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To Make Lard

Rendered lard made by cooking hog fat until the meat is removed and the fat is strained.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Make Lard

Ingredients

Directions

Render the fat

  1. Cut the leaf fat from the inside of a hog into small pieces.

  2. Place the fat in a clean iron kettle over a steady, moderate fire.

  3. Cook until only scraps of meat remain, ensuring the heat is gentle to avoid burning the lard.

  4. Squeeze out all the fat from the scraps.

Strain and store

  1. Spread a coarse cloth in a fine sieve and strain the liquid into tin basins that hold 2 to 3 quarts.

  2. Once the lard is cold, press a piece of new muslin tightly on top and trim it to the edge of the pan.

  3. Store the lard in a cold place or in wooden kegs with tight covers.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

Leaf fat from a hog
Provides the fat that melts down into the lard itself.

The step that matters

Cooking over gentle heat. Fat that is heated too strongly can scorch, which darkens the lard and gives it a burnt flavor. Keeping the fire steady and moderate lets the fat melt out cleanly.

“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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