To Preserve Unmelted Lard for Many Months
Ingredients
Directions
Cure
Rub the inner fat with coarse sea salt and let it sit for 2 days.
Drain the fat.
Cover it with a strong brine made from 1 quart of water and 6 ozs of salt.
Change the brine occasionally in warm weather.
Prepare to use
When ready to use, soak the fat in cold water for 2-3 hours.
Wipe the fat 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 fat being preserved, which becomes the finished lard.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the fat while helping preserve it against spoilage.
The step that matters
Change the brine occasionally in warm weather. Warm temperatures speed up microbial growth and can weaken the brine, so refreshing it keeps the curing 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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