LARD

[baymule]

I rendered l rendered lard for the first time yesterday. This is a thread for us to discuss lard, rendering it, canning it and using it in cooking. @frustratedearthmother @Britesea @Mini Horses @NH Homesteader and anyone else please add your experience to the thread!

So yesterday I took out 2 packages of chopped lard from the freezer and put it in my largest pot. I am proud of this huge commercial stainless steel pot, it was priced at $130, but after talking to the men in the commercial kitchen store, telling them all about my canning and running my mouth (which I am VERY good at) they knocked $30 off the price. It is so big that I can't lift it when even half full.

Anyway, I defrosted the lard in the microwave for 8 minutes, then put in my big pot. I put it on medium low heat and it slowly melted. I did not add water. Over the course of the day, I stirred it and that's about all. When it was all melted and boiling, I strained it through a colander. Then restrained it through the colander lined with cheese cloth.

Hmmm...…. normally I fill jars with boiling water to heat them up, but didn't want water in my lard. So I filled quart jars with the not boiling any more, cooling down lard. I placed the jars (4 quarts) in The Beast, my 921 All American pressure canner and water bathed, not pressured, them for 10 minutes. I cut off the heat, let it cool awhile and took the jars out. They popped a seal.

So today I am rendering the remaining 4 packages of chopped fat/lard. I will keep y'all posted!

 

[baymule]

When we take our pigs to slaughter, I tell them NOT to trim the fat off the cuts. It is divine on a pork roast. I roast them fat side up until the fat is melted and crispy on top and the meat is fork-twist tender. YUMMY! When I fry pork chops, I start with a little fat, the fat on the chops melt into the pan and I get deep fried pork chops. Then I make "dog gravy" for mixing with the dog kibble.

 

[baymule]

I set out pig fat last night to thaw. I started at 8:00 this morning and finished at 6:00 this evening. I got 8 jars of lard and 6 bags of cracklins of 1 cup each. I still have pig fat in the freezer but I won’t be making lard tomorrow!

Out of the hot water bath to seal it, the lard is yellowish but cools to a pure white.

Cracklins!

There was some meat on the back side of the fat. I carved the meat off, shredded it, put it in a pot with my home made BBQ sauce and made pulled pork. After I cleaned up my mess, we had sandwiches, they sure were good!

 

[baymule]

I got a total of 13 quarts plus the 1 quart of cracklin lard, actually 2 quarts of cracklin lard, got one from the first batch. Dogs LOVE them some cracklin lard over their kibble. So, going by the lard I rendered at the start of this thread in 2018, I've got a 2 year supply of lard. LOL

 

[baymule]

I have 6 quarts in The Beast, plus 2 that went straight in the refrigerator. One is an olive jar, one is a jar that held sliced jalapeños. Just turned off The Beast.

We tried the cracklins. I put some on a plate, covered with sharp cheddar, nuked in the microwave and salted them. They were so good!

 

[tortoise]

Very interesting to see your process! I havent rendered lard, but I do venison tallow.

I heat it in a crockpot with an inch or more of water in the bottom. When its ready, I put it in the fridge. Next day I pop the tallow off and scrape off the bottom where some sediment lingers. I repeat the heating with water and cooling. This makes it pristine. I reheat and pour into molds like ice cubes and freeze it. I need to break up tasks into manageable chunks and standing over a strainer pouring hot fat is no-go. I made it a slow process, but easier.

 

[baymule]

This shows the difference between lard strained out, then the lard that comes from cooking down the cracklins. The pure white lard is tasteless, the cracklins lard has a taste like cracklins.

Before it solidified

After. The color is still noticeable but I still labeled it.

.

The dogs love the cracklins lard over their kibble. I have a quart in the refrigerator from the first batch of lard.

 

[baymule]

Chopped fat in my big pot.

 

[CrealCritter]

This is what I'm talking about. Our Amish friends called my wife to come over because it was desert baking day. They gave us a box full of stuff cookies, a huge batch of rolls. But look at this apple pie

Then I kicked it up a notch with a scoop of homemade burbon butter pecan ice cream

Slight hint of smoky flavor apple pie flavor plus slight hint of Burbon =

 

[baymule]

First straining in my biggest pot, not the commercial one, it’s still cooking.

Biggest kitchen pot is in the sink, washing in Dawn dishwashing liquid. I reacct to it, so almost never use it. I hate the stuff, but it sure cuts the grease. My tongue and lips are starting to tingle.

Second straining through cheesecloth. Then I returned the melted lard to the pot and put back on the stove to keep warm.

Waiting on big humongous commercial pot. Dumped solids in a deep iron skillet, gonna try for cracklins.