Fall happens to be harvest season in more ways than one. Not only is it time to finish up the canning and bring the winter vegetables into cold storage, in many families, fall traditionally has meant an annual pig butcher day. Now although our family doesn’t always carry on this annual ritual, we always order a direct-from-the-farm pig, and I deliberately ask for all the fat back from the butcher to carry on the practice of rendering my own lard.
Why Render Fat
There are several reasons why this process is priority for me every fall.
First off, lard is delicious. Pie crusts made with real lard develop delicious light and flakey texture. The flakiness is due to lards high melting point. Not only good for pie, but we also use lard for other dishes. Old recipes show my grandmothers made everything with lard from cookies to buns to deep-fried goodies. We probably don’t use lard quite as liberally as they did, but many dishes, such as a batch of homemade popcorn, fluffy baking powder biscuits or homemade gingersnap cookies are all much more delicious made from home-rendered goodness.
Whether we butcher, ourselves, or buy a whole pig from a farmer, using the fat is also a way to use every part of the animal and minimize waste. In this case, compared to the price of purchasing butter or oil, lard makes a reasonably priced cooking fat.
Pasture raised pig fat is also an excellent source of vitamin D. Pigs raised outside make vitamin D from sunlight and store it in their fat. With food sources of vitamin D few and far between, I welcome this delicious option to get more of it during the long winter months. As another benefit, compared to other oils, lard boasts an incredibly high smoke point. So the negative health implications of oxidization are not an issue, making lard appropriate for high heat cooking such as deep frying.
How to Render
Rendering lard is an incredibly easy skill to learn. Put the cold fat chunks in a large pot, turn the heat on low, and simmer it slowly for several hours.
To end up with white and tasteless lard, you need to keep the heat extremely low, and stir it occasionally, so no bits burn at the bottom. As the fat simmers, the bits of meat left in the fat will shrivel up and rise to the top. You know your lard is done when the meat bits are shrunken, slightly browned and floating at the top.
Cool the fat for a couple hours so that it's still pourable but will not burn you (or break a glass jar). Strain the meat from the lard with a wire sieve. We call these leftover meat bits ‘crackles’ and eat them with eggs, sprinkle them on baked potatoes or cook with baked beans. Basically, they can be used anywhere where you’d use bacon.
The lard looks brown in its liquid state. That doesn’t mean you’ve done it wrong. It turns pure white as it cools. When the lard cools, although not solid yet, you can pour the lard into glass jars or ice cream pails. The pails of lard keep in the freezer for a very long time. The jars of lard store in the fridge for several months. Lard is also fairly shelf stable and will last on the counter for several weeks.
This process is exactly the same with any fat such as beef or lamb tallow.
Where to Source Fat
Source pork fat from a local butcher or local farmer who sells pork direct from the farm. You cannot buy bags of fat from a regular grocery store. That wouldn’t be my first choice even if it were possible. I like to source my lard from happy healthy pigs that have been outside on pasture. The only way to guarantee outdoor raised pork is to buy from a farmer. That said, you may want to find a local butcher shop and ask what they have available.
And there you have it. Rendering lard is surprisingly simple, never mind delicious, and after you do it a few times, you will wonder why the practice has been lost by many. I think it might be time for a come-back.