Lard beautiful lard

[Chasintrail]

Oh yum

I picked up 12 lbs of pastured pork fat on Sat. I rendered about 1/2 of it yesterday and have 4 1/2 beautiful pint jars of white creamy lard on my counter... My house smells devine.

Now I just have to get the other 1/2 done and I'm good for lard for a year and have enough for Christmas presents

[Dottie]

Oh nice!

[Tonedbody]

I have some lard in the fridge. I have only used it once unsuccessfully to fry some chicken.

I am not sure what I will do with the rest.

[Dottie]

We always made Mexican food with lard growing up. For things like carne guisada and carnitas, it gives the best flavor

[Chasintrail]

I use it to sautee veggies. Fry steaks, fry chicken (no coating), fry eggs, etc. Almost anything you'd use butter or CO for, you can use lard.

[nanberrycritter]

Originally Posted by Chasintrail

Oh yum

I picked up 12 lbs of pastured pork fat on Sat. I rendered about 1/2 of it yesterday and have 4 1/2 beautiful pint jars of white creamy lard on my counter... My house smells devine.

Now I just have to get the other 1/2 done and I'm good for lard for a year and have enough for Christmas presents

Ooh, wanna be my new best friend?

[PaleoRainy]

I don't know if this can be useful but I like to get those big pieces of lard, slice a few thin slices (not so thin in the end, lol!), place them in a pan and fry up, then when they're getting crackly, crack a couple of eggs on top and let them fry in the melted lard.
The final result is fried eggs with a pork cracklings base.

[sidhartha]

Originally Posted by Chasintrail

Oh yum

I picked up 12 lbs of pastured pork fat on Sat. I rendered about 1/2 of it yesterday and have 4 1/2 beautiful pint jars of white creamy lard on my counter... My house smells devine.

Now I just have to get the other 1/2 done and I'm good for lard for a year and have enough for Christmas presents

I'm curious of your method of rendering it. Do you just slow heat it in a pot or skillet?

Also. it's probably a dumb question, but how do you use the lard? I use store bought lard, but only to fry with.

[Chasintrail]

I just chop it up into little cubes and put it in the over at 275F until it's all melty. You can do it on the stove top too, but the oven seems easiest.

I use it for everything that needs added fat, frying meat, sauteeing veggies, cooking eggs, etc.

[Auntie Em]

Chasintrail, congratulations! Those folks who get freshly rendered lard from you for Christmas are in for a treat!

Sidhartha, I like the water method of rendering. Chopped up bits of lard in water, in a pot or a crock pot. A potato in the mixture helps soak up piggy smells. When cool, put the pot in the fridge. When completely chilled, just pick up the beautiful, chunk of lard off the top.

I use beef fat now for food, rather than pig fat, and keep jars of rendered fat handy for cooking, or putting in tea.

I also make soap from lard: for bathing, washing dishes, laundry, etc.

It can also be put in salves and lotion bars. I find the salves and bars are nicer with animal fats.

[sidhartha]

Originally Posted by Chasintrail

I just chop it up into little cubes and put it in the over at 275F until it's all melty. You can do it on the stove top too, but the oven seems easiest.

I use it for everything that needs added fat, frying meat, sauteeing veggies, cooking eggs, etc.

Thanks for responding, that seems simple and straightforward.

Originally Posted by Auntie Em

.....Sidhartha, I like the water method of rendering. Chopped up bits of lard in water, in a pot or a crock pot. A potato in the mixture helps soak up piggy smells. When cool, put the pot in the fridge. When completely chilled, just pick up the beautiful, chunk of lard off the top.

I use beef fat now for food, rather than pig fat, and keep jars of rendered fat handy for cooking, or putting in tea.

I also make soap from lard: for bathing, washing dishes, laundry, etc.

It can also be put in salves and lotion bars. I find the salves and bars are nicer with animal fats.

Thanks so much for the info. I save beef fat (from browning cheap ground beef) in the freezer and feed it to the birds as suet in the winter. Would you consider this type of beef fat to be acceptable to use?

Why beef fat over pig fat?

Do you just put a glob of beef fat in your tea? For taste? To assure you get a certain amount of fat a day? You've really got my curiosity up! Thanks again.

[Auntie Em]

Hi, Sidhartha. I save all fat from cooking beef, whether it is ground or not. And, yes, I just put a dab of that saved fat into my tea, or mix it with beef broth. I find the beef fat very satisfying. Keeps down the desire to use too much cream.

I don't eat pork, as I only eat meat and fat from ruminants.

Here is some info on Tibetans and their tea, which might be of interest. I like beef fat and beef broth and currently use milk with lactase, and sometimes a bit of cream. It is warming and satisfying.

I find beef fat, by far, the most satisfying fat, pastured butter is in second place. Cream takes third place, and is more an indulgence. Beef fat in tea in the morning, especially with beef broth and that bit of dairy, is a nice comfort, and nourishes something, for which tea is only a shabby substitute. The explorer, Vilhjalmur Stefansson wrote about drinking meat broth rather than tea or coffee. I am trying to wean myself off of modern convenience foods, such as tea and decaf coffee. Meat fat and broth are the real thing!

[mamasooze]

Originally Posted by Auntie Em

Chasintrail, congratulations! Those folks who get freshly rendered lard from you for Christmas are in for a treat!

Sidhartha, I like the water method of rendering. Chopped up bits of lard in water, in a pot or a crock pot. A potato in the mixture helps soak up piggy smells. When cool, put the pot in the fridge. When completely chilled, just pick up the beautiful, chunk of lard off the top.

I use beef fat now for food, rather than pig fat, and keep jars of rendered fat handy for cooking, or putting in tea.

I also make soap from lard: for bathing, washing dishes, laundry, etc.

It can also be put in salves and lotion bars. I find the salves and bars are nicer
with animal fats.

Wow. This is so impressive. Soap? You are amazing

[rsmorales]

I did this same thing with 5 lbs of grassfed ground beef fat that I picked up from a local farmer. I didn't know what to do when I got it, so I literally put it into a pot, boiled it and went on Youtube for a detailed explanation! Lol. Basically, the 5 lbs of fat boiled, the oil separated itself from the meat, and I strained it into 2 mason jars using a splatter screen. I used it in my dinner and it tasted really good. Clean, not beefy at all. My grandma came in the kitchen and was like WOW--what is that smell? What are you cooking? (me: "fat")

She winced and ran back into her room. Haha.

Some of the paleo gurus like Robb Wolf, etc. use beef fat and mix in coconut oil, butter, etc to make a highly nutritious cooking fat.

Doesn't that sound amazing?! I feel like Ive been let in on some longstanding secret by knowing about the difference between n-6 and n-3 fats, and knowing about the massive imbalance that most Americans have. Also, knowing about the dangers of wheat and gluten has changed my life to where, even at age 25, I can go to my favorite pizzeria, and watch as my friends and boyfriend devour fresh Italian pizza with sausage, pepperoni, etc. while I eat a friggin salad with oil and vinegar.