Cheryl Wixson's Kitchen

Rendering lard

February 10, 2010 on 5:17 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

The fat. The food police (aka nutritionists, and I’m sure they are well intentioned) had us switch from animal fats (butter, bacon fat and lard) to a diet of hydrogenated fats like margarine and whipped vegetable fat and oils like olive oil and canola oil. Then, research determined that hydrogenated fats were, gasp, not good for us…but we should still steer clear of animal fats…olive oil and canola oil were the best.

Well, when eating a local, seasonal, organic diet here in Maine, olive oil is hard to come by. Canola oil is now produced in the county, only in a limited amount. Butter, of course, is still an option. But how about lard?

The pig is a wonderful animal. Intelligent, neat, clean, and almost all body parts are usable. And I have half a pig, including body parts in my freezer.

Yesterday was a good day to render lard, as I was planning to be around to keep the fire going all day. My mother recalled her grandmother rendering lard, “used to make the house stink. Bad.” I suppose you could say it stinks. But to me, it was a good “fat” smell.

To render lard, one needs a heavy pot, a slow, steady flame, and some pork fat. With a sharp knife, remove the hide from the fat and cut into small pieces. My friend Deborah, who raises organic heritage pigs and has more experience with lard than I, grinds her fat. I chose the lazy route…but will definately try her procedure another time.

Place the chunks in the heavy pot and heat slowly, turning the pieces so they don’t stick on the bottom. It took most all day for the fat to melt, and all I had remaining were croutons of golden fat with bits of meat plus a pot full of liquid. These crouton-pieces are known as the cracklings…

After removing my cracklings to drain, I let the liquid cool a bit. Then I strained the remaining into a metal pail (years ago, every kitchen had a lard pail). The pail is now sitting on my counter, lard has solidified, and is ready to use. Because I didn’t clarify it or process it in any other way, I’ll need to use it quickly, or store it in the refrigerator or freezer. Right now, I’m going to keep it on my counter and see how much I work the product into our cuisine.

The very best lard, known as leaf lard, comes from the fat around the animals kidneys. It is prized by bakers. My lard isn’t leleaf…and it has a soft texture and stronger flavor. But it tastes good…as do the cracklings. It will be a new adventure for the taste buds!