Rendering Lard

Most people cringe at the thought of using lard.  It has a strong and enduring reputation as an unhealthy fat.  But back before the advent of shortening, lard was the "go to" fat for frying and baking.  During that time lard was made from the fat of pigs that spent their days rooting in the soil and basking in the sun. 

Lard; rendered and ready for the freezer.

The lard you find today in most grocery stores comes from pigs raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFO).  When food animals are raised in crowded, unsanitary, and stressful conditions they are often feed daily rations of antibiotics to keep them alive.  They may also be given hormones to help them grow faster.  They spend no time outdoors and do not benefit from sunshine.  I would never advocate the use of lard from industrial farming sources.

I would however, encourage you to explore the benefits of lard from pastured pigs as it compares to shortening.

Click Read More (below) to see the complete post.

Some sources attribute lard, from pigs who have spent their days in the sun, as an excellent source of Vitamin D.  Here is a fun article about lard with lots of good links.

Lard is a stable fat with a fairly high smoke point.  It can be used when cooking at higher temperatures without forming free radicals.  Corn and most oils labeled "vegetable oil" are unstable and should not be used for high heat cooking.

I was lucky enough to find a farmer who raised pigs on pasture and took the bag of lard that was offered, without charge, along with the whole pig I purchased.  I was told the lard was "unrendered" and I would need to render it myself.

Now rendering (or even eating) lard is one of those things I never thought I would do. But because I have an interest in reclaiming traditional foods, I did some research and felt up to the rendering challenge.

The first step was to pull the bag of fat pieces (almost like unsliced bacon) from the freezer to allow them to thaw a bit.  You want the pieces of fat slightly frozen as it makes grinding it easier.

Fat pieces, direct from the butcher shop.

I had purchased a meat grinder when I began to feed our dog a raw meat diet.  So I had the tools I needed for the lard rendering project.  Grinding the fat works very well, but if you don't have a grinder you can just chop it into small pieces.  Again, keeping the fat semi frozen will help in this endeavor.

Some meat processors will grind the fat for you, which is most convenient. But if you are not offered that service, here is the grinding method;

A heavy duty machine makes the grinding easy.

• Slice the slightly frozen fat into pieces that will fit into the grinder.

Pork fat cuts best while still slightly frozen.

• Use the attachment with small holes, so the fat comes out with a ground beef like texture.

The small hole grind plate works best.

The texture is like ground beef.

• Heat your oven to 250 degrees and place the ground fat in a stoneware baking dish.  Caste iron pans work as well.  Place the dish or pan in the oven.  If you have a whole bag of lard, use as many baking dishes as will fit in your oven to reduce the time to complete the rendering.

Stoneware baking dishes and caste iron both work well.

• Check after about an hour and you will see the liquid pooling on the edges.  This is the lard.

Liquefied lard at the edges.

• Remove the liquid periodically about every 30 to 60 minutes, straining it into glass canning jars until they are about 3/4 full.  The liquid that forms first is clear and has little flavor.  As the process continues the liquid gets darker and has a stronger taste.

Cracklings - crisp and golden brown.

After about 5 hours the remaining solids should appear golden brown and almost all the fat should be removed.  These are the "cracklings".  They are like bacon bits, but with more of the fat and without the salty smoked flavor.  Some people enjoy them scrambled into eggs or used like bacon bits.  If you don't want to eat them and own chickens, your hens will love the treat. 

Lard starts our clear and cools to opaque.

The light colored lard is best for baking and the darker colored lard is good for frying and roasting.  You will notice that as the lard cools the color will become opaque and lighter.

Lighter lard works well for baking, darker for frying and roasting.

• When the lard has cooled and solidified, cover with a canning lid and ring, label with contents and date, and store in the freezer.  Take a jar out as needed and refrigerate.

Tips

• Roasted vegetables are especially yummy when coated with lard.

• Lard can be substituted for shortening when baking.

• Lard is ideal for seasoning caste iron pans.

Do you have any great uses for lard to share?