I used to have an oven with a pilot light that was great because it was warm enough for yogurt and probably low enough for your recipe, but my current oven won’t go that low. I’ve tried several ways to render lard, including just in the oven on a low heat in a large roasting pan. There are three ways to do it. Chop pork fat up into little pieces. Trust me on this one– it’s infinitely easier to work with. In Praise of Lard, and How to Render Your Own. If you want to learn how to render lard & tallow, I can't stress how easy it is. However, when rendering on the stove you need to keep the heat low and be mindful of how quickly you’re rendering it down. What you need: A pound or so of pig fat e(ach pound of fat will yield about a pint of lard) Some containers—Mason jars work nicely. I’ve tried several ways to render lard, including just in the oven on a low heat in a large roasting pan. If you render leaf fat only, you can make the highest quality lard, light-colored with a mild flavor. The process, called rendering, creates the smooth-textured lard you can purchase in stores for making pie crusts, pastry or for frying. Leaf Lard is considered to be the finest lard for baking, especially when making pie crusts from scratch. How To Render Lard & Tallow. The direct heat is going to greatly increase the likelihood of browning the fat and giving you a more pork flavor to your rendered lard. Printable recipe included. 2. “To render lard, grind it or chop it — this is easiest when then the lard is partially frozen — and put it in a 300-degree oven in a shallow casserole. How to Render Lard Instructions. 1. How to make lard. You can also render it in the oven, though I don’t have experience in that arena, so I’ll leave it out. It takes longer than rendering fat on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet, but here’s why I prefer my crock pot over my skillet for lard: It’s low-maintenance. If you do not have a slow cooker then I suggest doing this in your oven on low heat. When most of the lard is rendered, pour it off and keep rendering. Rendering tallow is the process of taking the hard fat from the cow, mainly from around the kidneys and loin area, and turning it into a shelf-stable fat that you can cook with, add to animal feed, or even make soap and candles. Tags: real food, lard, Karen Keb, Since reading Nina Planck’s Real Food , I’ve been a 100% convert to “real” fats. ... Leave the lard on the stove to render for about 3 hours, or until it's completely melted. Make sure to ventilate your kitchen by opening a window or turning on the exhaust fan or both. I happen to like the crock pot method the best. If you chose to render your lard on your stove-top in a giant pot this is what your life will look like for the next week: Just like Jay Francis above, same dutch oven that I make my “no knead” bread in as well. And then you don't need to stir, at all. On butchering day, I just stuck the buckets of the pig fat in the fridge and dealt with it several days later when I had time. How to Render Lard in a Crock Pot. No open flame on the stove, and it's nice on a hot day when you don't want to heat up your house by running the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Cut the fatback into 1/4-inch cubes and put it into a 6 to 8 quart Dutch oven.
Rendering animal fat in my crock pot is my favorite method. The most pure pork fat is leaf fat. A 7-quart crockpot or larger slow cooker to render the lard at a low temperature for a long period of time (24 to 72 hours or more depending on the quantity you are rendering). 3. How to render lard, the easy way. Also in a cast iron dutch oven on the stove top. If you render leaf fat only, you can make the highest quality lard, light-colored with a mild flavor. 3. How to Render Lard
You can research and come to your own conclusion about what you think is healthiest.