To Melt Lard
Ingredients
Directions
Render the lard
Remove the skin from the inner fat of a freshly killed pig and slice it thinly.
Place the fat in a new or well-scalded jar and set it in a pan of boiling water.
Let it simmer over a clear fire until it dissolves.
Strain the melted lard into small stone jars or deep earthen pans.
Store and preserve
Once cold, cover the lard with the skin or thoroughly washed and dried bladders.
To preserve unmelted lard, rub it with coarse sea salt and let it sit for two days.
Drain the lard and cover it with strong brine, changing the brine occasionally in warm weather.
When ready to use, soak the lard in cold water for two to three 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
- Is the fat that melts down into the lard itself.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and helps preserve the fat when rubbed on or used in brine.
The step that matters
Strain the melted lard before it cools. Any bits of tissue left in the rendered fat can spoil during storage, so the lard must be fully strained before it sets. Holding the fat over a clear, gentle simmer keeps it from scorching and turning bitter.
“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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