To Make Lard
Ingredients
Directions
Render the fat
Cut the leaf fat into small pieces and place it in a clean iron kettle.
Heat over a steady, moderate fire until only scraps of meat remain.
Keep the heat gentle to avoid burning the lard.
Spread a coarse cloth in a wire sieve and strain the liquid into tin basins that hold 2 to 3 quarts.
Squeeze out all the fat from the scraps.
Finish and store
Once the lard is cold, press a piece of new muslin on top and trim it at the edge of the pan.
Store in a cold place or in wooden kegs with tight covers.
For better preservation, mix in one-third as much beef suet.
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 bacon hog
- Provides the fat that melts down to become the lard itself.
- Beef suet
- Added in a small amount to improve preservation of the finished lard.
The step that matters
Keep the heat gentle. Fat that gets too hot scorches, which darkens the lard and gives it a burnt flavour. Gentle, steady heat renders the fat clear and mild.
“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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