Posted on 12/12/2010 8:45:11 AM PST by Red_Devil 232
You WHAT?!" said my friend, making the most disgusted face I've seen someone make in some time. I rendered some lard over the weekend, I repeated. "WHY on EARTH would you want to do THAT?!" she cried.
I wasn't surprised. North American culture is so fat-phobic we demonize some of the very foods that are best for us, and among those foods is homemade lard. The store stuff isn't worth bothering with; it's hydrogenated to make it shelf-stable. What I'm talking about is lard from the fat of well-raised pigs, not factory farmed pigs. To get it, you're going to have to make it yourself. Luckily, that's not hard.
What you don't know about lard
Not only does lard make the best pie crusts, it's lower in saturated fat than butter--if saturated fat bothers you. It doesn't bother me, in fact, the plaque levels in my heart have actually improved since I've started eating good saturated fats. (They've actually gone and looked, so I feel safe in saying this.)
Technically lard isn't even a saturated fat; it's a monounsaturated fat. And it's one of the best dietary sources of vitamin D. It also contains no trans-fats. If there's fat to be avoided, trans-fats are the ones.
Finding fat
The hardest part of making lard is finding a good source of pork fat. You're going to have to do a little digging, and it's important that you not just use any pork fat you find; you want to make sure the pig was properly cared for and fed right. Your average supermarket "butcher," and I use that term loosely, isn't going to have it; that pork is all factory farmed, and very few supermarket butchers cut whole carcasses any more. You may have more luck at a specialty market like Whole Foods, Wild Oats or the like, but be sure to inquire after the feeding practices.
If there is a farmer's market near you, look around and ask questions. That's how we stumbled onto our farmer, who is really in the goat cheese biz; he raises pigs on the leftover whey. We've bought two (incredibly delicious) pigs from him in as many years, and surprised the butcher by asking for all of the fat--and as much of the offal as we could get, but that's another article. Hey, we were paying for it. If you don't have a farmer's market, try EatWild.com where you can find farmers with good growing practices, and not just for meat.
Making it
Once you've found your fat, decide what you want to use it for. If you want it for pastries, try to find and use only the fat from around the kidneys--what's called "leaf" lard. I don't make much pastry, so I don't care about that.
Chop the fat into at least 1" cubes, taking any meat chunks off in the process. Some folks put it through a meat grinder. In any event, you want small pieces; otherwise you won't get as much fat out.
Heat your oven to 225°F. I use my cast iron dutch oven to render lard in. Put about a quarter-inch of water at the bottom of the pot; this keeps the fat from browning too much at the beginning, and it'll burn off in time. Add your chopped-up fat. Pop it in the oven for at least a couple of hours, stirring now and then. Eventually the chunks won't give up any more fat--it'll become obvious, the chunks will look the same after an hour as they did before.
As you're doing all this there will be a distinct smell. Some people like it, some people don't. It's a little too intense for my comfort, frankly, which is why I try to do a bunch of lard at once. If you can do this outside, or in a canning kitchen if you have one, so much the better.
Let the lard cool to lukewarm; while it's cooling is a good time to gather up your jars and lids and make sure they're clean and ready to go. There are various methods to filter out the bits of meat and unrendered fat--the cracklings--from the lard, but what I use is a paper coffee filter and cone. Ladle the still-liquid lard, skipping the bigger chunks, into the filter.
Refrigerate the lard and use it within a month. If you've made more than you can use in a month, it freezes well.
Using it
Use it anywhere you'd use butter or shortening: To pop popcorn (the best!); to make pie crust; to fry eggs. In some cultures it's even spread on bread, topped with onions and salt, and called a sandwich. As for the leftover bits, the cracklings? Salt them and put them on salads or just munch on them. Josie loves them. We got more cracklings than we could eat, so we fed a lot of them to the chickens and used them as doggie and kitty treats.
Yes, they are superior bastards.
Well, maybe not superior.
Oh, yeah. With shredded monterey jack (store bought) sprinkled on top.
I'm stuffed.
Just in case you haven't yet read the replies on this thread, there are several ideas about using bacon grease.
Yup. Use it all the time. Makes good homemade tortillas too.
It’s not kosher, but from a healthy pig fed organic feed, it would be a great and healthy fat. I am living the paleo life, and have read all the info about lard. It is not kosher so I can’t eat it, but for the rest of you it truly is a tasty, healthy fat. NOT from supermarket pork - get organic only.
And your typical democrats STILL smell bad.
You may remember that for years I've been touting the yumminess of pie crusts made with lard.
