To Preserve Unmelted Lard for Many Months
Ingredients
Directions
Cure
Rub the fine salt generously onto the inner fat of the pig and let it sit for 2 days.
Drain the fat well and cover it with a strong brine made from 1 quart of water and 6 oz of coarse sea salt.
Change the brine occasionally in warmer weather.
Prepare to use
When ready to use, soak the fat in cold water for 2 to 3 hours, then wipe it dry.
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
- Inner fat of pig
- The main material that is preserved by curing and brining.
- Fine salt
- Draws moisture out of the fat and helps preserve it during the initial dry cure.
- Coarse sea salt
- Forms a strong brine that keeps the fat preserved while it is submerged.
The step that matters
Changing the brine in warm weather. Salt draws moisture and keeps spoilage microbes in check, but warmer temperatures speed microbial growth and can weaken the brine over time. Changing it occasionally helps keep the fat safely preserved.
“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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