The Do's and Don'ts of Rendering Lard

I was going to start this blog off by telling you how easy it is to render lard, which in reality it is, but this batch did not turn out like it should have. It was one of those days where nothing was going right or how I planned it. I'm sure you have had some of those days too. I have rendered lard several times before and each of those batches turned out perfect!

If you are new to rendering lard, all it consists of is cooking down pig fat for several hours and it turns into lard. Lard can be used as a substitute for shortening or oil and creates really flaky biscuits. You can also fry with it since it has a high smoke point. It’s non-hydrogenated which means no trans fat and there are no chemicals added! It’s an all natural ingredient you can use that is healthier for your body and easier for you to digest.

The fat I used was from our pig that we butchered ourselves. To get the best fat for cooking, you will want to have leaf lard which is the fat around the kidney. It has the least off-taste and is pure white. It is prized by cooks for creating flaky pastries and pie crusts. I also use the fat from other parts of the pig as I did this last time, and render it to use in soap making. I do bake and cook with the leaf lard.

The trick to having your lard turn out right is to cook it ‘low’ and ‘slow.’ If it gets too hot or cooks for too long, like mine did this last time, it’ll be brown and not be useable for cooking. However, I will use it in my next batch of soap to see how it turns out. Everyone is always telling me I need to color my soaps anyway. 😏

If you are not butchering your own pigs, you can source leaf fat from a local butcher. I’m not familiar with prices as I’ve never done this before, but it’s worth checking into.

This is not leaf fat, but other fat we cut from our pig.

STEP ONE

Once you have your fat, trim any meat that may be on it. It’s important that what you have is mostly fat. I wouldn’t worry about little tiny pieces of meat that are hard to get to as it should turn out fine.

You can see the meat I'm going to cut from the fat.

STEP TWO

After trimming the meat off, cut up the fat into approximately 1/2”-1” pieces. There is no hard rule here, just as long as they are about the same size. The larger the pieces, the longer it’ll take to cook down. If you get them too small, it tends to burn easier as in my last batch. I didn’t have much fat left to render and had others things to do that day so I was in a hurry. Bad mistake on my part.

I cut these pieces too small causing them to cook way too fast.

STEP THREE

Place your fat pieces in a crockpot on the lowest heat setting. Cover with the lid but remember to stir often. The last few batches I made that turned out perfect, it filled a large crockpot about half full. For that amount of fat, and depending on how hot your crockpot gets, it’ll usually take 6-8 hours to render the lard out. You will need to be home so you can watch it and make sure it doesn’t burn and be sure to stir often.

After placing the cut up pig fat in the crockpot, keep it on the low temperature setting.

STEP FOUR

Once the fat pieces have shrunk they should be lightly browned. These are called cracklings. You will want to strain these cracklings from the fat. Try to get most of the crumbs and fat pieces out so they wont be cooked in your baked goods. I sometimes have to strain it twice with a small mesh wire strainer.

If you notice some pieces darker than others indicating some of it is cooking too fast. The coloring should be uniform.

With a little salt, cracklings taste similar to bacon crumbs after frying and make a nice snack, or you can add it to salad like bacon bits. I usually put them in the oven on 250 degrees for about 10-15 minutes to get them a little crispier.

These have been cooked too long. Be sure to set a timer and not get sidetracked like I did.

STEP FIVE

Pour the lard in mason jars and as it cools, it’ll become more solid and will be white if it turned out right. Not brown, ahem, as mine did. The lard will last about 6 months in the fridge but usually longer. Use it in recipes that call for shortening, fry with it, or use it in your soap recipe.

This is too dark. If cooked right it'll be more clear until it cools and then it will be white. Mason jars are great for storing your lard.

After your lard is cooled it should be white unlike in this photo where it is a light brown but still good for making soap.

I know some people recommend putting water in with it, but I find this completely unnecessary as there is plenty of fat for it not to stick (because it’s all fat) and adding water can cause the lard to become rancid more quickly. I’ve never added water and it turned out fine…except when I cooked it too long.😔

Other ways you can cook it is in a kettle over a fire like the pioneers did years ago. It’ll be a little more tricky getting the heat just right so it doesn’t burn but not impossible. You could also cook in on the stove top but I would do it on the smallest burner on low heat. Remember ‘low’ and ‘slow’ is the best way to cook it and stir often.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.