How to Render Lard

Aroostook's Note:

This makes such a superior product. Easy to do but takes awhile. This recipe calls for pork fat but I have rendered lard from bear and it came out excellent.

• Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Yield: 20 lbs.

• pork fat, from the belly,leaf fat and back fat (Do not use ruffle fat "or" fat from internal organs as it is dark and soft, thus inferior)
• cheesecloth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
2. Wash and chill fat.
3. Cut into small pieces (1 inch).
4. Place 1 cup of fat in roasting pan.
5. Place in oven.
6. When fat starts to melt, add more pieces until roaster is about half full.
7. Render until all is melted and all moisture is cooked off and evaporated.
8. Let cool slightly.
9. Dip liquid from roaster and strain through triple layer of cheesecloth.
10. (Note:After you have dipped out most of the lard and you have bits of crackling left, continue to cook these down on top of stove but watch it closely and don't let it get too hot.) Pour into 5 to 10 pound containers.
11. Cover tightly.
12. Store immediately in a freezer if possible.
13. Quick cooling produces a fine grained lard.
14. Store in freezer.
15. You can increase storage time for this lard by adding a 3 pound can of vegetable shortening to every 50 pounds of lard.

Reviews

[Mirj]

This is an easy way to render fat. I actually used chicken fat to make shmaltz, since we don't use lard. I used about 5 pounds of fat I had saved up over the last few months (stored in the freezer just for this purpose). You don't have to watch the pot all the time like you would on the stovetop. The only reason that I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is because it spattered over my oven walls and I had a good workout cleaning up afterwards.

[Chuck in Killbuck]

Barbara: This is and excellent way to do this. I've been getting my fat from a butcher and doing this for years. I use pork for the good stuff to fry with, and once or twice a year I get beef fat and do this to make suet cakes to put out for the birds in the winter. It's nice to see this recipe here at Zaar. Thanks a bunch.

[appliance queen]

I would NOT add vegetable shortening to stretch lard. Lard is actually better than butter and has no trans fats in it and if you add shortening then you are adding the no good trans fats to it. Keep it in the fridge for weeks or the freezer for up to a year for good storage.