run it through your food processor or meat grinder. The smaller the chunks, the faster your fat will melt and the higher your yield will be.
- If you use a food processor, take care to only use the pulse button, giving it a few quick spins. Otherwise, you will end up with a big ball of paste.
- Put your water and fat in a slow cooker and set it to low. You want to render your fat on low heat because if you render it too quickly (too high of heat), you’re likely to end up with a “piggy” taste and your lard golden in color–not the snow white, nearly odorless lard we are looking for. It is absolutely still usable, just not ideal for pastries or pie crusts. As a note: the water WILL evaporate. Its purpose is to keep your fat from burning before it starts melting.
- Rendering can take a few hours. You’ll want to stir often (every 30-45 min). You’ll also start to see bits of meat or gristle (these are called the “cracklins”) rising to the top. That will leave you clear, liquid fat underneath. Avoid boiling the fat or allowing it to burn or stick to the edges – it will impart a piggy flavor to your finished lard.
- Strain the liquid fat through a piece of cheesecloth draped over a fine mesh strainer and store in glass jars. You can strain in batches. A lot of purists will keep the first 1 or 2 strainings in a separate jar. They consider that fat the creme de la creme.
- Initially, your lard will be a very pale yellow when it is in liquid form. As it cools on your counter, it should turn a very pure white.
- I’ve heard of people who keep their lard at room temperature, but not this girl! I’m too nervous about it going rancid. I want it to last! I keep mine in the fridge or even the freezer if I have a particularly high yield batch and need longer-term storage. It will last a very, very long time in the fridge or freezer.
If your finished product is a mild smelling, white solid fat – you did it! Use it in pie crusts and pastries (Psst! Lard biscuits!) or even for that fried chicken I mentioned earlier. It’s a great option, but I can never give up using all of it for chicken. Yes, I hoard my lard. Don’t judge! 😉 And don’t stop over and ask me if you can borrow a cup! I’m fresh out!
