|
|
Lard
Rendering your own lard is as simple as it gets. All you need is a bit of pork fat and some time. If the fat comes from a pig that lived in a pasture in the sunshine and ate a nutritious diet, that lard will be one of the healthiest fats you can eat.
Not only is the lard good for you, it is practically unbeatable when it comes to cooking. It behaves at high temperatures. Is perfect for frying. Makes flaky wonderful pie crusts.
|
|
|
|
- Pork FatI use pastured
Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Cut pork fat into 1 inch cubes. The smaller the pieces, the quicker the lard will melt.
Place the pork fat into a large roasting pan and bake uncovered. Be sure to turn the fan above your stove on high while rendering lard.
In 30 minutes you will begin to see the fat melting, like a giant, greasy iceberg. In order to speed things up you can take a potato masher and squash the fat as it melts.
The amount of time it takes to melt the pork fat will depend on how small it was cubed. If the lard was in large pieces it will take longer to melt.
Once most of the lard has melted, use a slotted spoon to remove most of the cracklings. You can move these to a paper towel to drain if you want to eat them. Or you can feed them to your chickens.
Last, use a cheesecloth, a fine mesh strainer, tea towel or a milk filter to strain the lard into storage containers. I use glass canning jars.
Wipe the rims, place lids and rings on top of your jars. Leave on the counter to cool overnight.
Tomorrow the lard will be snow white.
Lard can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 months, or in the freezer pretty much forever. 🙂