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How do I render leaf lard and back fat?

 
Matt McSpadden
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I am being given some free leaf lard and back fat from a friend who just butchered his pig. I've never rendered that stuff down before. Any tips and tricks to do it and preserve it?

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I cut it in small chunks and simmer for hours in a cast iron pan until completely melted. Filter the cracklings and store the clear fat in glass jars. I freeze or keep in the fridge and it keeps for months.

It's a breeze to make; you'll just have a house that smells of land for hours.
 
Matt McSpadden
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Thanks. That doesn't sound too bad. I was actually thinking of doing it outside on the side burner of the grill. I don't have that big of a pan made from cast iron, so I'll probably have to use a stainless steel stock pot.

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Similar here,  but with the slow cooker.  Different brands vary, but it tends to be significantly cheaper to run for long periods than the stove.  

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Matt McSpadden
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Similar here,  but with the slow cooker.



Ooo. I'd have to do multiple batches, but that sounds pretty easy, especially because I wouldn't have to watch it as carefully.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C.S. Lewis
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis

 
John F Dean
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I add a little water at first. The water reduces the chance of burning and eventually evaporates.

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Tereza Okava
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i also use the crockpot. put in a bit of water, as John mentions, it eventually disappears.
I put it out on my porch, because it gets a bit porky inside the house otherwise.
 
Matt McSpadden
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I got my first batch through. Doing another batch today. Probably have at least 5 batches if not 6. Going to have some good lard for cooking :)

Based on the advice here and other articles online. I put a bunch of cut up pieces in the crock pot with a little bit of water in the bottom. The crockpot was maybe halfway full I would guess. I had it on low for about 6 hours with the lid on. Then I took the lid off and cranked it up to high for another couple hours or so. By then it was bedtime, and I gave up trying to go until the bits were brown and crispy (per a couple articles). I put a flour sack (fewer holes than a cheese cloth) on top of a metal colander, on top of a large bowl. Poured it in, smooshed it a little bit. Let it drain a little bit. Then I put it in a jar hot, put a lid on it, put it into the fridge and called it a night.

I learned that dull knives are frustrating to cut with.
I learned that scissors work great for cutting thawed pork fat into pieces.
I learned that (so far) rendering fat in a crockpot does not make the house smell any more like pork than cooking pulled pork would.
I learned that it is exciting to have a jar full of lard, and see how much more there is left to make more :)

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C.S. Lewis
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis

 
Matt McSpadden
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Second batch was a little bit bigger than the first. We cooked it for about the same amount of time, and it still was not nearly done after 9 hours. So we turned the crockpot off and are going to start again tomorrow. We will see how it works out.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C.S. Lewis
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis

 
Matt McSpadden
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So I ended up with about 5 quarts of lard. Strained and kept in the frig, just because. I did lose probably another 2 or 3 quarts worth because I did not freeze it, and just kept it in the fridge. I went to do another batch and it had green and yellow spots all over it. I pitched it. I hated to lose that much fat, but I learned a lot from this process. I am not confident to do it again, and while I lost some good healthy fat, I feel that what I learned was worth it.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C.S. Lewis
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis

 
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