How to Render Your Own Lard Using a Crockpot
How to Render Your Own Lard
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How exciting that you have Lard!! Maybe you were able to buy a whole or half a hog from a local farmer. If you did, hopefully you asked to keep the Lard, if not make sure next time. Lard comes basically raw, so you’ll need to render it so you can cook and bake with it. How I use my Organic & Pasture Raised Pork Lard? I use it to Saute vegetables, in my bread recipes in place of butter, making soap even in cookie recipes! Oh and also Sourdough Croissants. Lard when raised correctly actually has vitamins and is not something to be afraid of. Good fat is good.
How to Start:
+ Leaf Lard- Pure cleaner lard
+ Back Fat- Lard from the back of the animal, not as pure
Recommend Crock Pot – it’s a big ol 10 quart and I have 2 of them!
Typically, I get 8 Quarts of RENDERED lard from 18 pounds of unrendered lard.
#1 rendering will be your purest with almost no porky flavor. I’ve used all renderings in soap and sauteing and have had no issues using any of the renderings. See more details in the directions.
After rendering is complete you will be left with “crackling” you can then take the remaining chunks from the crock pot and place onto a cookie sheet with a rim and bake 350 for 30 minutes (maybe longer, keep an eye on it). The cracklin’s will crisp up a bit once removed from the oven.
My FAVORITE way to use the crackling is by taking veggies and potatoes cut up, coated with olive oil and spices (paprika, S&P garlic) place onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle the crackling on there and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until done. 30-45 minutes. Shown in this video:
Directions:
1. Working with frozen lard is much easier than room temp as it wants to slip all over the place. It’s also easier on a wood cutting board.
2. Chop lard into 1 to 2 inch cubes (smaller the better to release more impurities)
3. Place a smidge of water in your crock pot and place the cubed lard as well
4. Cook on high for 1 hour and stir every 20 minutes, do not let the lard burn (It will be ok, it will just be more porky smelling)
5. When the cubed lard has started to melt and you have liquid (melted lard) covering the cubes, this is your FIRST rendering #1.
6. Layer cheesecloth over a colander that is over a large metal or glass bowl. You will then either pour or scoop with a heat proof measuring cup and pour over the colander. Once it begins to cool you will then pour that liquid into a clean wide mouth mason jar and mark this as #1.
7. Meanwhile the remaining lard is melting, and as soon as you get enough liquid again you will follow the same steps and mark this as #2, and keep going until all is melted and scooped out. You may get several renderings, which is normal.
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Lard in Crock Pot |
Lard being drained
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Melted Lard
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Store one container in the fridge and the remaining in the freezer with lids on after completely cooled down. Will last months if not over a year.
