Lard is such a delicious and easy way to use up every bit of goodness that comes from butchering a hog. Don’t have any to butcher? That’s okay! We’ll go over what lard is, how to get your hands on some, and what to do with it once it’s ready to use.
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The first time I used lard in a recipe, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t tried it before.
Lard gives such a delicious, almost buttery but not, tasty goodness to recipes that I can’t exactly describe. You just have to try it for yourself.
We love to use lard for everything from pancakes, biscuits, pie crusts, I even use it in our bread recipe. It is so dang tasty and good for you!
So, what is lard?
Lard is fat from a pig, rendered down into a useable product, usually as a replacement for oil.
Lard is originally solid fat from a pig. The fat comes from the belly, butt, and shoulder of the pig.
I have also heard people say to use the leaf fat, the fat that surrounds the organs, as it is the best quality for recipes such as pie crusts.
In order to turn the fat into lard, it has to go through a process called rendering. This is simply the process of slowly melting the fat down into a liquid. I have a post here explaining how to do this with beef fat, the process is exactly the same for lard.
Personally, I like to cut the fat into small cubes and cook it in a crock pot with a small amount of water on low. You can use a crock pot or a pot on the stove works well too. I choose the crock pot as it’s a “set it and forget it” type of thing. Super easy!
Lard is a great source of vitamin D and is naturally dairy and gluten free making a great substitute for butter and other highly processed oils you find in the store.
Where to get Pig Fat
If you have hogs that are going in to be processed, you can easily ask your butcher to set aside the fat when you put your cut order in. We do this with both our pork and beef.
If you do not have animals processed, you can simply call up any meat processor and ask them to set some aside for you.
Most people don’t realize that you can eat from nose to tail so many times organs, fat, and bones get pitched. But your local butcher I’m sure would be happy to save any part from being thrown away.
How to use Lard
Lard has many uses, honestly, we use it in everything!
My absolute favorite way to use lard is to put a few inches in a deep pan and fry up some homemade French fries. YUM!
However, we also use it to make eggs, cook up pancakes, sauté vegetables, all baked goods recipes, and especially pie crusts.
Not only can you use lard for all sorts of recipes, you can use it to make soaps, lotions, candles. The possibilities are honestly endless.
How to Store Lard
Once I have rendered down the fat into a hot, useable liquid, I ladle it into old spaghetti sauce jars, quart size mason jars also work well, put the lid on and let them cool completely. Doing this allows the jar to self seal, not a true seal as with canning, but it will close off the jar and allow it to be shelf stable for up to six months. You can also store it in the fridge for up to one year.
Now that you know a little more about lard, what do you think? Will you try to render your own? What do you want to make with it first?
Happy rendering!
Until next time,
