Preserve Unmelted Lard for Many Months
Ingredients
Directions
Cure the fat
Rub the inner fat with fine salt when first taken from the pig.
Let it sit for a couple of days to drain.
Cover the fat with a strong brine made from 6 oz of salt per quart of water.
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.
Wipe it dry 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
- Inner fat of pig
- Provides the rendered fat that forms the lard itself.
- Fine salt
- Draws out moisture from the fat, helping preserve it against spoilage.
- Salt brine
- Keeps the fat submerged in a salty solution that slows spoilage during curing.
The step that matters
Changing the brine in warm weather. Warmer temperatures speed up bacterial growth and enzymatic breakdown, and a brine left unchanged can weaken or become contaminated, so the fat may spoil before it is 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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