Lard, Preserving Unmelted
Ingredients
Directions
Cure the fat
Rub the fat all over with coarse sea salt.
Let it sit for two days.
Drain the fat and place it in a saltwater solution strong enough to float an egg.
Change the saltwater occasionally in warm weather.
Before using
Soak the lard in fresh water for two to three hours before using.
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
- Fat from a newly-killed pig
- Provides the lard itself, which is preserved by salting and brining.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and preserves the fat by inhibiting spoilage microbes.
The step that matters
Changing the saltwater in warm weather. Warm temperatures speed up spoilage and bacterial growth, and salt concentration drops as the brine is diluted by fat and juices. Refreshing the brine keeps the salt strong enough to preserve the fat safely.
“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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