#rendering lard

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Good hogs, good lard. I'm glad I met these folks today.

[unexpectedyarns]

A friend had a couple pigs butchered and gave me about 25# of fresh, inspected pork fat. I'm rendering it into lard. Lard isn't as dastardly as previously thought - it's high in monounsaturated fats, vitamin D and the same Omega-3 fatty acids that people hail in avocado and olive oils. Not to mention it adds hardness and creamy lather to soaps, and makes the best pie crust ever. Bonus: delicious cracklings (lardons).

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Important question of judgements: Is this video of rendering lard (+ me handling my phone and breathing apparently loudly):

A) good cooking sounds, or

B) BAD sounds

[mitchismirage]

First Time Rendering Lard

I love to cook and bake with lard but it really gets expensive. I know there are some who render their own lard and I began to wonder if I was capable of doing the same. I began to do some research and came up with some wonderful information. I began to think that yes, I could pull this off. When I came across one video in particular, I realized that it would be very easy. The next time I was…

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[the-re-farmer]

Rendering lard: comparing 3 batches

While putting the jars of rendered lard into boxes, I remembered to take a picture of jars from each batch, together. The batches are in order, with the first batch on the left, and the third batch on the right. My younger daughter ended up doing most of the work for the third batch, as I was not feeling well enough. I just got to jar it up the next day. The third batch turned out smaller than…

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[the-re-farmer]

Rendering lard: second batch, first use

Rendering lard: second batch, first use

I was going to start the third and (hopefully!) last batch tonight, but it’s coming up on 5pm, and I just finished jarring up the second batch a little while ago. It can wait until tomorrow! At times like this, I really appreciate the uninsulated old kitchen. This time of year, it’s basically a walk in freezer or refrigerator, depending on how cold things are outside. The remaining leaf lard is…

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[the-re-farmer]

Rendering lard: first batch finished

Rendering lard: first batch finished

Well, this is certainly a long process! Here is what the slow cooker looked like this morning. I stirred it, breaking up the clumps of fat, several times, adding a bit of time to make up for the heat lost while the lid was off, each time. In total, this picture was taken after about 10 or 11 hours. I added more time. By the time I was ready for the next step, it was at about 13 hours on low,…

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[the-re-farmer]

Rendering lard, first batch

Rendering lard, first batch

I started working on the pork fat well before it was thawed out, as it’s much easier to cut it while it’s partially frozen. I have two large slow cookers, and I was planning to use both of them to render the fat out. It should be done over low heat for a long time, and I wasn’t about to monitor a pot on the stove all night. Thinking back, my mother never rendered lard on low heat. She didn’t…

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