To Try Out Lard
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Skin the leaf lard carefully.
Cut the lard into small pieces.
Place the lard in a kettle or saucepan.
Add a cupful of water to prevent burning.
Render
Heat over the fire, melting slowly.
Stir frequently.
Simmer until only brown scraps remain.
Remove the scraps with a perforated skimmer.
Add a little salt to settle the fat; continue stirring from the bottom until clear.
Strain and store
Strain the clear fat through a coarse cloth into jars.
If it scorches, it will have a bad flavor.
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. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Leaf lard (in the method)
- Provides the fat that melts out to become the rendered cooking fat.
- Water
- Keeps the lard from scorching in the early stage of melting.
The step that matters
Keep the heat low and stir the rendering fat. Fat that gets too hot or sits without stirring can scorch on the bottom of the pot, giving the rendered lard a bad, burnt flavor. Gentle heat and frequent stirring let the fat melt out cleanly while the water evaporates.
“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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