Lard is also the secret to frying the very best french fries.
I keep a one or two 3 lb. tubs of lard at all times. I didn't realize that it froze well, though. I'll have to put some away for possible tougher times.
That “varnish” on the cast iron is a good thing! Here is a site that has everything that you want to know about seasoning cast iron. Flaxseed oil is the best, BTW. Grapeseed and soy are also good. Interestingly, coconut oil is the WORST. You should read all the comments, there are LOTS!
http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
Never knew seasoning cast iron could be so science based! Never even heard of the “Iodine Index.” Google THAT! :)
We used to butcher two or three hogs each year. Everything was done in one day. We usually had one or two neighbors helping and we helped them when they butchered. The ribs never made it to the freezer. As soon as they were cut out, I'd season them and on the pit they went.
The sausage making lasted well into the late evening. I remember making head sausage that I'd love to get my hands on now. The last thing would be rendering the lard. We had several large clay pots that we used to store it in for later use.
I believe tallow comes from beef.
It’s the only way this southern belle fries chicken. I also use it to fry green tomatos. Haven’t used lard in many years, but I did see it at the grocery. Does anyone use the grocery kind? I would be interested to know.
My wife does, specially for baking. We do a hog every year and the wife of the guy who butchers it for us (friends from church), has a summer kitchen where she renders it (he also makes great beer there too). In addition to that, my wife uses freshly ground soft wheat flour for pastry and pie-dough. I’ve never had a flakier crust.
Lard comes from pork, and is softer at room temperature. Tallow comes from beef fat, preferably suet, the thick fat that cushions the animal’s kidneys. It is hard at room temps. It is a premium fat and is very useful. Once it is rendered into tallow, it will keep almost indefinitely.
I cook exclusive with ghee, and use butter for baking.
I never ingest cooked oils, except when I succumb to weakness and buy potato chips (about twice a year).
I feel much better without eating cooked oils been quite a number of years now, and even then, it was a rare occasion. About 30 years ago I read how oils, when heated, polymerize, causing that “plasticity”/varnish effect. NOT good for the human body.
Some years of cleaning houses and peoples’ stoves who cooked with oil also convinced me that something wasn’t right with oils heated to high temperatures. I had to scrape that stuff off with sharp knives - it would peel off in strips of plastic-like stuff!
Never happens with milk fat, no matter even if I deep fry in it (about twice a year!), what to speak of sautee.
Maybe not practical for the typical supermarket shopping maven who is feeding their family chemicals, but for those of us who swear by home grown, natural foods, it is just part of the overall lifestyle.
Green beans cooked with bacon...grease included.
You cut the chicken fat into manageable pieces and cover with cold water (enough to completely cover the fat). While it heats, cut the skin (most of it has fat attached) into 1” pieces. When the fat/water mixture is boiling (it looks like fatty soup), add the skin and turn down the heat. In about 30 minutes, the water will boil off and the skin will start to fry in the fat. Watch carefully. Stir constantly. It will stick, often and you need to keep it moving. You want to take the pieces of crackling out as soon as they are golden. Fried food always looks lighter when it is still in the fat. Drain the crackings and salt well. When the schmaltz (fat) has cooled, pour it carefully into a jar and place in the refrigerator. It keeps for a long time. An old-fashioned snack was to fry cooked chickpeas in schmaltz, drain and salt heavily. I cannot recall the Yiddish term for these, but we called them Jewish popcorn. They are heavy, so beware! The old folks would smear some schmaltz onto a piece of rye or pumpernickel bread and add a sliced white radish for a sandwich.
I use a bit of schmaltz for flavor with sauteed onions, use it to fry chicken livers, add a tsp to chopped liver.
The Greibens are crumbled and added to chopped liver or potato kugel or anything where you want some chicken flavor. Everyone always sneaks a few off the draining paper. They are best really hot and crunchy.
This will also add an intense chicken smell to the kitchen. I simply open a window for a bit, afterward.
I cook with mine. I keep a pint bottle on my stove, and put the bottle near the pilot light so it is always liquid. I take coconut oil caps every day, and use it on my skin, as well. The medium-chain fatty acids are so good for us. If you don't have it already, get a copy of Mary Enig's Know Your Fats" to get a real handle on the good stuff. She is a lipid biochemist (I think that's what it is) and a nutritionist, and specializes in dietary fats.
My mother grew up eating homemade bread with lard smeared on it for lunch at school everyday. She said it tasted a bit like bacon.
I recently heard on our local radio trading post - someone called in and had extra pork fat for free if someone wanted to make lard. I love small towns!
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