Lard, and Its Adulterations
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Score the pieces of fat into smaller portions about 1 inch in diameter.
Place the fat in an iron cauldron, with or without a little water.
Render
Apply heat using a direct flame, water-bath, or steam.
Skim off the scum that forms on the surface as the fat melts.
Store
Once melted, pour the warm lard out through a tap into bladders or kegs.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Pork fat
- Supplies the fat that melts down to become the lard itself.
The step that matters
Skim off the scum as the fat melts. Scum is mostly water and small tissue bits that can spoil or darken the lard if left in. Removing it as it rises keeps the rendered fat clearer and more stable for storage.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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